We are excited to have the opportunity to share Jan's Dental story today and provide our Dentists and their teams with a dental patient's perspective and how to present dental treatment options.
Imagine the last time you bit into an apple; how long has it been? For Jan, it has been decades since she could enjoy that simple pleasure. Jan reached out to AMP for a second opinion; she doesn't have the finances to move forward with needed treatment so she started doing research on how to obtain the financial means to save her smile.
Our hope by sharing Jan's story is that perhaps we can help in introducing her to a doctor interested in helping her.
Jan was born with a congenital birth defect that deprived her of many permanent teeth. While most of us can recall high school as a time with friends or playing sports she remembers spending most Fridays driving an hour and a half to the school of dentistry for treatment needs. She saw how the struggles of missing teeth affected her parents and yearned for a different outcome. In her early 30's Jan went to a dentist in Tulsa who asked her "If you could change your mouth in anyway, what would it be?" When is the last time you asked your patients that simple question? For Jan it was a powerful question and the first time she ever had a dentist ask what she wanted. This led to a total mouth makeover with implants, bridges, and a permanent non-removable lower prothesis. Her dentist in Tulsa said the work would last for about 20 years. Now, 23 years later, Jan is in desperate need of treatment.
An essential part of case presentation revolves around the patient sharing their story so we can understand how this has affected their life and the desire for treatment in order to connect the dots with an emotional connection to their treatment needs. The condition of Jan's mouth has deteriorated with her non-removable prosthesis becoming loose. She carries fear of it falling out in public and her husband has to help her put it back in at times. This has left her with restrictions- she cannot eat certain foods and chews most of her food on one side of the mouth. Smoothies have become a great friend to Jan and solid foods, even lettuce, have to be cut up very finely before eating. Tune into AMP TV as Jan shares how this has impacted her quality of life and we discuss how as dental professionals we can help lead Jan to the solution her heart desires.
