Longtime North Seattle dental patient, Kerin Brasch takes a moment to talk about her dentist Dr. Chris Pickel. In fact, she knew Dr. Pickel before she even began visiting him for any dental work.

Why did you choose Dr. Pickel as your dentist? 
I knew Dr. Chris Pickel when he was dating his very cool wife, Keri, who I worked with. I was so impressed with the fact that hours before his wedding he lost one of his own crowns (as in teeth!), met his partner at the office to get the beauty back on and made it back for his wedding pictures. I knew a dentist that had experienced emergencies like this would surely have empathy for me when I needed care like that!  

What things do you like about the North Seattle Dental staff and the office environment?
I, like everyone else who has gone there for years, always go back. It’s family there and I always feel like they really care about my concerns, any discomfort I might possibly have and how I feel about the results. Dr. Pickel is an artist as well as a physician and he works hard to make sure his work is perfect and that I’m totally satisfied. He’s not just there to fix something or find a problem. He’s there to make sure I have the healthiest teeth and feel great about my smile. That makes him smile!

What do you like about Dr. Pickel?
He cares about his patients. He’s funny! And he asks a lot of questions about my life and my concerns and he makes any problems seem easy to solve. And they always are with him managing my smile.

How long have you been coming to North Seattle Dental?
So long that I have seen him get married, have two children who are now teenagers, and yet the guy never ages. What’s with that? Maybe it’s his beautiful teeth!

What do you like about the North Seattle staff?
I like the dental staff who are all friendly and really competent. They all remember your family, ask questions about them, make it easy to get through every procedure. I love going there and seeing them. My hygienist, Barb, is a gentle, thorough and kind caretaker, who I look forward to catching up with each time I go for my teeth cleaning. No white-knuckle grips on the chair with her in charge!

What types of dental services has Dr. Pickel provided for you?
The biggest dental “project” on my mouth was due to a changing and worsening overbite, which was causing my front teeth to wear down and grow noticeably thinner. My teeth have always been so straight, I never needed braces growing up, so I was horrified that I was actually facing serious problems with my teeth.   

Dr. Pickel started gently letting me know that if I didn’t do something soon, I would be faced with serious problems, like losing some of my teeth. I went through 2+ years of orthodontia procedures, had my jaw relocated and then Dr. Pickel finished the project by putting in beautiful new crowns.  It completely changed my teeth, the way that I chew and my bite. And I don’t have to worry about the future and having more problems with my teeth affecting my smile, my ability to chew and my health. It was a daunting project, but Dr. Pickel, through numerous discussions with me about the problems and solutions, developed a plan with me and checked in with me through every part of the procedures, even though he wasn’t the only doctor involved. He totally cared about every step of the process, consulted with my orthodontists to make sure everything was perfect for him to finish the project.  He is a collaborator, a problem solver and totally understanding. I’ll never trust the health of my teeth and smile to another doctor!

Were (or are) you anxious about visiting the dentist?
I was a wreck about getting braces, having a surgical process to move my jaw and then to get six new veneers. I never felt anxiety in the chair or doing the procedures, but when I felt anxiety before going to the other specialists, I could always call Dr. Pickel and he would calm me down.

My dental hygienist is always concerned about any pain, any problems and anxiety I might be experiencing. She cranks up the music or tv (if I want it) and gets my mind off the cleaning she is doing. She is always understanding and talks to me at just the right moments to get my mind off anything she is doing that might possibly cause anxiety.

Do you have a fun or interesting “story” to share about Dr. Pickel?
I sure can, but you couldn’t share those on the website. I’ve known Dr. Pickel for years!

Why would you recommend Dr. Pickel to anyone else?  
I recommend Dr. Chris Pickel to anyone who asks about a great Seattle dentist. All the people that I worked with years ago, when he and his wife began dating, started going to him and they still do. Now he takes care of all of their children and I can also catch up on everyone’s status through him.