Smile!

I'm one of those certifiably insane people who actually like the dentist. I like getting my teeth cleaned-- the plaque scraped off, my gums debrided, flouride treatments and polishing alike. I've never been one of those people to dread the bi-annual visit.

That is, of course, because I've never really had to worry about it. Sure-- I had the occasional cavity, which I diligently had filled (and yes-- the drill DOES bother me). But in general, I have great dental hygiene habits-- I floss daily (sometimes twice a day, once after lunch-- at my desk. Yeah; my co-workers LOVE me) and I brush after every meal. That's why, imagine my surprise last year, when the dentist told me I had four cavities.

Hmm. A red flag should have been raised given that the shady, ghetto managed-care dental office (freaking HMOs) was in the basement of a Sears in downtown Chicago. But I thought, hey-- it's in my insurance provider directory; it's clean; and there's (mostly) normal-looking people working here (I overlooked the not-always-functioning equipment thing). And lo and behold, my naivete got the better of me once again, and a-racin' downhill we went. Emergency room visit for a root canal and near law suit later, I landed myself at Water Tower Dental.

The Park Avenue of dentists, Water Tower Dental is comprised of cosmetic dentists-- so they actually view your teeth as art-- and want to make sure their creations best reflect, well, them. But after my first experience, I was willing to shell out the bucks. Sure, they had to replace the four fillings that the ghetto dentist had filled the year before (since that dentist hadn't entirely removed the original silver fillings he was replacing). Along with that, there was the crown over the root canal tooth, two partial reconstructions of fractured molars (that would have eventually needed to pulled if ignored); and three (or four?) fillings on top of that. Ouch. Three months and nearly $7K later (because even though I switched to a PPO, the lotto dentist is out of network and my might-as-well-not-have-insurance-plan has a $1500 calendar year max), my teeth look like a million bucks.

I have to say, though-- I didn't really mind shelling out the money, even though my savings took a huge hit. In addition to being state-of-the-art (they take digital photos and xrays of each tooth and load them into their computer system AND send you a text message and email reminder of your visits, for God's sake), they are seriously some of the nicest people I have ever met.

In a sick, "My Town" kind of way, they've become friends-- There's Diana, the first person I met, who made me feel immediately at home with her affable and comforting nature; Tiffany, my hygienist, just had a baby girl who I saw pictures of at my last visit; Catherine, the coordinator, is on her way to superstardom, having just had her headshots done and shopping for an agent; Andrea, the dental assistant, is joining my weekly beach volleyball team; and Dr. Anesko-- who has the best bedside manner of any physician I've ever met, aside from my dear Dr. Dempster of course, gave me a "graduation gift" at my last visit (not to mention, you can't even feel the shots when he's administering them)-- a replacement head for my sonic care and a mug. Plus, they send handwritten thank you cards and reminded me that I should stop in to have coffee with them since they won't see me until my cleaning in November.

Maybe it is all about business... being nice is certainly the way to incent me to patronize their business. As G so cynically made clear, I should get a framed photograph of the staff on the boat I helped finance (just kidding-- there's not really a boat; at least I don't think there is...). But something tells me that there are still good in people in the world... people who want to help others, and who do so genuinely, without ulterior motives. I think the staff at Water Tower Dental are those type of people.

So if you are in Chicago-- and even if aren't, but value your teeth and are willing to travel for them, these are your people. I will not trust my smile to anyone else.