from Maria Agnello and Family: Personal care and attention. That is what my husband, daughter and I have received at Collingswood Dental for the past 27 years. Like many people, I had my share of negative dental experiences during childhood and early adult years.  I never thought that the long-established fear and anxiety associated with visiting a dentist would ever leave me, but it truly has. It may have taken several years of undoing the past and developing trust in a dentist, but now, I won’t let anyone but Dr. Roger Sheinkin “climb into my mouth”.  The man knows his craft and delivers his expertise with competent hands and life-long experience. When he asks, “how does that feel”, he doesn’t accept, “it’s okay”.  He will adjust and readjust until you say, “it’s perfect”!

If my appointment is at 4:00 o’clock, Dr. Sheinkin is examining me at 4:00 o’clock, each and every time.  Only on one occasion did I need to wait, but only for less than 10 minutes. Dr. Sheinkin offered a sincere apology, not once, but twice, for the delay because his previous appointment took longer than expected. I couldn’t believe it. A doctor, actually apologizing for being late! I bragged about that for weeks, and still find myself mentioning it. When I sit in Dr. Sheinkin’s chair, I know that his attention, as well as his assistant’s attention, will be completely on me. No distractions, no chaos. Just calm. He is not running from room to room, doing a little work on one patient, leaving them to go to the next patient and so on. This scenario was an all too familiar past dental experience. I would spend at least three hours at the dentist’s office to treat a small filing, of which the first hour was spent in the waiting room. On one occasion, I was administered a Novocaine injection where the Novocaine wore off by the time the dentist returned to me.  On another occasion, I fell asleep while waiting for the dentist to return. I thought that was typical dentistry.  During my final visit I asked about a root canal that the dentist had done the previous year that didn’t feel quite right. His response was, ”that should have been capped a long time ago”.  That’s when I started my search for another dentist in 1984.  A friend recommended Collingswood Dental, praising them for their specialty in the handling of oral-sensitive patients. I wasn’t orally sensitive, but I surely was sensitive after mass-production dentistry. Dr. Sheinkin capped that tooth.

We wanted our daughter to have positive experiences with her dental care.  I began bringing her with me to my dental visits. The dental staff always made a fuss over her, setting the positive stage for her future visits to the dentist. It wasn’t long before she had her own “dental kit” at home. Dr. Sheinkin gave our daughter her first dental examination when her first teeth emerged, and he has been doing so for the past 20 years. Even though our daughter has yet to have a cavity, Dr. Sheinkin saw her through extraction of at least four teeth, in preparation for orthodontic work. Mild manner, gentle touch and subtle humor are just what a child needs, which is what Dr. Sheinkin possesses.

The Collingswood Dental staff has remained the same for as long as I have been their patient. We know that when employees are happy, they stay in their workplace. This is testimony to a pleasant, positive environment, which is felt by the patients. This is what keeps long-time patients like myself coming back.

We are diligent about our hygienist visits very 6 months. Over the years, you come to know each other. We share about our families and how our lives are progressing. You feel comfortable chit chatting because it’s just you and your hygienist in the room and not a room full of other patients and hygienists, like corralled cattle. This is personal care and attention. Before you know it, Jane has worked her magic and I always leave feeling like I have a new set of teeth.

The office staff has always been friendly and courteous in accommodating me with all of my scheduling, rescheduling and emergency appointments. Wendy recognizes my voice even before I say little more than a few words.  Again, that  personal attention.

Occasionally, I would need to contact the billing department with insurance concerns. Every time I have spoken with that lovely person upstairs, I would be reassured that all would be taken care of and not to worry. To my amazement, she would call me the following day, problem resolved. No stress, no drama. This is unheard of in any other doctor’s office.

I can’t say enough about Dr. Sheinkin and his staff at Collingswood Dental. Personal care and personal attention with a lifetime of experience is what he offers. Twenty- seven years as his patient should be the best testimony. I tried the rest, and have been blessed to find the best!