Let me preface this review by saying something that is incredibly difficult for me to admit:…read more
I am terrified of the dentist.
As an adult, I have spent years paying the price for something I didn't understand as a child.
I have experienced excruciating tooth pain, abscesses, broken and severely decayed teeth, and years of anxiety surrounding dental care. And unfortunately, my fear became its own vicious cycle. The worse my teeth became, the more afraid I was to seek help. The more I tried to take care of them, sometimes the more painful it became.
There is a tremendous amount of shame that can come with having bad teeth. I have carried that shame for years.
So when I walked into a dental office, I wasn't just walking in as a patient with a bad tooth.
I was walking in carrying years of fear, embarrassment, pain, and memories of not knowing how to take care of myself.
On Thursday, July 31, 2026, I was eating a handful of sunflower kernels when one became lodged in one of my severely damaged wisdom teeth. The pain was so intense that my husband rushed me to the emergency room.
We were able to get an emergency dental appointment scheduled for Monday, August 3.
I was terrified.
I mean shaking-in-my-boots, heart-pounding, trying-to-convince-myself-not-to-run-out-the-door terrified.
I expected to be judged.
I expected someone to look at my teeth and make me feel ashamed.
I expected to hear the things I've spent years telling myself:
"You should have taken better care of your teeth."
"Why did you let it get this bad?"
"You should have come in sooner."
Instead...
I was treated like a human being.
From the moment I arrived, I was treated with dignity, patience, respect, and compassion.
The hygienist was absolutely incredible. She was gentle, understanding, patient, and reassuring. She never made me feel embarrassed about my teeth. She never made me feel like I was a bad person because I was afraid.
For the first time in a very long time, I felt safe in a dental chair.
And that may sound like a small thing to someone who isn't afraid of the dentist.
To me, it was enormous.
I later had my tooth extracted, and the dentist was equally wonderful. Professional, kind, patient, compassionate, and genuinely caring.
But what they gave me that day was more than dental treatment.
They gave me a reason to believe I can finally face something I've been afraid of for most of my adult life.
They didn't erase the years of dental problems I have struggled with.
They did something almost as important.
They helped remove some of the fear and shame surrounding them.
I know I have a long road ahead of me with my dental health. I know there are things that need to be fixed, and I know that rebuilding my oral health won't happen overnight.
But for the first time, I'm not looking at that road with nothing but fear.
I'm looking at it thinking:
Maybe I can do this.
Maybe I can finally take care of the part of myself I was never taught how to care for.
Maybe I don't have to be ashamed anymore.
And maybe, just maybe, going to the dentist doesn't have to be terrifying.
To the hygienist and dentist who cared for me that day: thank you.
You may have simply been doing your jobs, but to me, you did something much bigger.
You treated a scared woman with compassion when she desperately needed it.
You didn't make me feel broken.
You made me feel worth helping.
For that, I will be forever grateful.
If you're someone who is embarrassed about your teeth, afraid of the dentist, or has avoided dental care because you're terrified of being judged, please don't let that fear keep you from getting help.
I almost did.
My experience at Aspen Dental reminded me that there are people in the dental profession who understand that sometimes the patient sitting in their chair isn't just dealing with a toothache.
They're dealing with a lifetime of fear.
And sometimes, compassion is the first step toward healing.
Aspen Dental, you have earned my trust. A+++ from one very nervous, very grateful, and very relieved patient.
Aspen Dental #hixsontennessee #dentalcareinhixsontennessee #thankyouAspen#drkiannasimmons @drkiannasimmons