A few months ago, my 13 year old daughter complained about some pain in her mouth. I checked her braces and didn't see anything. It was Friday afternoon, and I didn't think it was a big problem. I told her that I would take her to the dentist if it got worse. Monday came, and we saw her pediatric dentist, who gave her an antibiotic and sent us to a root canal specialist. He checked her out, gave her an additional antibiotic and painkiller, and sent us on our way. By Thursday, I called them, as she was no better or worse. They sent us to see Dr. Leavitt, making an appointment within the hour.
We see Dr. Leavitt, who tells us that she has a badly infected tooth, and even consulted openly with his partner right in front of us about different options. Because the infection was near her airway, we were to go across the street to St. Rose Sienna Hospital. His office did all the pre-authorization with the insurance and the check-in at the hospital. Dr. Gibson came to visit the hospital at 8:00pm, after a CAT scan, to update us on the depth of the infection. She did not need surgery that night, and it was scheduled for the next day. The following day, he checked in with us in the morning, as well as prior to the surgery that afternoon. He always spoke to my daughter first, making certain that she understood everything that was happening and had no questions or concerns. The surgery took 30 minutes longer than he had estimated, and he came out afterwards to apologize to me and my husband. He had stopped the surgery because he wanted to consult with another doctor about saving the tooth in question. He was able to save the tooth, and my daughter was released two days later.
The thing that really impressed me throughout all of our visits with Dr. Leavitt before, during, and after the surgery, was the constant communication between him, my daughter, myself and my husband, and even the other doctors in her care. He updated all her other dental providers during each step of the way. And ALWAYS spoke directly to my daughter first whenever we saw him. His openness and caring were beyond anything I have ever experienced with any doctor. He is truly a doctor above all others.