For months, we were told by others who "specialize" in implants and prosthesis appliances that they could help my mother who had significant bone loss and failed traditional inplants. Months passed and we were told they couldn't help us and referred us to Dr. Brecht and a colleague. Having done the research and knowing the average cost of zygoma implants and the prosthesis that would be required, we thought it was a long shot but we called the office anyway. Given the situation, we didn't know what else to do.
With kindness, the staff welcomed us to come in and let Dr. Brecht take a look and see. There wasn't any pressure about finances--they first wanted to see if they could help.
When Dr. Brecht walked in for her first appointment, he was warm, listened closely to my mom's journey that led her to his office, and then did an exam. He skipped the platitudes and instead was honest: it would be a long journey, but he could help and he had the experience to support his assertion. He wanted to get started as soon as possible given the bone loss she had already suffered, even after we expressed our concern about the financial end. Dr. Brecht wanted my mom to be able to smile and eat again, and the other part we would work out.
Throughout the process, he made time in his schedule, even asking his staff to fit us in on days when he would need to extend his already long day to accommodate us, attending her surgery to make sure he knew all that he needed to as he moved forward, and coming in on a weekend (along with his staff) when he needed to change our appointment.
With every visit, he continued to be honest about how things were going (which only made us feel more secure given how another office had handled her care) and he never once showed anything but genuine interest in the success of my mom's implants and prosthesis. It felt like he was as invested in her care as we were, while continuing to maintain perspective about her progress.
By no means was my mom's case easy. We knew it, he knew it, and his staff knew it. But they continued to offer support, to welcome us, and to remain in touch even between appointments. Dr. Brecht checked in with us personally following her surgery and first prosthesis placement, making sure that if we had questions he could answer them directly and to quell the anxiety we had with all that she was going through.
From the skilled folks working in the lab who carefully crafted her multiple prosthesis, to his front desk staff who helped us navigate the scheduling and commuication, to his experienced assistants and hygienists who not only did their job but comforted her, there wasn't a person we engaged with that wasn't compassionate and talented.
There are many providers who are nice and do the job. But Dr. Brecht is an incredibly skilled, considerate, diligent, and honest doctor who sees the whole patient.
Stars are a very reductive way to rate such critical care that was provided by Dr. Brecht and his staff and if I could give him more than five stars, I would. Most importantly, to me, however, is that I trusted him and his office with caring for my mother and that is the greatest way I can show how highly I recommend them.
As Dr. Brecht has said, the greatest way to thank him is to keep smiling. Now my mom gets to do that, thanks to him and his staff.
