Castle Mom and Dad

25 years is a long time for any relationship. You get used to the way things work, you feel comfortable, the service is what you have come to expect. The office is 2 min. from home, and everybody knows your name...But not any more.

Today I had my regular 6 month dental cleaning appt. Our good friend and great dentist, Dr. Pete(Dr. Peter Christensen) has finally 100% retired. He has been heading in that direction for at least the last 3 years or more. Today his name was off the door, no diplomas on the wall, no sign that says make checks payable to Dr..... The walls and decor were the same, but I couldn't hear his friendly voice or see is smiling face.

Dr. Pete really knew us. He would ask about our family, talk about our jobs, he even tried to get our daughter to date his son a few years back. There was even a rough patch in his life where he was one of my patients.

He was the best dentist a family could ever have. Our kids have only gone to him, they never knew he gave them shots and none of the kids have dentist fears like I do. He would head you to the right person if there was work he couldn't do. He never forgot that when pulling my wisdom teeth there were problems and in the middle of the procedure he personally called my husband told him to come get me and take me to an oral surgeon, who he had already called and made arrangements for me to be seen right way. He would often talk about it and for years he kept apologising.

Melanie has been driving an hour for her appt. since high school. Jodi once, in the middle of an appt. with the new guy, asked if Pete was in the office and wanted to see him and get his opinion he of course came and talked to her. When Matt got a terrible face infection from having his wisdom pulled, from an oral surgeon, he looked at him right away, took a pan0-xray, with charging us called the surgeon, explained the situation and we were seen right away. He is even to blame for Gordon's Valium ear, which is another long story. And every year he would give Kim a free Crest Whitening kit for the auction.

Long story short, we have been very blessed to have such a great family dentist. We are going to miss him and we wish him well.

We also have the same relationship with our family physician...we are a strange bunch.