Not long ago I found myself sitting in the emergency room of a local hospital. The pain in my mouth and in what few teeth I had left was unbearable. I knew this feeling all to well; I was sure it was another abscess, the result of over 30 years of "Dental Neglect" brought on by my overwhelming fear of Dentists. The fear dates back to my childhood and my early experiences with my Dentist. As soon as I reached my teenage years, I swore I would never again set up a dental appointment, and I didn't until about 35 years later. The only time I had seen a Dentist was in emergency situations to remove a tooth, in and out with un-kept promises to return.
This time I knew I was at the end of the line. I was confronted with the reality of my anxiety, locked up for 30 years as I was living with pain and unable to chew food. My cardiologist also stressed the link between gum diseases to my already existing heart disease. Moreover, the teeth I had left were broken off and chipped, forcing me to hide my smile or in any way "show" my teeth. It affected my appearance, my speech, my eating habits, and eventually my confidence. To top it off, the straw that broke the camels back, was when my 5 year old grandson happened to catch me in an unguarded moment and saw my "teeth" while I was laughing. He was stunned and even scared at how it looked and ran off. The time had come for me to take action.
I went online and I came upon a very interesting site, Landmark Dental in Norwood, Ma . The site had a short biography and a message to prospective patients from Dr. Ilya Livshin, DMD. In reading the message, I could have sworn he was writing directly to me. He discussed the fear people have of dentists and talked about what he does to alleviate that fear. I found the entire message to be very uplifting and it provided me with some hope, but I also thought that it was too good to believe. At this point I felt it was extremely important for me to be able to tell the dentist exactly what was going on with me, including my fears, and then I basically threw myself at his mercy. I wrote Dr. Livshin a memo, outlying my concerns and fears , never really expecting a direct response, but I figured that at least I was taking a step to do something about my situation. I couldn't believe it when two hours later on a Saturday night I received a call at home from Dr. Livshin. We discussed my situation at length and I was very impressed with his insight and genuine sense of caring . I felt very much at ease and did something I hadn't done in the past 30+ years. I set up an appointment with a dentist and I was going to keep it.
From the moment I walked into the office I knew that this was a special place. Dr. Livshin came to greet me and again we talked at length about my condition and treatment options, incuding the use of Sedation Dentistry. Dr. Livshin put me completely at ease. He reassured me that he could not only treat my gum diseases, but also restore my teeth to the point of being pain free and allow me to chew again and even smile confidently. I considered all this to be much more than I bargained for and for the life of me could not figure out how he was going to perform this "miracle".
I soon found out how. Dr. Livshin is an extremely talented and experienced dentist who has developed and mastered advanced techniques and processes that he incorporates into his work. Dr. Livshin uses the latest equipment, tools, and technology available, tailored to the specific needs of his patients. Dr. Livshin spends the time to discuss what he is going to do, and is very sensitive to the needs of his patients. My deep rooted fears of dentists disappeared and although it was an option, I never used sedation . Dr. Livshin had to perform just about every procedure you might imagine on me, from extractions to root canals to grinding and who knows what else. For a lifetime these procedures represented my worst fears of dentistry, but I kept coming back, and I can honestly say, I even started looking forward to my visits. The results of his work are outstanding, if you need proof, just take a look at my before and after pictures.
As far as I am concerned, Dr. Livshin performed a miracle for me . You may not need a miracle like I did, but if you need a dentist who cares about you and who is among the best at what he does, you must call (or email) Dr. Livshin. I traveled from central MA and southern NH to my appointments and I would travel twice that distance to have him as my dentist. I had extensive work done and along with my insurance benefits, Dr. Livshin offered me a number of financing options. I guarantee you that you will not be disappointed in what Dr. Livshin can do for you.
~ Bob DiGregorio