If You’ve Been Putting It Off, You’re Not Alone
There’s a version of yourself that has been meaning to schedule a dental appointment for a while now. Maybe it’s been a year. Maybe it’s been longer. You know you should go, and you also know, somehow, that you won’t enjoy it. So the appointment doesn’t get made, and time keeps passing.
Dr. Michael Rhees, who runs Comfort Dental West Springs on Colorado Avenue in Colorado Springs, has seen this story more times than he can count. His office is in a part of town that, as he puts it, has “been very underserved for a long time.” He sees patients who have been carrying dental pain or insecurity for years, waiting for the right moment to finally walk through the door.
His message to those patients is simple and direct: “It won’t be as bad as you think it is. No one’s gonna judge you. There’s gonna be some discomfort, but you’re in the driver’s seat.”
Two Futures
Dr. Rhees likes to frame it this way: there are two versions of yourself ahead of you. One version goes to the dentist, gets things taken care of, and discovers it wasn’t nearly as awful as anticipated. The other version keeps waiting, and the problems that were manageable become harder, more painful, and more expensive to deal with.
“Start taking the steps to go down the path to get things taken care of,” he says. The hard part, he insists, is really just the decision. Once you’ve called and made the appointment, you’ve already done the most difficult thing.
No Judgment, Ever
One of the biggest fears people have when they finally come back after a long gap is judgment. They worry that the dentist is going to make them feel bad about the state of their teeth, that they’re going to be lectured, that somehow they’re going to leave feeling worse about themselves than when they arrived.
That is not what happens at West Springs. Dr. Rhees is direct about this: there is nothing you are going to come in with that his team hasn’t seen before. He describes his patients’ root canal experiences with a kind of gentle satisfaction: “They come in with just such low expectations and it’s like, ‘I’m gonna be tortured,’ and then they leave and they’re like, ‘Man, that was great. That wasn’t too bad.'” That reaction, he says, is his favorite compliment.
What the First Visit Actually Looks Like
For patients who need a clear picture of what to expect, Dr. Rhees walks through it plainly. You call, you get scheduled, and the goal of that first visit is simply to make a plan. You’ll meet the front staff. You won’t necessarily have any procedures done right away if you’re not ready for that. You’ll talk about what’s going on, what you want, and what your options are.
There’s no pressure to fix everything at once. If you want to handle one tooth at a time, that’s fine. If you want to come in only when something is bothering you, that’s fine too. The team works with you on your terms.
You Don’t Have to Wait Until It Gets Worse
If you’re sitting with a toothache or you’ve noticed something that doesn’t feel right, Dr. Rhees wants you to know that same-day and next-day appointments are often available at West Springs. You don’t have to wait for things to get to a crisis point. The team is ready to see you quickly and get you taken care of.
Take the First Step
It really won’t be as bad as you think. Call Comfort Dental West Springs or book an appointment online today. Dr. Rhees and his team are ready to meet you where you are, no judgment, no pressure, and no surprises.