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Dr Doug Galan
Category: Health and Medical Dentists Dentists [Edit]
131 9th Ave SWSte 430
Calgary, AB T2P 1M9
(403) 265-3146
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 7:30 am - 4 pm
Fri 9:30 am - 12 pm
One review for Dr Doug Galan
1 review in English
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Review from Dustin H.
7/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
I just had my first appointment with Dr. Galan this morning, and I was VERY pleasently surprised.
I have a horrific fear of dentists, combined with the fact I have a hard time trusting them because my last dentist more or less blew off a problem I've had for over twelve years, dismissing it as "not being a big deal" and it's now got me in serious pain almost daily, because he failed to act on it (which I strongly suspect is because the treatment for this problem is apparently quite cheap, and thus wasn't "worth his time").
When I came in, I was given some paperwork to fill out - the usual stuff; medical history, etc. but there was also a form on dental concerns which hit the things I expected such as what issue brought you in, but also asked general questions about how happy you are about a number of different aspects of your dental situation, how nervous you are to be there, etc. and by the time I got brought back (which was only about 5 minutes after my appointment time, which I was also surprised by) Dr. Galan had already reviewed this paperwork, knew all of my concerns, and put me at ease right away. He gave me a quick checkup and when I told him about a couple areas causing pain that apparently didn't show any reason for concern, he took X-Rays of the areas anyway. When the X-Rays came back, rather than just telling me what he saw like every other dentist I've been to, he puts them up where I could see them and showed me essencially how to read them myself - showing me what my fillings looked like on the X-ray, how to tell where the nerves are, and how to recognize a cavity, so that I could see exactly where my problem was.
Also (and this is where he won serious points from me) - when I contacted him about my issue I had done some research online and, from everything I had read, was completely convinced the tooth would have to come out, and be replaced. I contacted 3 other dental offices, all of which more or less agreed with me sight unseen, and quotes me prices right away, expected payment upfront, etc. Dr. Galan got me in for an apointment only a couple days later, checked the area and showed me that not only was this not the case, and that he could very easily save the tooth, but that it would be more cost effective to do so, had his office staff pre-authorize my insurance coverage so he could find out exactly how much he could save me, prescribed me an antibiotic to get me by until the insurance company got back to them, and even put in a second pre-authorization for a treatment for the other (long neglected) issue as well.
I only ever saw anyone else for the X-Rays. Other than that, Dr. Galan came out and got me himself, sat and talked about my concerns personally, even came out and walked me through the process with the office staff. He was a very nice, patient guy who never made me feel rushed, expressed genuine concern for my problems, and really made me feel valued as a patient.
His offices are conveniently located just a couple blocks from the train, in the professional offices that attach to the mall at the base of the Calgary Tower, so it's easy to get to via transit, and fairly easy to find... and I know for a fact at the time I'm writing this, that he's accepting new patients. If you're reading this significantly later, no promises, but it's definitely worth a call.
I will be recommending Dr. Galan to anybody I know who's looking for a dentist... and hell, if you want a preview of what he's like, go to his website. It opens on a video hosted by the doctor himself... it seems a bit cheesy and infomercial-ish, so I expected it to be a total act, but no... when I met him, he really WAS that friendly.
