A man who didn't know how to ask for help
Mr. Arvid Tollefson lived in a nursing home. He was suffering from
the advanced stages of Alzheimer's Disease and was becoming more and more agitated.
His verbal outbursts and physical attacks were becoming increasingly difficult for his
family and the nursing home staff to manage. For the past three years, he had been
driven from the nursing home to a dental office for his annual exam. Each time, the
dentist was unable to complete the exam because Arvid didn't understand what was happening
to him and could not cooperate.
Then a specially trained Apple Tree dentist started to deliver on-site dental care at the
nursing home. After talking with Arvid's family and his doctor, the dentist set up her dental
equipment in Arvid's room. She did the exam at bedside with the help of two dental assistants
and Arvid's regular nurse. In this environment, Arvid was willing to be examined. The Apple
Tree dentist found that 14 of Arvid's teeth had decayed down to the gumline, causing multiple
abcesses, bleeding and infected gums, and very bad breath. He had been suffering, but because
of his Alzheimer's Disease, he just didn't know how to ask for help.
The dentist came back to the nursing home to remove the remains of the infected teeth. After
Arvid had received the much-needed dental care, the verbal outbursts and violent behavior simply
stopped. He had finally experienced a dentist who knew how to help, even if Arvid hadn't known
how to ask.
A girl who was afraid to smile
Sarah was not quite 16 when she and her parents first came to the Apple Tree Dental special care
clinic. She was born with a disease called Ectodermal Displasia that had left her with only four
teeth, and all four were badly disfigured. Sarah's parents were unable to pay for the extensive
dental work that was needed. They had tried for years to find a dentist who could accept her
MinnesotaCare coverage for the work that was needed, without success.
As Sarah grew into her teenage years she became more and more afraid to show her disfigured teeth.
She never smiled the way other kids did, and felt unable to join in their social groups. She became
isolated, deeply depressed and suicidal.
Finally, Sarah and her parents discovered Apple Tree Dental. Instead of hearing "I can't help you.
I'm sorry," they heard "You came to the right place!" Apple Tree's dentists had the specialized
training and the financial help from the community to provide Sarah with permanent, implanted artificial
teeth that will last her a lifetime. With her beautiful new teeth, Sara can eat, talk, and have fun
with other teenagers. And she is no longer afraid to smile!
A woman who knew exactly what she wanted
Mrs. Gracie Pierson was 106 when she walked down from her assisted living apartment to the Apple Tree
mobile clinic which was set up in the adjoining nursing home. She poked her head into the room and
said, "I have a loose tooth. Do you think you can pull it?" "I'll have to take a good look at it,
first," the dentist replied, and he made an appointment for her on the spot. During the dental
appointment that followed, Gracie amazed the Apple Tree staff with her lively questions and opinions on
a wide variety of political and social issues. At 106, she read the newspaper every day, and was eager
to talk about the latest stories.
Her tooth was very loose, and it did need to be pulled. When she was biting on a piece of cotton after
the extraction, she was told that another dentist would be coming next week to add the missing tooth to
her partial denture. To this Gracie said firmly, "That is unacceptable. There is no way I am going an
entire week without a front tooth." Needless to say, the dentist put a rush on the case!
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