First Impressions That Last
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By Trish Rubin
On the personal journey to Health, Comfort, and Beauty there are many impressionable stops to be made. Sharing positive first impressions of the people who are part of my care is important for me .The people who make up Dr. Sorin’s family have a vital role in keeping me connected to my goal, in keeping me believing in the work of developing my dental health for a shining result, in helping me keep appointments, and helping me to follow through with my actions.
My dental condition has been managed for the last year by an amazingly caring dental hygienist…she’s my smile architect…the woman who is part construction worker and part artist, since she knows exactly how to create and support a smile that has been neglected for years. Elvie is welcoming and understanding, No judgment, only support. From her experience as a runner, she knows about working to a goal. Talk about a first impression. Meeting Elvie further connected me to care on a personal level that I needed.
With first impressions in mind, imagine me sitting in the treatment chair and I am
anxious.  The impression that was made in Dr. Sorin’s office this week was mine…the impression of my teeth…my crowded, crooked, chipped teeth that have been hiding in plain sight for years. It’s a first step along the way. Straightening out the teeth that time has pressed unattractively together over years. Some overlap, some receding. And lots of angst for me.
But along with Dr. Sorin, I am in good hands… Meet Ro, a patient care specialist in whose hands I have been placed…literally. Rose has the patience of an angel as she assists in my care, and she has the soothing demeanor necessary to take on the dental phobic, leaving her boss, Dr. Sorin free to work his magic.
My first impression is that she is confident. She is clear in explaining the procedure I will undergo as she knows it from coaching other patients through. She is empathetic I feel absolutely supported by her, and I feel that she can carry my burden of anxiety during treatment on her delicate but strong shoulders. Just seeing her at my side feels comforting. Her patient eye contact, voice tone, a caring pat to the arm, a needed paper towel pressed gently against the corner of your mouth. “I’m with you,” she said, not once, but many times to me in the course of the appointment. As I rested back against the chair at her suggestion, eyes on the tropical beach scene projected on the plasma TV, she kept me feeling relaxed. I felt she was with me, and …we could have passed tropical drinks to each other in an imaginary mini-break! I felt calm and cared for. Despite my vulnerable situation, it seemed to me, I was so protected in a dental office! In my history, the words soothing, protected, safe were never part of the experience.
For those who seek the best in care, it is a gift to bestow on yourself. And I was fortunate to be in that safe place. I even was able to weather the breaking of the seal of the impressions….the hardest part for the patient since you have the feeling that you might lose filings and caps along the way! That fear summons up a lot of negative dental baggage! But no, Ro was there to coach me through that part too. She gave me confidence and held my hand. It was her job to get me through. The results were perfect. The seals were broken on my impressions, and the bonds were made closer to my caregivers.
