*I have been compensated for this post, however, all ideas are my own.


During my first round of 101 in 1001, one of my goals was to get one of my teeth fixed. When I was nine, I had a really horrible bike wreck that chipped several of my teeth, and broke one straight in half. I went through years with a temporary filling. And then finally had a pulpotomy (basically, half a root canal) and got a regular, good ol’ silver filling, but continued to have a horrible sensitivity and a few years ago, decided to get a full root canal. Unfortunately, my tooth was too calcified and I had to have the entire tooth removed. Last year, I had the tooth replaced with an implant, which was a pretty tedious, but not so horrible procedure (it took many office visits). I really liked my dentist, but since we’ve bought a house and I work in the city, it doesn’t make sense for me to go to that same dentist anymore.

I’m pretty particular in how I go about choosing a doctor. While I’m not too picky, I do think it’s important to have a set of “guidelines” per se to help me go about picking a doctor that is the best for me. Some of the things I look for:

I prefer women doctors.

I prefer doctors of color.

Obviously, they have to accept my insurance.

Preferably within 30 minutes of work and home.


While number three is non-negotiable, there is a bit of wiggle room with the others. For example, with number four a doctor may be within 30 minutes of my house but not within 30 minutes of my work, and that’s okay. But I’ve had not so great experiences with doctors that are not women and/or not POC. My most recent dentist is a Black woman, and I had pretty great experiences with her. But my diabetic doctor, for example, is a white guy, and I’ve been going to his office since I was a teen, and things have never been great there. Unfortunately, I was stuck with that doctor because he was the only endocrinologist in the area. But I’ve been able to schedule an appointment with a doctor who’s a woman of color closer to work, and I’m looking forward to developing that relationship and hopefully being able to manage my diabetes better.

I’m also on the hunt for a new opthamologist, dentist, and OB/GYN, but my search has been slightly delayed due to COVID. It’s not currently time for those appointments, so I haven’t made much of an effort to search. Luckily there are plenty of doctors in the Atlanta area to look through and choose from.

Metro Decatur Dental Group PC is one I’m looking into, as it’s seriously just down the road from work and boasts a full team of individuals who are Black, including lead dentist Dr. Gary Simms. Reviewing their staff page, I feel confident in the work of these individuals and their care of patients they see.




Alongside their regular dental services, they also provide teeth whitening services. So if you’re looking for teeth whitening in Decatur (a suburb of Atlanta), Metro Decatur Dental Group is an option.

I’ve tried at-home teeth whitening in the past, and got some results, but it was such a tedious process and left my teeth feeling so incredibly sensitive on top of the sensitivity I already experience due to dental procedures and previous issues with my teeth. It’s likely professional whitening would likely be more beneficial to me, and would also be better catered to my specific dental concerns.

I’m actually very excited to find a new dentist, OB/GYN, and ophthalmologist, and I’m incredibly hopeful for my appointment with my new endocrinologist. In the past, my options for medical services have been limited or quite too far to drive regularly. Over the past year, I was still utilizing my previous doctors and worked so far away. I would have to take off the entire day to go to a doctor’s appointment, and I was using my PTO so quickly. It honestly sucked. So, this is going to be a pretty nerve-wracking experience, but will hopefully all be worth it when I have new doctor’s I really trust.