I had the best dentist visit in my entire life today. I grew an abscess in my mouth this week. I've had one before, so I'm not fooled by it's seeming-innocence and lack of pain. I know how much they hurt when they finally decide to be painful (which is never on a day that any dentist is working). So I've been running around all day looking for a dentist (I love my job and the people in it and how they are okay with this), and our building caretaker (he's a janitor, yes, but so much more) Tulio sent me to a dentist here in our building. They don't take my insurance, but right now I don't care how much it costs. The fear of repeating that excruciating pain is all that's on my mind at the moment.

So I walked in, without having called before hand because I didn't have their number, and I told them my problem. The receptionist told me the dentist was out on Fridays but that they'd like to take an x-ray or two. I agreed, they called the dentist, showed her the x-rays, and the dentist decided--on her day off of work--that she needed to see it for herself. So they called me in while I was at lunch. I went in, she poked and prodded, she jabbed and poked, and then she applied very cold q-tips to my teeth on that part of the jaw. None of them hurt (a good sign, from the expression on her face). She chatted with me a bit about the problems, about my medical history, about my dental history, and so and so forth, and was very friendly the whole time, even when I admitted that I haven't always been a good flosser (I've flossed every day this week though!).

She wrote me a prescription for the infection, and I went out to the front desk to pay. It turns out they waved my exam fee! She came in on her day off, and waved the exam fee! I only paid for the x-rays, which were cheap. So if you're looking for a dentist in Santa Monica who is friendly, nice, and goes the extra mile for her patients (even those who have never been in before), Sharon Ben-Roohi, DDS is your gal. :) And no, she doesn't know I wrote this.