I had an absolutely LOVELY experience at my first appointment at Picacho as a new patient. If you're in the market for a new dentist, I broke down some details about my visit that might help you make an informed decision in choosing Dr. Lemmon. Having been to several different dentist offices over the years, you start to notice the differences and can tell when a place knows what they're doing. First off, they offer a digital experience. The website is actually up-kept and useful. You can request an appointment via the website, and they actually receive and respond to it (I've had many businesses that just ignore online things and only respond if you call). Additionally, you can fill out all your paperwork on the website, so when you arrive at your appointment it's already there and ready to go. Gone are the days of sitting in a lobby with a clipboard, filling out actual papers with a pen. This is also very efficient and a good use of time, because this allows the office to review your info before you get there, rather than briefly scanning it as they're walking you down the hall to your appointment. Every single staff member I came across was professional, competent, and friendly - on the phone, in person, and they even responded to my text one time! I think it's important to mention they are not that "fake friendly" that you get some places, but genuinely like they're enjoying their day and have the capacity to be pleasant to you. You can kind of tell the hiring style of different businesses, and whoever is in charge of the hiring here clearly knows what they're doing. When you arrive as a new patient, they even give a little tour of the office layout and let you know where the restroom is, how many hygienists there are and where that area is, and where the other procedures take place. I never realized this was something I'd like to know, but it was so nice to understand how things work there, instead of being led straight to a little cubby, and having to awkwardly ask where the restroom is at some later point in your appointment. This one little tour gave me a better impression of this office and how it's run. Another thing that stood out was how they actually seem to schedule enough time for each patient (I know, gasp!). They took time to actually ask relevant questions before my checkup/cleaning started, and had some good ones I hadn't heard before, like "What's most important to you with your teeth/treatment?" and "Do you like to know the details or just want to hear the bottom line?" ...Like, someone really put thought and care into every detail of running this practice! I was very impressed. Then, when the Dr. Lemmon came in, the Hygienist, McKenzie, very accurately briefed him with a summary of my concerns and how I'd like to be treated. Having had multiple hygienists poke and prod around in my mouth throughout my lifetime, the experience has varied. But today's cleaning was the BEST cleaning I've ever had in my life. I have very sensitive teeth, and this is the first time I've had a cleaning where they actually remember which teeth to be extra gentle on. It is clear that the staff here are more educated and competent in their given areas than other offices I've been to. Hygienist McKenzie easily answered all my questions, enabling me to take better care of my un-renewable resource (teeth & gums). You can see that tooth stuff is her jam, and she lit up when talking about it. That is what you want when entrusting someone to dig around in your mouth! Dr. Lemmon is also clearly good at what he does. He caught things on mine and my kid's x-rays that other dentists have never noticed or explained. He got leftover residue from Invisalign attachment off my tooth in about one minute, that the last office had told me would just have to stay on my tooth forever because they couldn't get it off. And when speaking to him, you get the feeling that he actually cares what you have to say, how you feel, how your experience was in the past and wants to improve it in the future. He did all this in just a couple minutes. But might I add, a couple very un-rushed minutes. There was never the feeling that he needed to hurry up and get on to the next person, and genuinely wanted to make sure any questions or concerns you had were answered. My kid and I had back to back appointments and we had to wait for a couple minutes - but after realizing the reason for the wait was because the dentist actually gives his patients the time of day, I was perfectly fine with that and will appreciate any wait time in the future for that reason. They actually educate patients, instead of herding us through as fast as possible to get an extra buck. I learned several things today, which is also something I didn't know I wanted from a dentist. There isn't much education about dental health, anywhere, I've realized. Just maybe the little comments while you're laid back in a chair with your mouth open, which isn't very helpful. This office actually sat down to explain the *why* and the *how*. I appreciated that. Lastly, this office is transparent about costs. I am forever scarred by the medical industry, where you go to the doctor's office and they rack up charges for this and that, and you're not allowed to know how much it's going to cost you until weeks later when you get a surprise bill in the mail. However, this office explains to you what they recommend, and then make up a detailed treatment plan and price estimate for each thing. HALLELUJAH! How this is not standard practice for every healthcare area, I have no idea. They even break down the recommendations by what's most urgent, so you can make an informed decision about what to prioritize into your budget. Wait, one more thing. They even emailed me my treatment plan with prices. EMAILED. I did not leave my appointment juggling piles of paper and little appointment cards that I'm going to scan the second I get home and shred. Nope, everything is safely in my email where I can pull it back up any time I need to, and this saved me about 10 minutes of scanning and shredding. It's 2021, and this office is clearly with the program. Thank you Picacho Family Dental! If I ever move away from Yuma I will be road tripping back into town for my cleanings.
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