The first owner of the practice was named Brittany, which, for someone who came of age in the 80’s, was a name reserved for princesses and equestriennes. The very best thing about going to this practice was the DVD goggles and huge selection of DVDs from which to choose. On more than one occasion, I actually whined that a filling or root canal ended before I could finish the movie. Dr. Brittany could hide a pregnancy like nobody’s business. I believe she gave birth to five children while she was my dentist, and I generally only knew about them when they would show up in infant seats behind the reception desk. I guess after five, she called it quits, and the next dentist came in. She was similar in size and stature to Dr. Brittany, which for me just meant small hands – the best possible physical trait a dentist can have. Unfortunately, I believe the DVD goggles were found to cause cancer or blindness, I can’t recall, and their use was discontinued.
At some point, an older dentist, with large, clumsy hands took over the practice. I did not like the way she seemed to be selling me on courses of treatment as though she were working a used car lot and my dental hygiene took a back seat for a long while until some issue came up. By the time I made an appointment for that, the current dentist and practice owner had taken over.
Dr. Chelsea is also small of hand, and she has the most amazing teeth imaginable on a real human. Straight and white and even. Dr. Chelsea has redecorated since I was last there, and she’s got her staff wearing elegant black scrubs. She has also upped the technology in the office quite substantially, and the waiting room magazines are top notch.
My appointment today turned out to be, in essence, an estimate for the next appointment, which is really going to cost me. I even had to make a down payment before scheduling the appointment. I guess I’ll be helping to pay for some of the technology and magazine subscriptions. If I keep eating sweets, maybe Dr. Chelsea can bring back the goggles.