Dr. Miyasaki,
This rose is for you! You may not recognize it as the fresh yellow rose you gave me on my first appointment in February. When I saw the rose the next morning, it was a tangible reminder that I made the difficult first step and really visited your office. I faced the fear and went through it! The rose represented “Hope” and a new beginning. As you can see, the rose has gone through a metamorphosis as I have during the past six months.
In spite of the years of my lack of an easy, healthy smile, I did my best and was able to use and sharpen other skills to create a good life. No one is defined by only one feature or incident. However, I feel the smile that your expertise and skills created for me is a wonderful added asset to my life now. The least of which is a healthier life. Now, I can express externally with a smile the humor and joy I usually feel. It’s amazing how much lighter I feel without the burden of feeling self-conscious about my lack of a decent smile.
Dr. Miyasaki, if I had you as my childhood dentist, I would never have been in the situation I was in. I would have looked forward to visiting the dentist. But there is a reason and a time for everything in life, and we always have to live in the present. Every detour takes us down another route intended for us.
Your kind, compassionate, and gentle approach added to my commitment and inner knowledge that I made the best decision to call your office. Each member of your staff that I interacted with (Remy, Meg, Daryelene, Julia, Verna, Jo, Janet, Jesus) made me feel accepted and encouraged even though I knew I had a lot of work to go through. This compassionate, non-judgmental approach to those facing dental work of any kind is so important. It is different than resetting a broken arm. From the patient’s perspective, one is in a vulnerable position, horizontal in a chair, with intimidating machines and sounds, strong lights, with mouth fully exposed. People are working “in” your face/head. Besides facing this environment, they are dealing with their own inner gremlins of fear or embarrassment. The patient is putting their full trust in your and your assistant’s hands, a huge responsibility.
I felt compelled to write this, in case you have days when you or your staff may feel discouraged or tired or wonder if your work is truly appreciated by your many clients. Hopefully, after you read this, you will know the answer is a resounding yes! You and your team are dispensers of hope, health, and fresh starts. May God bless you and your hands as you work on each client.
Of course, I will be back for regular maintenance and for any other dental issues and will refer anyone I know to Dr. Miyasaki!
Sincerely,
Gail