Growing up I was spoiled, dentist-wise, by my mom's best friend's husband, Steve Hinkis, so much so that I couldn't even understand jokes involving the pain of dentistry. After Steve retired to live on a golf-course on Long Island, I went to a dentist once on the Upper West Side where I bled for an hour at the hands of a young hygenist and was then admonished for about 3 seconds by I think a dentist for chewing too much on ice. Then I got computer generated "personal" notes from the practice every 6 months reminding me about my next cleaning. Needless to say, I stayed away from dentistry for a while after that.
I will admit I was skeptical when my fashionable then-fiancee recommended I go see Margaret O'Reilly, who she heard about from colleagues at Harper's Bazaar and who supposedly cleaned and whitened the teeth of beauty editors and runway models. Only for our wedding photos, I reluctantly agreed. As usual my wife's instincts were correct and my initial skepticism was unwarranted and unfair.
Margaret O'Reilly turned out to be a wonderful dentist and here are a few reasons why:
*No hygenist, does all the work herself
*A one woman show:
-Answers her own phone
-Makes her own appointments
-Does her own billing
*Didn't get mad, pre-double-root-canal, when I made her review my x-rays with the retired Steve Hinkis (who agreed with her impression and plan)
*When I was in pain, after the double-root canal, I called her up at 1AM and she was sympathetic, scheduled me for an 8AM appointment next day, figured out the problem, and relieved my pain
*Stutters, which proves she's overcome adversity
*Agreed to see my annually instead of every 6 months even against ADA guidelines
*Gave me a discount
*Sends formal reminders that don't fake intimacy, although I feel she knows me well
Have I gone on too long? Give her a call at 212-688-7677.
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