I was a patient the other day, after chipping off a piece of my tooth  (which felt like the Grand Canyon). I was once again reminded of the excellent care we give our patients by being a patient that morning.

I was worried about it being sensitive and I did not really want to have a shot…. We are all human, like that.

Dr. Donaldson carefully did a couple of  gentle checks on the tooth’s sensitivity before beginning and assured me that if that did not bother my tooth, what he was doing would not either. He and Irene worked methodically and restored my tooth to its natural beauty, and investigated further to see if another tooth was the culprit in causing the chip. Dr. Donaldson did some minor shaping and polishing and I was back to work, looking and feeling so much better. My response, once again, was ”Wow.” This is what our patients experience and how lucky we all are to have Donaldson and Guenther.

-Annie

I had a patient yesterday who was really nervous about her appointment. I offered her a headset, blanket, and pillow to get her comfy. She had stated that she did not want to know anything about what we were doing, as she had been given a full explanation at her consult and she could do without the “gory” details! ☺

As her appointment progressed and she saw that Dr. Donaldson and I were having fun, joking about how the materials should come in fun colors instead of “serious white,” she started to relax and by the end of her appointment was also having fun. We explained the procedure and what to expect in the days following her appointment. She was so pleased and must have thanked me at least 10 times for taking such good care of her before leaving.

I explained that is how we do things here; we work hard at keeping our patients comfortable during everything we do.
She enjoyed her appointment and was appreciative of the information and follow up after the fairly complex procedures.

-Irene

Just the other day I had a wonderful compliment!!! As I was working with Dr. Donaldson on a patient that we have seen for some time now he look at me as asked “How long have you been doing this?” At first, I thought that because of the many questions that I asked Dr. Donaldson regarding how we were going to treat this patient’s specific situation, I seemed inexperienced. However, it was the complete opposite. He said “No, it really seems like you know what you are doing!” This made my day!! I work very hard at helping our doctors make each treatment specific to the patient and his or her situation.

- Kara

Words cannot begin to express my deepest gratitude to Dr. Donaldson and his staff for taking such wonderful care of me.  To say that I’m deathly afraid of dentists is a complete understatement.

Having just moved to Ann Arbor from NYC, I was in search of a dental practice for my family.  I stumbled across Donaldson & Guenther as I happened to be in the building for another appointment.    I was immediately struck by Ann’s professionalism and kindess, not to mention the calmness of the office.  I scheduled a cleaning for my husband and reluctantly, one for myself only after being assured by my husband that he didn’t feel a thing.

Surprisingly, I made it through the cleaning and was warmly greeted by Dr. Donaldson who went over what seemed an endless list of dental problems. I listened politely (terrified, honestly), all the while thinking there’s no way I’m ever stepping foot in this office again. I was sure that I could come up with some reason to avoid coming back.

Three months later, much to my dismay, a piece of my tooth chipped off and I thought, oh boy, this is it, my teeth are all about to fall out because I didn’t go back. I went back to see Dr. Donaldson who, again, very professionally explained the work that needed to be done and without judgement, listened to my fears. Dr. Donaldson and his staff showed such a true concern for my health and fears – I trusted them.

The morning of my appointment, I walked in and was greeted by warm smiles and was literally hand held through the entire sedation process.  The assistants went over the process with me step by step. Dr. Donaldson went over the dental work with me and explained what and how I would feel. Despite being treated with incredible patience and compassion, I was still extremely anxious. I was given some sedation meds which I was sure wasn’t going to work since I felt fine, not a bit sleepy, wide awake and very aware about everything going around me. The assistants came in and tried to relax me, but my heartrate was sky high, my knees were shaking, and you couldn’t pry my hands apart if you tried! The last thing I remember is hearing one of the assistants telling me everything was going to be all right.

I was told I left the office around noon but I can’t really remember a thing. When I woke up later that evening, my husband told me Dr. Donaldson had called to check on me and offered some tips in the event that I had any discomfort, which I never did.

I have now undergone two dental appointments under sedation and this last appointment, without. Thank you, Dr. Donaldson, and your entire staff for your support and for giving me the confidence to have dental work done without the use of sedation.

-Janice

A previous patient had a dental emergency that her “new” practice could not see her for. She had a temporary crown that had come out of place. The dental practice that had done the preparation for the crown was not available to see her for a few days and the tooth was beginning to hurt. Her concern grew, so she called our office, where she had been a regular patient, years prior. Ann got her in right away.

When I looked at the existing temporary, I was immediately concerned, because the shape and edges of it had caused her gums to become very inflamed, which made the whole area painful. I showed Dr. Donaldson, and asked if I could remake it so that the tissue around it could heal better and reduce the discomfort. He agreed that a new temporary was just the right thing to do. After the new temporary was placed, the patient had an immediate and positive response: no more pain! It was far better now than at any time since it had been worked on. She appreciated the time we took to care for her and felt that she would prefer that we make her permanent crown. She returned to our practice and has become a regular patient once again!

We have seen stories like this from time to time over the years. Patients sometimes go to other practices in town to save $40 or $100 dollars. Most of those patients actually return a year or two later with a comment along the lines of, “Now I get it!” At Donaldson & Guenther, we are guilty of trying. We try to get it very right the first time. That means appointment times that are long enough to do it right, great temporaries and restorations for happy gums and teeth, and using superior materials and technicians.  We do not see allergic reactions that come from cheap materials (like crowns from China) because we don’t do stuff like that. In fact, we pay double to triple for our lab work than the average. Why? We use only world class technicians and the finest materials, so our work fits well, is biocompatible, and is beautiful.

Discount dentists simply cannot afford to consistently do it like that. That is why many of our patients that move out of state continue to see us. Sometimes, they just send a note of appreciation after their new dentist comments about the high quality of their previous dental work. Some dentists even take the time to send us a note. It makes us feel great about how we care for people. So when people return, we have an open door with no strings (or guilty feelings) attached.

-Kara

I recently saw a new patient who was petrified to be in the dental chair.  I calmly spoke to him, letting him know he was in control and I would stop any time he became uncomfortable. He listened to his iPod while I cleaned his teeth. Although that’s routine here at Donaldson and Guenther, it was new for him and helped him relax a bit.  When I was all done he couldn’t believe the difference in how clean his teeth felt and how comfortable he had been. He was very appreciative of my work and caring approach. He said, “My teeth have never felt this great before! Thank you so much.” That just made my day, and this is why I love what I do everyday!

-Kelly

Although I was aware that I was snoring at night, as I was reminded by my wife in the mornings, I was not aware of the “less than restful” sleep I was getting at night until I started using my mouth appliance from Donaldson and Guenther.  I am now getting a more restful sleep at night and wake fully ready for a full and challenging day.  The added benefit is that I am no longer snoring and being an irritant to my wife.  Dr. Kristen Guenther did an excellent job in fitting me for my “sleeping appliance,” which took only 3 visits.  The device fits naturally in my mouth at night and does not cause me any difficulties in falling or staying asleep at night.  I found the people at Donaldson and Guenther extremely helpful when I had questions or if I needed the device “tweaked” after or short time of initial use.  I would highly recommend Donaldson and Guenther to anyone who is seeking help with a snoring condition or who has even a mild case of sleep apnea.

-David R Sarns

When our doctors are out of the office and one of our patients has an emergency, we have them stop by to see if there is something we can do. Otherwise, we refer them to the doctor we have asked to cover for us while they are out.

In this case, one of our patients had an emergency and I was able to help her.  One of her front teeth had become so loose that it fell out completely.  She wasn’t in any pain (the tooth had a root canal and post) but was mortified because she had this gaping hole when she smiled!

As an assistant, I am limited as to what I can do to help.  So after thinking about it, I was able to affix the tooth back into place long enough to take an impression.  By doing this, it allowed me to make her a clear retainer which would hold her tooth in place until Dr. Donaldson could restore it more permanently.  The patient was so happy that I was able to help her!  She still remembers how “Irene made me a retainer and saved my smile.”

-Irene

I just had the pleasure of visiting with one of your patients who recently moved to our area. I discussed with her the wonderful dentistry that I saw in her mouth – particularly the veneers. Nice job! kudos to the dentist and lab. This is the type of work that I strive to emulate, with varying degrees of success.

regards
Barry Kliger

Dr. Guenther replaced  a crown for me recently.  She helped me feel comfortable throughout the two sessions and did such excellent work. My tooth feels great! Thank you so much, Dr. Guenther. I never thought I would feel comfortable at the dentist office, but I do with you! Ann Arbor is so fortunate to have such expert dentists in a perfectly innovative and most modern office. You also have a warm, professional staff – Mary (technician) is the best! and Ann (front office). Thank you all!

S. Thatcher