I cannot thank Dr. Van Ermen, Gabi, Kari, Chloe, and the whole team enough for how kind they were during my wisdom tooth removal experience.
I have had a fear of needles my entire life and had been dealing with near constant pain (sometimes low level and sometimes completely overwhelming) from my wisdom tooth or what I thought was TMJ pain since Thanksgiving. It had my nervous system stuck in full fight-or-flight mode and was affecting my quality of life more than I even realized.
I was honestly embarrassed to be a 30-year-old stress crying with my mom there, but not one person made me feel judged or like I was inconveniencing anyone. Everyone was patient, reassuring, and genuinely kind.
Dr. Van Ermen even called me from his personal phone over a holiday weekend to answer my endless questions, which meant more than he probably knows. The nurses and staff were also amazing at making meaningful conversation and helping distract me when I was scared. They even noticed I was hanging on by a thread and handed me a tissue before I became a complete sniveling mess, which sounds small, but it made me feel comforted and weirdly more in control.
I noticed a sign in the office about verbal abuse toward staff not being tolerated, and it stuck with me. I know they probably absorb a lot of fear and stress from patients every day, so I just wanted to make sure I put the opposite out there: what they do matters.
If you are anxious, scared of dental work, or have been putting off treatment because of fear, I truly felt cared for here. Thank you for making something I was terrified of feel safe.