Dentist isn't just interested in your teeth

Tom McMahon, For The Nonpareil

08/18/2008

	Buy Photo
	Staff photo/Josh White - Dr. Bob Perry concentrates as he cleans the teeth of Ashley Way during an appointment at his office Saturday afternoon.

Looking around someone's office can tell you a lot about a person - what's important to him or her, what he or she is interested in.

Looking at Dr. Bob Perry's downtown dental office, one sees the obvious dental equipment - Perry operates three stations where he sees patients. But there are also the photos - his family, his staff and his staffs' families. There are the stuffed animals for the children - a duck, cow and lamb propped on partitions, a comforting diversion for those not-so-comfortable-in-the-dentist-chair kids.

"I am a people person," Perry acknowledges. No need to tell us, Bob. We see it in your office décor.

Perry's people skills must be pretty good. His two dental assistants, Nancy and Kim, have been with the dentist for a combined 54 years. A photo collage on one of the office walls tells that story - Perry dancing with one of the assistants at her wedding; pictures of Perry and his assistants on Kansas City and Las Vegas conference trips; Halloween costumes at work. Kim and Nancy put the pictorial together to commemorate the office's 30 anniversary last year.

The Council Bluffs native set up his practice in its current 532 First Ave. location in November 1977. He graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1965 and received a biology/chemistry from the University of Nebraska at Omaha. After earning his degree, Perry did medical microbiology research at Creighton University and then spent a couple years as a chemist with Mobile Oil in Omaha.

"I was debating between becoming a dentist and an optometrist," Perry said. He said the option of attending school closer to home tipped the decision to dentistry and Perry enrolled at the University of Nebraska Dental School in Lincoln where he graduated in 1977.

While he connects with people, Perry also talks dentistry. He cites the importance of good dental hygiene, noting it can help prevent heart disease, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. Perry said mouth bacteria and its by-products can get into the bloodstream if not removed and that can create problems. That health history he takes if you are a new patient is not just for show. Health issues can effect your dental treatment, Perry said.

Allergies, high blood pressure and other factors influence what anesthesia dentists administer to patients, so it is important to give an accurate profile and note any medications you are taking.

Since he cares about people, making them comfortable is important, Perry said. Older patients remembering the dental chair torture scene in the film "Marathon Man," people who have had bad dental experiences and young children are most apprehensive. Honesty and medication are Perry's remedies.

"It's important to be honest with people upfront and tell them what you are doing," he said. Perry walks patients through the dental experience, alerting them to a "little poke" or "you're going to feel a little sting." Numbing medications also help reduce pain, he said. And a few people get the gas.

"Nitrous oxide does not make you laugh," Perry said, referring to the mix that has been referred to as laughing gas. "It takes the edge off and helps patients relax." But, most of those sitting in the chair do fine without the extra "boost." Some of the youngsters hold the lamb or cow or duck. As far as we know, no adults have grabbed the stuffed animals while under the dental drill to help them deal with their grinding and gnashing of teeth.

Perry likes the fact dentistry is relatively safe. While patients with toothaches sometimes feel like they are dying, he notes no one has ever died from one. But, he was a little concerned when he received a call about Fritz's bad Halloween experience.

"The person said Fritz had gotten some bad candy and was not doing too well." Perry's concern increased when the caller said she had Fritz waiting outside in the back of her station wagon.

"It turned out there was another Dr. Robert Perry who lived fairly close who was a vet," he said. The person dialed the wrong Dr. Perry. "Turns out Fritz was a St. Bernard."

While Perry considered optometry, being a vet was never on his list.

The dentist has seen changes over his 30 years wearing the white coat - gold/silver fillings replaced with less glittery materials in an effort to project the perfect smile, increased interest in cosmetics and computerize record keeping that has made paper work easier. But, the people connection is a constant at this dentist's office. He has one patient who moved to Hawaii, but returns every year for his annual dental checkup.

"I'm flattered but I would prefer they fly me there," Perry said with a laugh.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20022080&BRD=2703&PAG=461&dept_id=555106&rfi=6