Dental Trauma Miracle

What’s your dental trauma story?

“My name is Taylor Fisher and I grew up in South Florida. Essentially, when I was in nursing school in college, I was on the equestrian team and I had a really traumatic accident riding a horse. I shattered the whole left side of my jaw. I originally had four surgeries to reconstruct everything that first year when I was in nursing school — which was rough, really rough. When I graduated and moved to North Carolina, that’s when I started to try and get everything in place — fix everything other than the actual jaw area, which was fixed. But now, it was more dental and orthodontic.

I got four different answers from four different people telling me what to do. One endodontist was like ‘We could do a root canal but we’d have to slice open the entire gum line.” It was all this crazy stuff. I felt very confused because I didn’t know who to believe — some people were saying just take it out…So, it was scary. I didn’t know who to really trust. The people who took care of me for the original surgeries — one was in Miami and then my other doctors were in Boston. So, I was in a hard place because I didn’t feel like I trusted anyone here.

Why did you make an appointment at Stanley Dentistry?

I had a patient in the ICU and his daughter was an oral maxillofacial surgeon. So, somehow, we got to talking and she also happened to live in Boston. We were talking about that and eventually it came up that she was an oral maxillofacial surgeon. We had that kind of report where I was like, ‘Can I ask you a question off the cuff? Because I really don’t know what to do in this situation and I’m getting so many different answers.’ So, I told her what was going on, with what had happened to me, and that I didn’t know where to proceed with getting implants and should this tooth stay or should it go — and on this side, what should I do? She basically looked at me and said ‘Well, you need to go to Stanley Dentistry.’

I asked her why and she said, ‘I trained under Dr. Rob and I know Bobbi really well. And [Dr. Rob] is very good with trauma and they have a great office, they do everything together in the same office. They can do the crowns, the orthodontics, everything — all in the same office.’ For me, that was like, ding ding ding! Finally! As someone who’s already been through a lot of trauma, already been through a lot of healthcare expenses and everything…knowing that I can have everything done at the same place was huge. And on top of that, she was vouching for their ability and their character. She was like ‘I trust them. My parents are going there.’

What was your first appointment like?

It was great and when I made an appointment here, I felt completely at home. It was just a great experience. I still had a lot to do in order to fix everything but I knew I was in good hands and I trusted what they said. Everything they explained to me was very logical, ‘this is how it’s going to be.’ I never felt uncomfortable or doubted their advice on what to do.

Really, all in all, it’s been a long journey and finally, I’m on the other end and I can’t thank them enough for finishing everything in my mouth but also for everything that they’ve done here. I really do think that, in the dental system, this is what you really want as a patient. To be able to go to people who have everything all together in the same place… because I can tell you, it’s really hard when you have a different oral maxillofacial surgeon, an endodontist, an orthodontist, a dentist. You have to go to multiple different places just to get the resources that you need. And then everyone disagrees with how they think things should be done. It makes you stressed out because you don’t know who to trust.

Unfortunately, coming from a medical background, I know how it goes — different people have different experiences and doctors are the same. Everyone has a different idea of what to do. I think at Stanley, they really take pride in working together, really exploring all options, and deciding that this is the best course of action. I think that’s really special.

What would you tell someone who’s thinking about making an appointment?

I would want people to know that they [Dr. Rob and Dr. Bobbi] take a very systematic approach to what your major problems are. They work really hard to address that from all angles and to make sure it is being addressed. They really want you to have a better quality of life. I never once felt like just a patient — just someone who’s coming in and coming out. I’ve felt like family when coming in here.

They take everything in stride. All my dental visits…they know I have anxiety! So they always make sure they have this numbing medication ready — and this is just for dental cleanings — because I have a lot of sensitivity on my bottom teeth and I get very scared because I don’t know what to expect. This is something they do every time. They always have it ready. To me, that’s really, really thoughtful care. Knowing that these are the things that I need to feel comfortable — and I know it’s a pain in the butt and I know it’s a lot to ask for — but they have never made me feel bad for needing those things.

As a patient, you could never ask for anything more. For the people who’re taking care of you to take care of you like one of their own. That’s what it feels like when I’m here.

Ready to schedule your complimentary consult at Stanley Dentistry?

Dr. Robert and Bobbi Stanley are the leading dental trauma experts in the Cary-Raleigh area. They’ve dealt with countless trauma patients and have never failed to give them the quality of care they deserve. If you’ve suffered some kind of dental trauma that has left you in physical pain or has rendered you afraid to show your smile, our doctors have the answers you’ve been looking for. Schedule a free consultation today to see how a few dental appointments can change your life.

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