Our son has cerebral palsy and so going to the dentist is an awkward and painful process for him. Unfortunately he developed a whole bunch of cavities that needed fillings.
For his own safety it was decided that the best way to add the fillings was under general anesthetic.
We felt so bad that he had to go through this.
But, the folks at Toronto's Sick Kids Hospital Dental Surgery area were nothing short of fabulous.
Everything worked like a well oiled machine, from the appointments to preparation for surgery and post op.
We were so impressed that we had someone come speak to us about what was about to happen three separate times. The first was an overview, and mostly focused on where we'd be at different stages.
The second was a clear description of the process by the dental surgeon.
But perhaps most impressive was the third encounter with the nurses who would be in the room with our son. They commented that people often had questions about the process after they had a chance to think about what the dental surgeon said.
Even though we had paid close attention to the surgeon, the nurses were quite right, we did have more questions! Mostly they had to do with comfort issues and 'what if' type questions.
The nurses gave us the answers we needed and eased our minds completely.
At every point, every person we spoke with took their time and spoke in clear, non-medical language. They gave us lots of time to think about questions and we didn't ever feel pressured to move on.
The surgery went well, though our son didn't enjoy the aftermath very much. Again, the staff were excellent in soothing him and helping us to help him.
I'd love it if they could give lessons to everyone else who provides support to families with special needs!
