Now that I’ve left my career and cut some dead weight out of my life, I feel ready to look back and have a laugh– or just finally be able openly bitch about it. So here’s my confession: I am a dentist who really didn’t love the dentist either being a dentist. A few months ago I came across a funny post titled, “10 Reasons I Hate The Dentist.” It appeared right when I was in the thick of my career transition. It inspired me to write this, so, RedHead Chronicles, thank you for the inspiration.
10 Reasons Your Dentist Probably Hates You Too
1. The first thing you say when you sit down in my chair is, “I hate the dentist.” Really?!? Did your parents teach you any manners? Did they ever teach you that it is impolite to tell someone you hate them the moment you greet them? What I really want to say back is, “aww, I hate you too.”
2. You come to your appointment, and it’s obvious you haven’t brushed your teeth in days. I’ve had some people with great hygiene come in and apologize because they’ve just eaten lunch and couldn’t brush. This is not what I’m talking about. I mean food and thick plaque everywhere. After 10 years of seeing blood and rotten teeth and some really nasty things, this is still the 1 thing that makes me dry heave. You know when you come to us that we have to be in your mouth. Would you clean your home before having company? Additionally, I have spent hours literally bending over backwards repairing your teeth. Could you at least pretend that you are caring for the work that I have struggled to complete for you?
3. After we have spent hours of meticulously repairing your teeth, you complain about the bill. Would you walk out of the grocery store with a bag full of groceries and expect not to pay? I’ve just helped you to continue to smile and eat comfortably, two pretty valuable things that help your quality of life.
4. I tell you that you have a cavity and you need a filling, and you wait months or even years to get the necessary work done. Eventually the tooth starts hurting. Two weeks of pain go by, and you call me on a Saturday night while I am at dinner with friends because your tooth that needed a filling a year ago and that started hurting 2 weeks ago is suddenly an emergency.
5. You come to me so I can help you, but you make it hard for me to do a good job. You wince and make faces when it’s not hurting. The idea that I’m hurting you makes me just as uncomfortable and stressed as you are. If it hurts, please tell me, and I can help you with that. But if it’s because you don’t like the whole experience, you are only causing me to work in undesirable conditions, making it harder to do my best. And when you push your tongue in the way, or you don’t open wide enough, it makes it physically impossible to get my work done. Don’t you want it to be easy for me to do the best job for you?
6. You call and say, “my tooth didn’t hurt before you worked on it.” You came to me with a cavity. I did not put it there. You did. I am simply fixing a rotten hole that was in your tooth. To do so, I must use a tiny drill to cut the rot out of your tooth. If I took a drill, cut a hole in your femur bone, and then filled it in with a foreign material, don’t you think it might be sore for a while? Same concept.
7. When we try to take an x-ray, you won’t bite down on it. We have to do this to see what is going on with your tooth. Without knowing the problem, we can’t properly treat you. I know, in some cases some people really can’t do it; but some people could and won’t just suck it up for 15 seconds. I’ve had x-rays too, and they hurt and dig into my gums, but I just do it.
8. You tell me that you bought my car for me after having a crown done. Contrary to how it seems, you actually didn’t buy me a car. You bought yourself a crown. I have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on an education, and have spent hours making this crown fit precisely in your mouth, so maybe you helped me make a portion of a student loan payment. But you certainly didn’t buy my car.
9. You no-show an appointment or cancel last-minute. Some things are unavoidable, but when it’s because your hairdresser got a last-minute cancellation and you had to take that appointment instead, this is just rude. Not only am I unable to fill the 2 hours of my schedule that I reserved specifically for you, but someone else who wanted to get in had to wait 2 weeks for his/her appointment. And on that note, when you have the first appointment of the day, and you show up late for your appointment, I am late for every other patient the rest of the day.
10. When I tell you that you grind your teeth, you deny it, as if I am accusing you of having a horrible disease or being a baby murderer. It’s not that bad to be a tooth grinder. I’m just pointing something out and maybe offering a way to prevent more problems in the future. This observation is concluded from signs or symptoms that are based on real science, not myth.
And along those lines… bonus #11. You tell me a diagnosis I make is simply wrong without listening to me. If you know so much, why are you coming to me? You do the filling or root canal yourself. You obviously don’t need me.
Aaahhh… I feel much better now.
If this isn’t you, I am sure your dentist loves you. You are probably the bright spot of his/her day. But it makes you wonder, how do you behave when you go to the dentist? And most importantly, are you making it easy for your dentist to give you the kind of care you want and deserve?
Lolabees 
You’re right people can be annoying to dentist. But dentist are greedy basterds that want to work out you as fast as possible not letting you close your jaw for a moment. News flash: having your mouth open for too long can give you a horrible condition called TMJ. Also, if someone complains of jaw pain after you work on them, guess what you do? You prescribed pain killers and make sure there filling was properly shaved down. Most of the time jaw pain is caused by an “over-filling” so to speak.
You are right– there are SOME dentists out there that are greedy bastards! I know some of them 😉 However, we are not all like that. If you feel that way about your dentist, I suggest you find someone you like and trust. If you were my patient and thought that way about me, I would prefer you to find someone with whom you are happy. The dentist/patient relationship is a 2-way street. The relationship is way too important to put your health in the hands of someone you don’t trust or you think doesn’t care about you. Thanks for visiting! Great comment– I may have to address it in a future post!
heres another news flash. TMJ is not a horrible condition given to anybody by making them keep their mouth open for an extended period of time. TMJ is an acronym for tempormandibular joint. the complex of muscles, ligaments and bones on either side of your skull that allow your jaw to function (of which most people are born with). do your homework before you give another dentist a “news flash”
I’m so glad u posted that! I was going to say something along those lines. 🙂
You seem to know dentistr, but that’s not the point here. Cocky dentist like you, I just wonder if you have any decent relationship with your patients.
Well said!! The general public don’t realise that it’s no joy working in an area the size of a duck’s arse. They should try our job for half a day and they wouldn’t moan so much!!
I just want to point out that while TMJ does stand for temporomandibular joint, in the medical profession, we refer to temporomandibular joint disorder as just “TMJ,” so maybe you should also do your homework before attacking people. I am not claiming that someone is likely to get TMJ from a dentist’s visit, but really, “TMJ” is a legitimate way to refer to temporomandibular joint disorder.
Most people are born with TMJ Like myself and its not that horrible. I have a servers case and come on! You don’t need pain killers.
John, Thank you, she obviously didn’t understand the original message in the
blog 🙂
“News Flash” LOL, “suggests magic” you made your self look really naive’ in just one
paragraph, AMAZING 🙂
Katie, I could be wrong (but I’m not), but TMD is how TMJ disorders are currently referred to in the dental profession. I don’t care about how its referred to in the “medical” profession. do your homework
Thank you for the TMJ correction. This is one of my pet peeves. I cringe every time I hear someone say, “I have TMJ”. I want to say back to them, “I have knee”, or “I have elbow.”
Well said!
I wonder ??? Other acts keep your mouth open for a long period of time..?? but I’m sure you don’t complain about keeping your mouth open then or it causing TMJ..;) “It is a pitty I can cure a toothache but I can’t cure ignorance”.
I am amazed how un-professional your approach to these circumstances are. You are Dentists who are personally outing your career over a social interface webpage. It is embarrassing. Comparing the gap between a patients mouth to an animals ass? Who the hell gave you a dental degree and license to practice? You should feel ashamed to attack patients like this.
credentials : been in dental practice since 12 years old. Father is a dentist. We own two practices in North Carolina and Ohio.
Thank you for that. I am a massage therapist. I swear, the next time someone tells me they have TMJ and look surprised when I explain that we all do, I will scream!
Well I have TMD but was never told it was referred to as such so thanks for that correction. I inherited it from my mother and only ever heard of it as TMJ so maybe try not to be so hard on people for not knowing every proper way to refer to things. I’m not a huge fan of what happens at the dentists office but I don’t hate my dentist. Its nothing personal it’s just their job. And if you don’t like the quote they give you (yes you can call ahead of your appointment and ask how much it is going to cost before you go) then call a different dentist and find one you can afford. But just remember you get what you pay for.
Amen
Also, as a Chiropractor I can tell you that TMJ disorder does NOT have to be a lifelong condition. There are very specific things that a Chiropractor can do to fix TMJ disorder. Make sure that you ask your local Chiro if he/she is trained in TMJ disorders. For this reason, many dentists partner with chiropractors in their area for those few patients who experience TMJ disorder after their teeth have been repaired. Dentistry does not cause TMJ disorder, but some people may have TMJ disorder flare ups after dental care. Lets quit with the hate and work together towards better solutions.
Great to hear from a chiro! You guys do great work with TMJ problems. My husband is a chiro, and he was a great resource for a lot of cases.
Kudos! I have worked chair-side for 16 years, and when people tell me that they have TMJ, my response is usually “you have two”. I am a clencher and grinder, so I suffer from TMD. I premedicate with ibuprofen and get on with my day. My mother raised me to be polite and gracious…I would NEVER walk into someones place of work and tell them that I hated them. We are paid to smile through it, but some days it is just no fun.
Nice reply 🙂
Hahah thank you for correcting the TMJ remark. Thats like saying there is a horrible condition called “knee joint”. And not all dentists are greedy. Some yes. I am an Army dentist so I get paid the same wether a patient likes me or not. But I do my best to make them as comfortable as possible and treat them politely and respectfully but I do expect the same in exchange.
THANK YOU FOR SAYING THIS! This is goes on the same line as “I am so OCD.” I actually HAVE OCD, and it’s such an obnoxious remark, like it’s something to brag about when I wish so much not to have it. Same thing with TMD – people calling it TMJ, Yes, you have A TMJ, just like me. If it hurts you then you might have TMD. Thank you again!!!!! So sick of correcting people.
Yes! Everyone has a TMJ! I am an assistant new in he field and after reading this I can understand he perspective from a doctors point of view. Nice article!
Now I know how trainers feel when they hear “I want to be toned” or “I want to look toned up” or anything incorrectly involving the word “tone.”
thanks for spelling bastards right!! and not all of them are…I’ve worked for both kinds and any profession has greedy bastards that rip people off. That’s why we have websites that use patient referrals as testimonials both good and bad!!
Being expensive is not the same as being greedy. Dentistry is very expensive to offer (ie. equipment, supplies, schooling, staffing, medical building, insurances, lab fees, ect.). Most would be surprised at our overhead. Besides, instead of thinking that you helped pay for our car outside, it would be more accurate to say that you are helping to pay our chiropractor bill for literally bending over backward helping to treat your dental disease and neglect.
You don’t know what you’re talking about!
“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” wow did u stay up all night coming up with that one
Whatcha you talkin about Willis JJ ?
Yes, he does know what he is talking about. It is YOU who quite patently don’t!
Wow. Finally someone said it. I wish I could print this up and give pts to sign before they sit in my chair and waste my time. Amen
You chose to become a dentist, didn’t you? I’m sure you knew in advance that most people enjoy going to the dentist only slightly more than going to a proctologist so please quit your bitching about unhappy patients. Respect needs to go both ways but many dentists seems to feel that their profession entitles them to getting respect without giving any to their patients.
And yeah, you have student loans, who doesn’t? But we pay you hundreds of dollars for 30 minutes of work so how about you just shut up and deal with my whining and squirming?!
Hey Ariel, STFU. We as humans have every right to bitch about other humans regardless of where any of us rank in society, and we don’t have to deal with shit from you. At the minimum, all that we need to do for you are prescriptions for antibiotics and pain killers, and a referral to a specialist or a general dentist with the equipment to deal with your poor attitude, e.g. nitrous oxide or IV sedatives. You can keep your money or give it to someone else, I don’t care. Dignity is priceless.
Lol really Rimma? This just proves how immature you really are. Why did you even become a dentist anyway because i think your just wasting your own time with this profession. Stop being an asshole honestly
To Travis: Bro, stop being such an asshole and grow tf up because honestly, your the one that needs to stfu. Like i said, you decided to become a dentist, if you don’t like your job, then you shouldn’t have been one in the first place. Have you ever heard of something called dental anxiety? Everybody’s probably had this at one point during dental visits, sure it may seem like patients are wasting their just because they feel uncomfortable but you know that you’ll have to go through something like this and deal with these type of situations at least a few times.
Respect is important to both dentists and patients, that means you have to respect patients too, despite them being uncomfortable or whatever. Have a nice day
love the comment
Thank you John for your comment. In addition, you def are taking things too harsh on dentists. I am sure there are compassionate dentists out there who actually care about giving you quality treatment.
very well said…
I have been in the admin side of dentistry since HS (17 yrs) and I agree with you. As an OM there are always circumstances to the rights or wrongs but the bottom line is its a 2-way street of respect & trust. Practice/Doctor & Patient. It is a struggle in any thing in life (doctor, dentist, hospital worker, grocery story clerk) to find a right balance where every experience is a good one… funny tho how much easier it is for patients to leave us with unpaid bills and go elsewhere but we do not have the same courtesy. Whoever said the public/patient is always right but be the same one who invented the girddle.. I guess you have to be in the “moment” to appreciate both sides of the story…
Nice…I totally agree with you!
Thank you so much for responding, lolabees. I am a hygienist and have grown up in the dental field. Suggestsmagic, all dentists are NOT what you are accusing them to be and furthermore, your information is incorrect. Yes, some fillengs need to be “shaved down” as you so eloquently put it, but all the dentists I know all ask if yoir bite feels normal before you leave. And if your dentist prescribes you pain medication just because your filling needs adjusted, then you need to find a new dentist. The better question is, are you getting those prescriptions filled?
I wish all patients were required to read this insightful blot post!!!!
Out of all the answers to the unhappy dentist I agree with your comment..he made me uncomfortable!
Agree Karen!! Not only dentist but even doctors. If pain meds are giving that easily than you need a new doctor or dentist. We never give pain meds for something so small. We fix the bite and patients can tell the difference before they leave the office. On another note..yes SOME dentist (I worked with both over 15 years) are greedy as with many highly paid professionals but I get paid the same no matter what procedure we do and us employees relate to these 10 (+1 bonus) reason as well. I have to say I love most of our patients though. I watch many grow into adults, many into seniors citizens and many who have passed. If you think your dentist is cheating you…then find a new dentist!! There are good ones too!
Yes, because I can clearly see and feel my bite when under the influence of several pain shots. Do you people have any fucking bedside manner?!
You rely on a patient with a frozen mouth to yell you accurately if there bite feels “normal” after a procedure?….LOL
I find this all so amusing. So sorry U have to withstand the abuse but i completely understand it. I have had some dentists in my life who hurt me and ruined it for the rest of the dentists. It scares me to call and make an appointment. I am sooooo lucky to now have a dentist who I can relate to and I look forward to seeing. Love my hygenist. Like the staff and it is a pleasure to go there.
On a slightly different note, As an optician who can tell U we have the same issues with our patients . They all think we are out to get them. They never mind handing me a filthy pair of glasses with so much green cheese on the nose pads that without fail there is always someone in the office who asks…” did anyone bring crackers. I can’t tell U how many people want to write their own RXs and or blame the optician for all the ills of the world. When people have vision issues quite often they think it is caused by an optician who made the glasses and not the fact that they have 80 year old eyes. Don’t even get me started on what I have to touch behind the ears sometimes to adjust slipping specs! Good luck to U Dr Laura…. I understand.
I LOVE this article you wrote. It speaks my mind! Now I am thinking, should I print this out, frame it, and hang it at my clinic? 🙂 How I wish all my patients could read this.
If I read it Id turn around and leave!!! not a nice person at all!!!
I’m a dentist too. I am sorry to hear that you did not enjoy dentistry and decided to leave the profession. I enjoy my job but wouldnt say that I am in love with dentistry. I also can identify with some of the frustrations you have mentioned in your post.
I do feel however, that your post is verging on the unprofessional.
Is it possible that you have maybe been a touch over sensitive to some things that patients have said, done ( or not done)? I am quite certain that 99% of patients do not say/do something as a personal attack on his/her dentist.
Everyone has to take some sort of shit on a daily basis in their job, no matter what occupation they have. The way I see it, this is part of our job and its up to us to look at OURSELVES and see how we can change and influence patient’s behaviour/actions. In the event that some of the remarks /actions that you have mentioned do occur, it is up to us to be professional, mature ( and thick skinned ) enough to not take it personally and get on with our jobs. ie improving our patients’ oral and general health.
I wish you all the best with whatever future career you choose and hope that you find happiness and fulfillment.
Just remember though, nothing is perfect.
Thank you Dr. Davidson…Very well put. Sometimes impressions we have of Dentists go back to our childhood. I was not a fan of Dentists either, and ued to see a Children’s Specialist in Seattle. He is WONDERFUL and totally got me over my fear of Dentists. I am now able to come see my new Dentist without having to be given gas.
For goodness sakes!! Lighten up! This is a tongue in cheek hilarious article!
Haha! My thoughts exactly, Michele. I guess some people just take things too seriously. Thanks for “getting it.”
Love your post Doc! I’ve been a RDA/OM for 40 years – seen and heard it ALL – I could write a book! The one thing I taught my own children and all the DA’s I have had the privilege to mentor/train is “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” and a little some sincere kindness goes a long way. Keep your chin up (LOL) and continue doing “good work”. BTW I have returned to being a RDA after taking a year off – no more management for me. Still love dentistry and (most) patients!
Michael, will you be my dentist? 😀
You are spot on, sir.
Do you have any advice on how to go about finding someone who isn’t a greedy bastard? And how to tell if the dentist that I’m using is one of those? I’m almost hesitant to ask because it would seem that some of your readers are degenerate, pseudo academians who sit poised and ready to pounce on simple misspelled words and grammatical errors. I too dislike it when I see too many errors in an article, book or newsletter, but in a comment? Lay off!!!
Yeah, it did get a bit out of hand, but I guess the masses were fired up. I struggled with approving many of the posts, but in the end felt that people wanted to be heard. You would be surprised at how many comments I didn’t approve because it started getting really uncomfortable. As far as your dentist goes, the majority that read this post didn’t comment at all, so you’re probably fine;) There are a lot of good ones out there– maybe I should write a post about that? But really, if you want to know my answer to that question, contact me on my contact page– I’d be happy to answer that for you.
The best way to find a good dentist is through your friends. Talk to people who care about their teeth and find out what they think of their dentist. They won’t be able to judge the quality of the dental work they receive, but they will be able to give you answers regarding the dentist’s behavior.
Thanks Dan!
DR. Vidal, in Oviedo Fl, helped me sooooooooooooooo much. I was badly abused by Dr. James Magee the 2nd. He has been taken before the board of dentistry for abuse numerous times, and they suspend his license and he goes right back to lying, hurting people and MAKING them lose their money and gives them Care Credit, but it’s been about 6 months, he’s been demanded to turn over my records, and he does this to everyone, He will not give you your records. I went in to get 1 tooth pulled and he destroyed the rest of my teeth and said they all had to be removed on the top. I only had 9, out of the normal 16 due to having wisdom teeth out, a porcelain tooth and I pulled for a cavity. He charged me for pulling 16 teeth, he was just a dentist, not allowed to preform any of the two severe Open Mouth Surgeries. I had a witnes everytime. He ordered dentures, without matching the color, measuring my mouth and they had a huge hump under my nose, he handed them to me and said Good Bye, I couldn’t talk without them falling out and he said the way my face structure had changed was just the way it is with dentures.
I went to a specialist, Dr.Vidal with no upper teeth, for 97 days, severe pain, horrible embarrassment, to the point of never leaving my house, just crying constantly.
But, Dr.Vidal, took a mouth with NO upper teeth, measured, made sure everything was in perfect order, built teeth that were gorgeous, out of a mold.
Dr. Magee, satan, gave me these dingy, ill fitting dentures, that wouldn’t stay in and the smell of what appeared to be nail polish remover, acetone, that was so overwhelming to breath or taste. He never even gave me a box or glue. He said I didn’t need it.
He ripped my dad off for $4,000.00, when I just went in to pull 1 tooth.
We wore ourselves out with all his past Board of Dentistry Punishments and all the comments of the people that he did the EXACT same thing to, and it became a mission, that took up most of our lives then and the anger, frustration, depression, abuse, and Nothing happened to him, it was swept under the rug and he’s still doing it now. If anyone needs a dentist, don’t do what I did, and just look for the closet one, do a FULL search and back ground check, he’s also known for and he did to me, ruin a few lower teeth, so those will have to come out. I’m 41, by the time I’m 43, I’ll be wearing full upper and lower dentures, and that’s not fair. There’s still many things I can’t eat and worry if people can tell, but, CALL DR. VIDAL IN OVIEDO FLORIDA, and he will make you smile so big and feel good about yourself again.
I love your statement. There are a lot of wack jobs who just want to talk and get noticed for saying something on face book, like anyone cares. I went through a severely horrific event with my dentist because I was just quick to find 1, to remove 1 tooth that was bothering me. $4,000.00 later, he had said he removed 16 of my upper teeth when I only had 9, from wisdom teeth being pulled, and a crown, and one more in the back. He was a great liar, I had my dad with me at all 7 visits to have 2 oral surgeries done, on what…. I don’t even know. He did many abusive things. He’s been reported to the Board of Dentistry a number of times and lost his license, but still does that same thing.
It’s my fault, I didn’t check up on this douche, I just let him do this, and then trying to get him to pay for it, was a nightmare, and he still practices.
Dr. Vidal. in Oviedo Florida. after 92 days without teeth because of the abuser, this man made teeth, when there were no teeth to copy from and they are gorgeous. The bad dentist also, known for and did to me, ruin 4 lower teeth with the drill, so we’ll see, but Good Post. lol
Right on Doc.
I think this is sooo funny. I do have this hanging up in my office for all the wonderful patients I see everyday.
Thanks, Loren! Glad you enjoyed it!
I ADORE my Dentist . I am very lucky to now have a dentist who I can relate to and I look forward to see 🙂 . Love the entire staff and it is a pleasure to go there…..HOWEVER as a child I had to have a jaw tooth pulled because another was coming in . She (Dentist) put her knee in my lap to extract it . She (Dentist) knocked the breath out of me & scared the hell out of me . I didn’t like that nor did my mother . My mother never gave anyone a bad rap , that was up to them . She always told me that dentists were my best friend , they keep my smile beautiful & healthy . I was excited to go , still am 😀
😀 I am happy to hear that!!! So sad you had a bad childhood experience, but it sounds like you have a great mom who protected you and supported you! The fact that based on her influence, this one experience didn’t come to define your future dental experiences, is a huge win. Dentists are very thankful for patients like you… and for moms that help their children to have positive outlooks. Thanks for your good vibes!
Great reply!
I have been a Dental Assistant for over twenty years . I have heard your exact same story at least twenty times. A primary tooth does not have the same roots as a permanent tooth.Therefore removing the tooth is easy and even if there was some reason that the tooth was hard to pull…..putting a knee up on your lap/chest etc gives no leverage . Pulling teeth is all in the hand. But good story !
Okay suggestsmagic…..my daughter is a D2 student at NYU. Yep, $420,000 for the four years she’ll spend learning the wizardry of becoming a dentist. Like you, I had no idea the amount of training or money that was involved in becoming a dentist. She’s 24 years old. While her friends are already making money, getting married, and having babies, she’s studying for 14 or more hours a day. Clearly, you need to find a dentist you are more comfortable with. Or, perhaps your dentist is intentionally keeping your mouth open so that he/she doesn’t have to listen to your profanity and lack of knowledge!
If it is just $ you and your daughter are interested in perhaps being dentist is a poor choice.
Nice diplomatic answer. I hate people who say this to me. Granted, I’ve worked for some who are greedy, but not all of them are.
Anyone that works in Dentistry or if your Dentist or Dental Hygienist call the condition TMJD just TMJ then this most certainly is incorrect.
It would be no different than a GP saying you have Cancer when they are only screening for it.
It is these inaccuracies and somewhat incompetent answers that are given by people in dentistry that truly are not knowledable enough to advise anyone on their dental
health.
Yet they do and in turn it gives Dentistry as a whole a bad name.
There are truly caring and competant Dental Professionals
that are in the field for the right reason.
Everyone deserves a healthy smile, it is life changing.
May 2014 bring everyone a Happy and Healthy Smile!
I totally agree with what you say. Something else, though it would be impossible, is to have it Mandatory, that every dentist have a Superior that doesn’t work for that independent dentist, who gives the final say so, that things look good or need to be handled and fixed immediately. It’s your face. Not to sound vain, at all, but Your face is pretty much, how people judge your character and if your toothless for 92 days like I was, the feeling of people trying not to stare at me, was horrible for my self esteem and I didn’t leave the house again unless it was for the real Professional Dentist that finally made me smile. That of course, is just a dream. If my crappy dentist would have given over the records, He could have saved me much pain, but he refused and Nobody made him do it.
You should ask around! There are many examples of greedy dentists. It is hard to find one that would like to help people! And it is purely insane that the pricing does not match the quality. And how can you people judge your patients?! It is similar to electrical engineer judging you for not knowing what the number on a breaker means! Or do you know what a breaker is? In general EVERYONE WANTS TO HAVE GOOD TEETH, JUST SOME CAN NOT AFFORD IT! Go get a reality check, it will help!
I love the way you handled this complaint, thank you for the good read. I have family that are dentists and I hear these same problems all the time.
lolabees, you have 10 reasons to hate your patients, that means you hate what you do, but you still in you profession. Why? Isn’t it MONEY? And you are saying you are not one of those greedy bastards?????
If you read more carefully, you would have noticed that she left the profession.
By the time you find out about the proficiency or not, of a dentist, the damage has already been done.
This is obvious.
I love you !!
Yes you need to address a lot things like having respect for vunerable patients and your lack of compassion in a privaliged job like many in medical profession . I certainly for one and speaking for many would not want to see a dentist with attitude like yours it’s disgraceful . Certainly should not be in this line of work winging away when paramedics ect do life saving work you don’t have patience to ecpect bumps in road comes with dentistry . Some people are traumatised that’s why they put off going to dentist so all dentist post like your then there’s something more serious going on than just gaining your certification . Some people shoudnt be dentist it’s whole package so very tackles post put off genuine vunerable patients .
To be a good dentist you must be somewhat patient and have a great chairside manner. When a patient comes in in pain or are very anxiety laden, all they really need is for the dentist and assistant to show some compassion and give them reassurance that you do know what you are doing. My dentist will wink at me to let me know he knows what he is doing and that I am in his good hands. A lot of us patients have to wait until our teeth are killing us before we can afford to go to the dentist due to dental insurance being almost non-existent. Even working for a dentist I have zero dental insurance! On the other hand I realize that patients can be a real pain in the butt and exaggerate things so I am very sorry on behalf of people like that. I am very thankful for you guys I mean the worst pain ever is when I’ve had a toothache and I thank my dentist over and over and even sent him flowers because he helped me so much. But I would like to say that I’m a dental assistant and a lot of dentists are very rude. I would like to know is it because you guys are under so much stress and get tired of the complaining and or also that you feel that you are hurting people so that you have to build up a tough exterior? I would like to know because the dentist I work for hurts my feelings very much at times but I try to understand that he is very stressed out and just help him in any way I can. Thank you for being completely honest here I really appreciate you dentists for doing what you do. They say dentists have a high suicide rate, but I’m not sure though
haha everyone has TMJ (a temporomandibular joint) .. it’s actually TMD: Temporomandibular Joint Disease… 😛
Thanks… yes, this has been a popular and very welcome point!
I’ve had 3 orthodontists see me for the condition I mentioned, TMD. There all referred to it as TMJ for simplicity. I’m sorry, that my technical error made you all so angry. Also, I want to point out people can be born with a fucked up jaw or someone can fuck it up, either a dentist, a car accident, or any injury that affect your jaw.
Reality check! dentists don’t generally ‘fuck’ jaws up. Your technical error didn’t really make anyone angry. There are good and bad dentists and good and bad patients. This article as I said earlier, was very’ tongue in cheek’ and was written to make the reader smile. It is not to be taken too seriously.
Does ten really hurt that much? Mine doesn’t at all I mean a little soreness once in a while,but I don’t even notice it. Some of you guys are just wimps sorry
“Does ten really hurt that much? Mine doesn’t at all I mean a little soreness once in a while,but I don’t even notice it. Some of you guys are just wimps sorry” ~Jill
Jill, there’s only one response I have to that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDTW9Dd7ORM
dysfunction (not disease)
An Orthodontist is the last person I’d see for TMD. Start throwing in brackets, wires, elastics and moving teeth around an already volatile environment and you may have a major problem. Unless you have a really jacked up mouth, your tooth position didn’t have any affect on you getting TMD.
* Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (while we’re on the subject of correcting clinical names) 🙂
It’s actually Temporal Mandibular Joint DYSFUNCTION
Disorder 🙂
Syndrome 😉
TMJ is not a condition, its an anatomic part of your body. Funny how you post about diseases you know nothing about. The condition is called TMD. And no, the dentist doesn’t cause this either, its your own screwed up jaw.
Well true, I immediately wanted to comment on that loool specially after “horrible” that she put. So much hate in the world and all because of a dentist who maybe scared u as a child or a crazy parent! Trust me, they form a part of your impression as well as of course your childhood experiences that you might transfer 2 ur children. I’ve been told “I hate dentists” many, many, many times ughhh
That is not true. The Pankey institute teaches the belief that the asymptomatic patient will benefit from what they call or is known as an equilbration or bite adjustment in a supposed centric relation jaw position. The book the Philopshy of Dentistry by LD Pankey teaches dentists that we are customers. The book teaches dentists that the tactics of empathy can be used to build rapport, rapport can be used to build trust and trust can be used to reach rewards…..like money. Some Pankey teachers are promoted in flyers telling dentists not to be limited in dentistry they practice, that patients will say yes to treatment plans whey they learn to uniquley influence patients……..
Centric relation dentistry as taught at Pankey means taking an aysmptomatic customer (everyone) and manually manipulating the lower jaw bone into a new anatomical position, irreversibly changing the relationship of the lower to upper jaw, permanently changing the psotion of the jawbone within the jaw joints, permanently changing the orbital planes of the eyes and then shaving down teeth to make teh back teeth flatter and shallower and changing the front teeth contacts……..yes, it can seriously impact your normal healthy jaw function……………….
Can this condition cause an overbite? I notice my teeth do not line up correctly when I am chewing
Dear steffydd, my experience may add some knowledge to your when-and who-how- screwedup knowledge. I had no idea I had TMJ or TMD, whatever you like better, unless my root canal was done. I had to go to emergency room to find it out , no dentist could tell me that. It didn’t bother me for 40 years, unless the dentist did the root canal. I was told people with TMD have jaw inflammation after root canal work. My dentist did’t tell me that. So you are telling me dentists care for patients, not for their money? Come on.
I love your statement.
Everyone has TMJ even dentists (its a joint that allows you to open and close) you mean to say TMD. And the TMD is from the muscle sourness that you feel afterwards… Dentists have the highest educational debt out of all professionals, which can reach up to half a million. Furthermore, I think id pay any price to keep my smile. If you want to save money just pull your teeth out and have a denture and see how that feels… When a dentists asks you to bite after he places a filling that’s to check if you have any high spots, if you tell the dentist it feels good then he cant remove anymore or if they do, they may change the way you bite.
Love it! Thanks for adding in a few wonderful points! And let’s not forget to mention (on top of the debt) the overhead and how expensive it is to run a dental practice.
Although I can understand how frustrating it would be for patients not to pay their fees, not everyone has the choice of paying “any price” for a smile. But when your tooth hurts, you have no choice but to go to the dentist and pay. Unfortunately, dentists do pay heavily for schooling; however, the failings of our education and monetary system and subsequent wealth disparity are not the fault of the patient.
Thus, it is not that people are just ‘trying to save money,’ but that they simply do not have it.
Then pay $5/mo. to show that you value the service you received. We’re not all ogres.
If you know you can’t pay, brush and floss your teeth in the first place.
But you have your $1 everyday to buy a huge 32oz soda and your $250 every year to buy your new iPhone with the unlimited texting and data plan monthly…and let’s not forget the new Nike shoes you are wearing and the new tattoo/piercing you have displayed…you afford what you want to afford…
Thank you for commenting about not all people not declining dental treatment, not because they are cheap or not willing to spend their money on dental procedures, but because their income is not sufficient to pay for treatment. I had wonderful dental care all of my life. When I turned 40, I became severely disabled & was forced to retire. I now live month to month on disability benefits that do not keep up with inflation & I have sometimes have to go without food or medications to keep afloat. Because I live in an affluent community my dentist seems to think money is no object for everyone he sees. He refuses to discuss the cost of services or less costly alternatives when they exist. Several times, he did additional work we did not discuss at all and when I went to pay the office manager I was hit with a bill far more than what I had been quoted. It seems that my dentist and many others, find it distasteful to speak about the cost of their services. I finally told his office manager that I needed a quote several months in advance so I could try to save for the procedure. In what other profession would you feel you have cart blanch to do whatever procedures you wanted on a patient and then present a large bill & expect to be paid in full with no questions asked? I finally took my dentist aside & asked that when I came in for work, I needed him to only perform the procedures I had agreed on because I would not be paying for work he did without having my approval. A couple of times when I had to go without treatment I needed, the dentist responded by suggesting I just use credit, as if that solved the issue. I explained that if my budget was too limited to pay for dental treatment, then it was too limited to make a monthly credit card payment.
There is something intrinsically wrong with how America fails to provide basic health, vision & dental care to it’s low income children & adults. Very few people now have dental insurance and most dental insurance yearly premiums cost more than the dollar amount of services the insurance will cover each year. I used to feel good about all those crowns, fillings & implant I had done before I could no longer work. Now, I just live in fear as all that expensive dental work begins falling apart from age & needs replacement that I know will not be happening unless I win the lottery. Dentists, like everyone else, should understand that not every patient who doesn’t follow through on their treatment recommendations is doing so because they are cheap or tight-fisted with money.
In response to Ellen, I think you need to find a new dentist who will provide you with an estimate and payment plan for any dental treatment prior to the procedure. I have worked in the dental field for over 30 years, (DA,reception, RDH) and have worked with many great dentists and others who were unethical. Unfortunately finding a good, caring, talented dentist is difficult. I suggest reading patient reviews and talking to friends and family as well as other health care professionals and asking them which dental office they go to. Then call the office and ask about their policy when it comes to treatment plans, estimates and payment policies. Good luck and “keep flossing!“
Very well said. Not all of us can make the amount of money that dentists, doctors, attorneys, etc. make. I do feel that dentist deserve the excellent pay. These folks have balls and guts. They sometimes hurt people and they don’t want to. It’s stressful for them when a patient is anxiety ridden. I’m not sure what makes a person want to remove bones from a skull, same as I wonder why an obgyn wants to look at stinky disgusting vaginas all day. But there HAS to be something more to attract them to this profession than money. I love money, but the high paying jobs I just cannot handle, nor do I want to go to college for 8 years. Actually if any dentist are reading this could you Enlighten us on What attracted you to the Dentistry profession? I am only asking because I am very curious about what makes people tick. Again thank you dentist 4 taking the most excruciating pain away from us and I am also very embarrassed when I go to the dentist because my dental hygiene has not been the best over the years so thank you for dealing with that
Lis – regardless of cost, the bill must be paid just like for any other service. The wealth disparity, societal failings and so on you mentioned are definitely not the fault of the patient, however by the same token – people’s financial situations are not the fault of the dentist – if you need the work, you need to pay for the work – why should the dentist have to absorb the cost to provide you the service? It takes a great deal of time, staffing, and material costs to complete dental work and that is why the cost is high, that is the sad reality. No one is blaming people for being poor, it is a matter of paying for the services you receive in a timely manner even if it is expensive.
For all the patients who wish to save money, buy a toothbrush…
Great point. 🙂
Some people have genetically messed up teeth? Is there a brush for that?????
I hope you are not a real Dr. If you are, you should know that there are many medical conditions and medicines that can cause problems with teeth. It is not only a toothbrush.
Very good point but are there not other issues with teeth even if a person is very hygienic and brushes and flosses everyday? Sounds like you’re saying “well you wouldn’t have to go to the doctor if you would just eat a balanced diet.” You can eat a balanced diet and still needs a doctor’s help people still get sick . My mother took very good care of her teeth and after her third child teeth just started rotting.. Some kind of bone disease. And aren’t there other things that can go wrong with the mouth that have nothing to do with oral hygiene? I understand that dentist get frustrated with seeing bad teeth but that is what you decided to do for a living. I agree that people not brushing their teeth and not flossing and using Listerine before coming into your office is just downright sickening and disrespectful. I mean when a dentist is in my mouth I will not even breathe out of my mouth because I am afraid of my breath stinking LOL so I have a lot of respect for dentist and am a very good patient and very thoughtful and if I’m afraid I just tell them please ignore me it has nothing to do with you it’s just me being a scared idiot.
@Dr. E . don’t forget floss to go with the toothbrush
I like what you just said. I think it all comes down to whether or not you’re smile is worth it to you. They charge as much as they do because not everyone can do what they do and it is a very physically taxing job. So who is really being greedy? The person that wants this specialized skill done for next to nothing after that dentist spent years sacrificing their time to study and go to school and learn how to do it or the person that spent the time to learn their trade so you can have the BENEFIT of a healthy mouth? And yes it is expensive but they’ve earned the right to charge what they do. It is a grueling educational process to become who they are. It’s hard to have sympathy for people who say it’s sooooo expensive and then buy a 2 week vacation or an iphone or ipad or over priced clothes. Who’s going to spend 7-8 years of their life basically being owned by their school and studying to come out and charge discount dental prices. They might as well just take a job as a common laborer and skip all the headache they went through if they are going to do that. It’s funny how it’s the people who haven’t made these types of sacrifices in their life who like to complain the most. Dentists make these sacrifices to have a better life for themselves and in turn you get a better life too. Maybe you’d rather have your mom tie a string to your tooth and slam the cupboard door to pull your teeth out when you get a cavity that hurts, or just simply let them rot out of your mouth on their own. Have a little respect for the service they are providing. If you want discount dental work go to Mexico……I haven’t heard of any horror dental stories coming out of there or anything.
Thanks, Geri! I like what you just said too! I totally agree… obviously 😉
Since the patient is usually anesthetized during a filling it is often difficult for a patient to know if a filling feels “right” or to even bite down normally. We use paper to mark the bite but still it can be tough to get the bite perfect. I tell patients to call back if they need an adjustment. Not always convient I know but life is imperfect. If you have surgery and it needs to be revised or enhanced you go back to your surgeon and get it done. Dentistry IS surgery and pretty dang hard to do.
Well suggestmagic…. If you feel that your dentist is a greedy bastard, they won’t let you close, etc…then you’re seeing the wrong dentist. Why don’t you consider switching? Ask your friends and relatives about their dentist or look at the online reviews of some in your area. FYI, the average dentist keeps only between 30-35% of what they produce. Dental supplies, equiptment, staff and rent are all very pricey. Sounds like you haven’t had a good dental experience. There are great dentist out here, hopefully you find one.
Good advice!
and the 30-35% that is kept is for the half million in loans that is acquired over 8-10 years of higher level education
oh poor you however you never see a poor dentist! just saying like! ha ha
Thanks for the advice :), and I have switched thank god. And thanks for the interesting info about dentists income. I always thought they made much more profit.
Don’t forget malpractice insurance, school loans (if any), and all the magazines that are left in the waiting room. The ones that are left are 6 months old because people take the newer ones. Im not sure why people would just take a magazine that isn’t theirs, lol.
Suggestmatic, I’m glad that you’ve found a new dentist. I’m a dentist in TX, and I tell every patient before treatment, to let me know when they need a break. During longer procedures, I let them rest for a few minutes even if they’re saying “I’m ok.” I’ve even had a patient that needed to go outside and smoke, DURING TREATMENT! Now that was pretty annoying, but whatever will keep you happy in my dental chair is what I’ll try to do. 🙂
@lonewolf if she switched, she wouldn’t have anyone to b!tch and moan about. She probably spends most of her time complaining about the size of her thighs, juxtaposing tv shows and photographing restaurant food and then posting it on a blog because her life is so intensely amazing.
If you don’t like the dentist or what they do, then don’t go 🙂 Pretty sure even in N.Korea most glorious leader Kim Jong Il affords his loyalists that liberty. Over half of what you pay (closer to three quarters) is going to cover disposable equipment, autoclaving, equipment wear and tear, premesis costs (rental, electricity, council rates, water), insurance (so when you claim that you have a TMJ and try to take them to court, the dentist is not out of pocket for having your claim quashed, as well as property insurance), dental assistants, receptionists, storage of dental records (yes those fancy little models of your teeth need to be stored in case you get murdered and disfigured so we can identify you), cleaners, distributed losses from patients who cancel appointments etc etc.
That doesn’t go to cover reimbursement from the 4+ years we spend at dental school expected to outscore medical students on medical exams, tuition fees, and equipment expenses there so that we are in a position to operate in your mouth and not do you any damage. But hey, you know an acronym (TMJ) and aren’t afraid to use it incorrectly, so I suppose in the ample time dentists have outside when they are trying to meet their expenses, maintaining their education by attending expensive conferences, and trying to have a family, they should subscribe to your blog for a piece of enlightenment from the fountain of wisdom that you are ❤
Teeth are essential for a good standard of life and your ongoing health. The latest iphone 4 or a holiday are not.
Dental insurance can make dental visits cheaper for the patient, and by REGULARLY visiting the dentist (every 6 months) the patient will actually spend less, and very seldom require services that hurt.
I like your comment. I’m a hygienist in Miami and it boils me when I get a patient-dressed to the max, and when they open their mouth…I almost pass out. They don’t have dental insurance, so I ask them how much was their dress, their pedi/mani and hair this month..then I tell them that if they for one month instead of doing their hair and nails would come in for a cleaning at least 2X per year–they would be in better health. Coming in every 6 months we can catch and see things early, nip them in the butt !! better to pay for a filling than to pay for a root canal and a crown. I also try to educate my patient, I believe that if you extend your reach by teaching your patient, not only are they better educated as to what and why you are doing to them but also learn prevention. I care for my patients, I try to educate them and make them see how coming in for routine maintenance (just like a car) is better than coming in when the damage is greater and more expensive. The original article was really funny though, I will print it and hang it on my operatory.
News flash, TMJ is the name of the joint, not a condition. Also, show us a study that proves that overfilling is the cause of most jaw pain. Foolish.
first of all TMJ is the abbreviation of temporo mandibular joint, something tha EVERYONE (except for some guy that was involved in a no helmet bike accident has!) second….greedy ??? U are the greedy trying us to work miracles and not cooperating ! we spent thousands to be able to provide you treatment and most of us are still paying the LOANS !!! so unless u are a dentist i just suggest you keep ur mouth like it sould be….SHUT !
You should shut up! This isn’t even your blog. Piss off.
suggestamatic – I wish you would piss off. You are an ignorant, uninformed, uneducated gobshyte. Even worse – you are a BORE. Please go away.
@suggestsmagic “Piss off?” No… this isn’t YOUR blog, I don’t understand why you’re trying to take over all of the discussion. Dozens of people have already stated the point that has proved your foolishness, accept it and move on. You would not go to a mechanic that you don’t feel comfortable working on your car, why would you go to a dentist that makes you uncomfortable working on your teeth? Whose fault is it that you didn’t take five minutes to research reviews on local dentists…Definitely not the fault of all of the “greedy basterd [sic]” dentists you seem to loathe so much.
Why don’t you leave the diagnoses to the professionals. How on earth do you feel your speculation trumps a dentist’s four+ years of specialized knowledge in the field?
I love this article! I am a hygienist, and anyone who has to work directly in the mouth can relate to each and every one of the points this Dr. has talked about. I myself have worked with some very excellent, reputable, and caring dentists! I often heard these remarks about buying the Dr that second home, or that boat, and often wondered how some of these patients actually thought! I have had a few comments made to me about this while I was working on them, and I was quick to educate them on the overhead of running a business, the malpractice insurance, all the salaries paid with benefits to the employees because they were visiting a Dr. that cared. I also pointed out that they were probably still paying off student loans 20 years after they have been practicing, and eventually end with, “If I went to college for 8 years, I think I would deserve a few perks myself!” I have never heard a patient with an abscessed tooth come in and say I hate dentists! I am glad to see this article, if you don’t like your dentist or you think they are
“ripping” you off, then just don’t go. I am sure you will look great with no teeth driving
that sports car you bought by saving all that money the “greedy” dentists tried to steal
from you!
@twocents the answer to your question… suggestsmagic is a troll 🙂 she probably increased the views on her shitty blog 100x just by trolling on here. She gets like 2 comments on a post and then goes and flicks her bean at her popularity despite the 2 comments being from one person. But hey, she has a face for internet blogging ^.^ if I looked like a busted shoe, I’d probably blog about a tv show that was discontinued 10 years ago also 😛
yea…about the money part – I’m a CPA and have done taxes for dentists.
Most of them are in the 200K-400K range per year, take home income from their employment – that means after paying for their expensive equipment, taxes, staff, etc. Even the beginners in their first job out of dental school (without a residency/fellowship) start at 130+ as employees, working 3-4 days per week. Seriously, I have a client who works as an employed dentist, fresh out of D-school, 3 days per week (8-5) who makes 130K base salary + a very nice bonus plan that results in a total annual income of approx. 170K – she’s 26 and this is her first job.
I realize the debt is expensive and holding it is difficult, but no one should feel sorry for dentists as a group. Obviously Dentists do a fantastic thing that is very important; but (out of the population of my clients of dentists and primary care physicians for whom I do their tax returns) the idea that most of the dentists make more than most of the physicians while working less, with fewer years of training, in a less important (and don’t argue with my that healthy teeth are more important than general overall health – that argument can’t stand up) position is ridiculous.
Where are your clients? Beverly Hills? Your observations are just as prejudicial as the patients who say, “I just paid for your son’s college tuition.” Just because you have done taxes for a few dentists doesn’t make you an expert.
Hey JDCPA- the reason most Dentists make more than physicians is because the physicians allowed medical insurance to dictate their fees and procedures. Dentists, most of us anyway, have not allowed insurance to tell us what to do. Insurance broke the back of Medicine.
Hello JDCPA – I can tell you that what you say may be true for the one 26 year old that you did taxes for, but not for all 26 years olds. I am recently out of school as well and I do not make that amount. Especially when my school loans are sucking out thousands of dollars a month from my bank account. Perhaps that 26 year old had parents that paid for her dental school tuition, or perhaps she is practicing in a lucrative area, or perhaps she is just lucky, because I know for a fact that her salary is not the same as mine. I work 5 days a week 9-6 and make about 120,000, I did a residency in general dentistry, went to an Ivy League dental school, and this is my second job. Also, physicians may have more training after residency, but they know what they are signing up for in the long run. It’s not dentists’ fault that they decide to pick a different profession and may make more than an internist. Do you think a CEO’s work is more important than an internist’s work? Then why are CEO’s paid so much more? It is not fair to compare professions, especially when you yourself do not seem to have an medical training. And I know I do not work less than an internist, because I have friends that are internists. Also, maybe some of the dentists you are doing taxes for are specialists, who make more than general dentists which would explain the 200-400G salaries since they have had 2-6 years more training than a general dentist. And I’ll tell you one thing, dental school is no joke. Many of my friends are physicians, and honestly I find that dental school is more taxing than medical school (you can ask my best friend who is a physician and agrees with me – we went through med and dental school at the same time). Dental students have to train their hands, have to study and deal with patients one-on-one every day. Now, if you go on the specialize in, say, surgery, or really anything in the medical field, then the physician will make more than the dentist. Every day, I come home from work tired and I give my best to do my job. It does not help that many people have such a bad impression of dentists in their head that I am trying to change day by day. My mom was a dentist when I was born and my dad later became a dentist. We did not live in a posh house or have Benzes in our driveway when I was growing up. It took them a long time to start making more money (like 15-20 years). Please do not put down dentistry, as you really seem to have no idea how much dedication and hard work goes into the profession both during training and on a day to day basis. So thanks for your input, but please research a bit more widely if you’re going to make a comment like that… Also, where do work? Maybe I should move there so I can make these salaries you speak of.
My first job after dental school was the United States Air Force. I was 26 years old and made $40k a year. As far as income goes I’ve often said that in my next life I want to come back as my accountant, I can’t talk to him on the phone for 5 minutes without being billed a hundred bucks! In my eyes he makes an obscene amount of money for doing practically nothing. Thankfully I can use my brain and realize that there is a lot more to his job than I will ever know. Just like there is a lot more to dentistry than YOU will ever know…
JDCPA,
Your experience of dentists is very different from mine. My first job out of dental school was for $64,000 in a Federally Qualified Health Clinic. I have now been out 10 years, and have owned my own practice for 8. The most I have ever taken home is $130,000.
I am not complaining about my income – I live very comfortably. But I also know people who have far less training than I do, and live just as comfortable. For example, my house, which is roomy but by no means huge, I bought from a couple, one of whom pours asphalt, and the other is a hairdresser. Neither put in nearly the years of expensive education I have, but they were able to afford a roomy house, with a fair number of custom features, on a 3-acre lot for their family.
At my office, my car is the oldest one in the parking lot.
And as far as dentists making less than physicians – well, dentists were smart enough to say no to HMO’s, and don’t participate with as many PPO’s. We looked at the cost per procedure, and decided we couldn’t take a cut in reimbursement, and still provide the quality of care we wanted to provide. In my opinion, dental care is actually very reasonable compared to medical care. When I visit my physician, my insurance is charged $160 for a 15-minute visit, before any other services were performed. When I have a patient in for a recall exam and cleaning, with x-rays, I see them for 30 to 45 minutes, and charge $140. And I am actually using instruments and performing a procedure in addition to an exam.
Now, I am not saying physicians don’t deserve to be paid – in fact, I believe mine deserves more. But they are the ones who signed the deal with the devil to accept insurance companies telling them what to charge, and I don’t think I should cut my fees in some sort of sympathy gesture for them.
Sandra,
I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard a dentist or a politician say the ‘oldest car in the parking lot’ bit..
Do you not have a hygienist working for you? It seems that you would be able to upgrade your vehicle if you would hire a professional dental hygienist who could do the cleanings for you. Be warned though, he or she won’t stay long if you expect them to complete your recall patients in 30 minutes. At least a hygienist who is worth it won’t.
We spend about 20 minutes performing the oral assessments and rads and recording what we see, all the while prepping patients and educating them about what the dentist ‘could’ see when they perform the exam. Then 20 minutes scaling, polishing, rinsing, listening to TMJ disorder complaints, flossing, setting up recall appts, explaining insurance, and taking intra-oral pictures to show patients what the dentist will discuss with them when they come in.
Take into account that even though the patient sat in the waiting room for ten minutes, they all of a sudden have to use the bathroom when we go to bring them back, or that the patient came in late, won’t stop talking, wont lie back all the way, etc… And that takes up several minutes!
We also have to sharpen instruments, clean up, sterilize the instruments, and enter into the record everything that the dentist needs for the treatment plan.
This simply can not be completed in 30-45 minutes on anyone that has any calculus or periodontal disease.
I would suggest, Sandy, that you go to the local dental hygiene school and seek out the advice of a seasoned teacher to find out exactly what to expect from a highly-trained dental hygienist. Then, happy car shopping!
Seasoned hygienist,
The doctor from whom I bought my practice stayed on and does hygiene in my office. On days he’s there, HIS is the oldest car in the parking lot. That way, I get all the benefits of having a hygienist, without having to stop what I’m doing for hygiene checks.
Would it surprise you to know that dentists actually DO know what hygienists do? I mean, we treated perio patients in dental school, had to pass a board exam which entailed perio treatment, and, in most states, hygienists are employed by dentists. So frankly, no need for the snark.
comments are made to enlighten both parties…..peace everyone!!!
Actually really bothers me to see you guys arguing especially you dentists. It sounds like you guys are really immature and like cynical and angry kind of people. It must have something to do with your personality that Drew you to this profession. Anyhow you guys are hateful as hell. I don’t know how any of you do the work that you do being so hateful inside. Sounds like you guys are pretty miserable people
I have a condition called knee. In fact, I have two.
Maybe next time educate yourself before complaining. or not. I don’t care.
I may have the same condition….is there any treatment?
hahaha…great!
Hahahah!! This is one of the funniest comments!
Lol you are actually really funny. Thanks for commenting.
I am a knight who has a condition called nu. What shall I do?
****FAVORITE COMMENT! ROFLMAO
Best comment by far, my fav!
lolzzzz…. dis is d best funniest compliment i ve heard 🙂
i ve got d same condition 🙂 😛
TMJ….Temporomandibular Joint?…..keeping your mouth open too long gives you a Temporomandibular Joint? I was actually born with those…dont know about you. OHHHHHHH or did you mean TMJD or TMD?….haha and an appointment at the dentist is NOT going to give you TMJD…there is a lot more to it than that. You have just proved what the article was saying….ignorant people should educate themselves…and especially before they comment.
Could people stop correcting me. One little mistake, and you all jump down my throat. Wtf. Go get a life.
Actually, you should do your homework. Dental work can be a contributing factor for an acute flare up of TMD. Long procedures can exacerbate a problem.
Ibuprofin is all you need (along with a wake up call, and apparently an anatomy class) not an rx med. And just so you know… Some materials require a dry field, therefore closing your mouth would compromise your treatment. If YOU would take care of your teeth, your dentist wouldn’t need you to keep your mouth open for a long period of time or “over-fill” your teeth. They’re there to help you, stop acting like they’re all out to get you.
so true!!!
So true….. people seeking help need to stop blaming the messenger and consider the message…. btw Suggestsmagic we in the health care business (over 85% I would imagine) do not get into helping others only for the money or because we are greedy “B’S” as you so eloquently put it we actually do care about human beings and the suffering that goes along with it……. like periodontal disease……. deep carious pulpal exposure……. tooth rot……. Meth mouth……. poorly aligned dentition….. overbite…… underbite….. draining fitulous tracts….. etc etc etc…… Thanks for choosing a new less greedy “B” to do your work I feel much better you ran into one of the majority rather than the greedy minority!
I hope this little foray into the “Art and Science of Human Dentition” has been educational and beneficial to you! Wow I feel much better sharing already!
Darn it…… Misspelled “Fistulous” ……. oops
Well actually I oppose torturing patients by opening for too long. If you can’t can’t “place” an adhesive restoration in less than 10 mins and use cotton rolls and a saliva ejector in less than 10 minutes then you should apply a rubber dam and take all the time in the world. You can’t can’t get a TMJ disorder that easily by opening for too long but we should always be seeking our patient’s comfort, right?
Tarek,
Yes, we should always strive for the patient’s comfort, but not to the point of sacrificing quality of work. It wouldn’t be comfortable to have an improperly bonded composite, right? And with some procedures, like a root canal, they just can’t close for a while, period, without compromising results.
News flash TMJ is not a condition, its a part of your body. TMDD is a multifaceted problem that is not caused by your Dentist!! Dental work can aggravate an already weaken jaw joint, that you can thank a number of people for starting with your parents for handing you some crapy genetics.
suggestmagic, something you may not know about some dental materials is that they don’t work in a wet environment, until they’re completely set. This is especially true of anything adhesive, which includes tooth-colored fillings and cements used to hold crowns on teeth. Once the area is dry and isolated, if the dentist lets you close, you’ve just contaminated it again. So, if you want the job done right, you’re gonna have to stay open. Ask your dentist to use a bite block for longer procedures; you won’t have to work to keep your mouth open.
Also, prescription painkillers are unnecessary after a filling. OTC Advil or Tylenol should do the trick, and sensitivity should improve over time. An exception – if the cavity was very deep, the nerve of your tooth may have died, and you may now need a root canal.
“Most of the time jaw pain is caused by an “over-filling” – well, that explains all those TMD patients I have who have never had a filling.
I just realized how many spelling errors I had in this comment. No wonder people were calling me a moron. Oh well. *shurgs* I sincerely hope they all enjoyed insulting me, a 19 year old with TMJD.
It’s not the spelling errors. It’s your mistaken ideas as to the causes of TMD, and your lack of knowledge as to why it is necessary to keep your mouth open, even when it is uncomfortable. Often, the work reqires it. If you want your filling to fall out on the way home, feel free to keep closing and contaminating the dry field the dentist needs for the procedure to work. That’s not being a greedy bastard; it’s trying to do a good job. Some materials set up somewhat quickly once the dentist starts working – they have to work fast, and need you to cooperate. Again, not a greedy bastard; just trying to do a good job.
If you don’t like being insulted, don’t refer to an entire profession as “greedy bastards”.
Think before you open your ignorant mouth…oh wait, you might get TMJ
You say you’re insulted and that everyone is on you. News flash: you start with an insult and then make an ignorant comment. It’s not your spelling and being 19 does not excuse you. I don’t think you would take too kindly if I started with “ignorant bitch”. You should reflect on this.
It’s not your spelling errors. Insulting you? Hypocrite. You begin with a blanket insult to all dental professionals followed by an ignorant accusation. Being 19 does not excuse you. Try going around calling other people “greedy bastards”, making accusations, and let’s see how welcome you are. At 19, hopefully we can dismiss your comments as immaturity. If not, you’re in for a long and difficult life…
Unfortunately, ignorant people don’t know what they don’t know.
Well said Dr. Greedy Bastard!
What brought you to this blog?? you must have typed greedy dentists into google.. then felt the need to argue with kids.. whose immature?.. shes a child whats your excusr
Please don’t take this the wrong way…… the insults are out of line but what you have done is insult an entire segment of the population who cares and works hard to treat all manner of diseases dealing with the mouth head and neck. We don’t know how you came to have TMJD but it is a real condition with serious pain involved with it! I hope you not only found a new Dentist but have consulted a TMJD specialist because many ot these conditions are exacerbated (made worse) by having your mouth propped open too wide or too long! Please don’t feel like these well meaning individuals defense of their livelihood career and passion in any means is meant to belittle your pain or condition. I trust that someone as passionate and caring as yourself (to blog here you would have to be) can find experts who will help mollify your pain and or modify your condition. Best of luck!
Remember we zealously defend that which we love….. and we (bloggers here) love Dentistry!
Well said
I also have TMD (although in your defense, even my surgeons refer to it as TMJ) resulting in multiple surgeries and eventually bilateral joint replacements, so I can tell you first hand that your dentist didn’t cause it. Having dental work done DOES aggravate it, so you really should find a dentist who understands that you may need extra time in the chair so you can rest your jaw as you need to. I’ve had some terrible dentists but the one I see now is fabulous. She never lets me keep my mouth open for more 5-6 minutes at a time, even though it makes my appointments longer, and she’s very considerate and careful not to do anything to make me more uncomfortable. Bottom line, it’s not fair to paint the whole profession with the same brush….keep looking for a dentist who meets YOUR needs. Trust me, they’re out there and worth spending a little time to find.
BJWR Edwards, well said. I love dentistry!
Come on guys…stop bullying “suggestsmagic “
She made a little mistake…
Believe me suggestmagic you don’t know the half of it….I mean I’m reading the comments and I wonder where do some people get their information…
Like that CPA claiming that dentists make a lot of money,,,I am a dentist and I don’t make that much…
When I go home at night my whole body is aching ,my head is hurting,and i can’t see properly .
I got a disease called (X.ray) burn in my right finger as a result of prolonged exposure to X-ray because I can’t afford a professional assistant.
By the way I work and live in the Middle East.
9 hours a day, 6 days a week and my paid annual vacation is 3 weeks
And my annual income is about 30000 dollars yearly and I drive a 1997 Toyota !!!!!
My patients are sometimes violent and always rude
I don’t really care for the messed up reality of my life but trust me…dentists are frustrated and they drained all the frustration and anger on you loool.
Why in the world would you have to use your finger to take an x-ray! In America, you’d be fined a huge sum for doing that. Stop it.
I think it was the “greedy bastard” comment.
People are talking about dentistry Suggestsmagic, you are just a little drama bug crawling around on a page, you want to start problems on. Negativity be gone, that’s how I suggest magic should work. Poof…. Be Gone.
There is absolutely no literature in the JADA or in any other craniofacial journal suggesting that keeping your mouth open too long can cause tempomandibular dysfuction (TMD). News flash suggestsmajic: “TMJ” stands for tempomandiublar joint, which is NOT a condition. Educate yourself before making an opinion next time. You clearly have no idea what you’re talking about…
hahaha…a horrible condition called TMJ…your jaw joint is called the TMJ (temporomandibular joint)…do you mean TMD (temporomandibular dysfunction/disease?). I think you mean your jaw is sore…probably because you grind your teeth incessantly at night and don’t listen to your dentist when he/she tells you that you do, and need night guard to relax your muscles…see number 8 and number 10 above…you fit the mold 😉 No problem though, I have a degree in psych, so I can understand the “root” of your complaint…(all fun and games 😉
Thanks for keeping it fun!
News flash: TMJ is not a condition. It’s part of your anatomy. It’s like saying your “finger” is a condition
I am not going to jump on you about your TMJ /TMJD mistake. I would just like an honest answer to this question. What type of insurance do you have, and how much dental work have you recieved?
The condition is not called TMJ… It’s TMD… TMJ stands for Temporomandibular Joint. Meaning, it’s the joint itself–a normal anatomy of your body, not a disease or condition. On the other hand, TMD stands for Temporomandibular Disorder. now, that my dear, is the condition.
Do not generalize all dentist being such. There are dentists who are passionate with what they do. Those who take time in giving you the best care they can possibly offer. Sometimes, they do things fast so that you won’t feel uncomfortable having your mouth open for a long time.
Regarding the prescription of pain killers: well, dentists prescribe their patients pain killers just to help them alleviate their pain and discomfort until the time they can visit the office again. It is true, so to speak that over-fillings can cause TMJ pains but, you have to understand that dentists make sure that their patients are comfortable before they dismiss them. They ask you several questions about how you’re feeling after the procedure before they send you home.
I’m surprised you know about tempromandibular joint pains and the like. Are you a dentist yourself or did you just read articles about it on the internet?
Newsflash: It’s called TMD you idiot. The “J” stands for joints. You already have joints. I’m just saying, if you’re gonna be all miss smarty pants, try to be smart
Wow…Please don’t comment on things you have no experience in. It only makes you look like a royal idiot. 1st off when considering the what the dentist charges you have to take into consideration the costs for his materials (composite i.e white filling, amalgam i.e silver filling, instruments, over head such as assistants, rent for the office, office supplies and so on…oh and not to mention his/her extensive education!) 2nd the reason behind keeping your jaw open for so long is because a lot of these procedures need good isolation! Meaning he/she needs to work without a break so that there is no contamination of the work area. If that prepped tooth gets wet (by your saliva) the doctor and assistant have to start all over again. The materials will not work if there is not proper isolation. If you want your tooth fixed that’s the price you have to pay. So shut up and open your mouth! 3rd…I’ve never heard of pain from an over filling. Dentists always go in with blue/red paper (articulating paper) to see where they need to adjust the filling. Lastly TMJ is not caused by keeping your mouth open for an extended amount of time. temporomandibular joint is part of the jaw…it’s a network of muscles, ligaments and bones that allow your jaw to function. So in a nutshell if you don’t like having work done on your teeth then you need to brush and FLOSS every day. Simple as that.
Actually, you can have pain from a high filling. It is very common. Even with the articulating paper that is used for adjusting a filling, because the patient is numb, they can have a hard time feeling the high spot until the anesthesia has worn off. Also, if you assume it is just sore from the drilling and continue to bite down on it you can cause such severe trauma to the nerve that the tooth could die and end up needing a root canal .
Woa! Lighten up fellas…the original article was I’m sure a tongue in cheek(yes, that’s annoying too) dig at some of our less helpful clients. I’m not sure I’m a great patient myself! I think we all know that most awkward behaviour is caused by our patients anxiety or lack of understanding, so I always explain what I’m doing as I go along..that goes for bills too…If it’s a big one I usual pop in a comment like,’how else will I pay for my foreign holiday?’ before the patient has time to think of it themselves! It gets a laugh and lightens the mood.
I do wonder though, how many ladies would insist on crossing their legs during a cervical smear test or would put their foot in a dish of saliva, followed by a nice roast dinner after having a toe nail removed, and expect it to heal overnight with no pain!
Yes, I still love the profession and my patients…well most of them.
Everyone with a business have all the same “overheads” assistants. office space. materials. education.. doesnt give me an excuse to charge you 10 grand to change your breaks… i dont charge u for me having to use car ramps. and etc etc each tool i use.. those are investments i chose to make to open a business.. some reason dentists are entitled… the excuse of having to pay for your dental chair.. really?.. Im gonna start adding a garage door fee cuz my shop needs a garage door…… get real…
To suggestsmagic:
First and foremost, if you don’t have a doctorate diploma or even a college degree, your opinions don’t count. If you are talking about greed when someone is trying to help your teeth from rotting, you should try living your life without teeth. It sucks. And besides, we need you out and about of the chair so that the next patient that is hurting can be seen. You’re not the only one that’s hurting or needs “special” attention. Anyways, there will be a day when at least one of your tooth is hurting. You will be doing every dentist in America a favor by going to Mexico for treatment. And besides I heard they charge really cheap. Here’s a tip that applies to a lot of dentists out here in the states: the moment I feel that the patient shows a hint of lack of appreciation, we refer patients out. Me and my staff don’t deserve a stressful day because of patients like you. We have too many patients that are very appreciative of our work. I would rather focus on them 100% than idiots
And please do some in-depth research about “TMJ”. If you went to doctorate school, you would know.
– The worst kinds of people are the ignorant and dumb people.
– To everyone else, sorry about my rant
Wow some of the most dumbest people I know have. Degrees just because your some big shot doctor who probably mooched off his parents for eternity doesn’t necessarily mean you are better or more bigger of a person. Einstein wasn’t smart because some book told him what to think because his own brain could think outside the box. Get off your high horse many of your great customers don’t have degrees but there voices and opinions do matter.
…”…most dumbest…”…??? I think it’s so weird to tell people off for being dumb while proving you’re ignorant yourself…you need to go back to school and learn your grammar…I think you simply meant “…dumbest…”.
…”…more bigger..”…maybe you just meant “..bigger…”, correct? It scares me how uneducated a large section of society is today…we need to go back to the basics in our schools and concentrate on old fashioned reading, writing, and arithmetic! Don’t you embarass yourself when you make comments, but can’t even communicate them in plain english?
xyline is as stupid as suggestsmagic.
“The Dentist” I agree with everything you said and I appreciate my dentist and orthodontist very much. However, I very heavily disagree with the fact that your opinion doesn’t count due to a lack of “paper” and a huge debt to repay. I run a very successful business and I don’t have a college degree. In fact I’m one class shy of my degree and it’s been that way for nearly 9 years. Why don’t I have it? Because it wasn’t going to do anything for me. There are MANY ultra successful business people who lack a college education. Thank you for solidifying my thougths about over-educated people thinking that they are holier than thou because they spent years in study and accrued hundreds of thousands in debt whom of which most end up having a very average paying career. However, with that said if you are going to specialize in a field… such as dentistry, law, medicine etc. I hope you are the best of the best and the smartest of the smartest. So if you’re comment that “your opinion doesn’t count” is related to this topic alone than disregard my comments. But you may want to consider the fact that you sound a bit high and mighty. I probably wouldn’t use you as a dentist due to that one comment alone.
xylina:
– We became doctors because of hard work and dedication. Hard lesson: students don’t get accepted to med or dent school because they “mooched off” of their parents. We got to where we are because we made the right choices, with a help of little bit of luck. There were many hours invested into studying. 3-6 hours of studying EVERYDAY.
– And are you stupid or just really stupid? Einstein read hundreds of books through HARDWORK and DEDICATION.
– Actually, people that come into the office are treated more like patients than customers. If they want to get treated like a customer, go to Walmart or Target because your opinion matters to them. But as a patient, it’s best to do what’s recommended by your professional. Your can say your opinion, but it goes from one ear to the next. Once your in the office, the only opinion that matters is the doctors. That’s what you came in for, to hear my professional opinion.
– So again, don’t put yourself in a situation where you look like an ignorant citizen of the country. You make yourself look dumb.
– And besides 3000+ patients coming in and out of my office can’t be wrong. I have successfully weeded out dimwits like you who try to diagnosis their own problems. ******That should be number 11 on the list. PLEASE DON’T COME IN THE OFFICE AND DIAGNOSIS YOUR OWN PROBLEM.
BY THE WAY, TOP 10 LIST. YOU HIT THE SPOT ON ALL 10
Very well said.. 😉
Xylina, really? Most dumbest? More bigger? Come on you have got to know that doesn’t make you look very smart. And Einstein’s brain could think outside the box? Einstein wasn’t smart because some book told him how to think? What are your qualifications to be able to say these things? Have you studied Einstein? And how do you know Einstein even thought outside the box? Do you have your degree in mathematics? Here’s something to think about, what if not all doctors are big shot mooches? What if Einstein still thought inside the box but his box was just bigger than yours? What’s the difference between your and you’re and there and their? Just a thought, maybe you could read your comment before you actually post it. Preferably out loud.
I agree the worst kind of people are ignorant and dumb people. However, I would never say if you do not have a doctorate or college degree your opinions don’t count! Are you kidding me?! Do you even realize how privileged you were to go to school, never mind for 8 years? I know everyone should be educated, but this is not a world of equal opportunity!
No matter how uninformed the original comment – saying that anyone without a doctorate or college degree does not have an opinion that counts is just as ignorant and rude. Particularly ironic is that your own post has errors (see: “there will be a day when at least one of your tooth is hurting” – teeth?). Theoretically, if you went to grade school, you would know. So much for those theories on education being the only qualifier….
Wow “the dentist” – your second post is even worse than your first. The best dentists discuss with their patients, they don’t just shove information down their throats. “If they want to get treated like a customer, go to Walmart or Target because your opinion matters to them”, “Your can say your opinion, but it goes from one ear to the next.”, “Once your in the office, the only opinion that matters is the doctors” (note another spelling error starting off this sentence, almighty doctor – I believe you mean “you’re”)… What was that again about people making themselves look dumb and ignorant? Your (note the correct form of the word) comments are so rude and disrespectful, I can only assume that the reason you have 3000+ patients would be because you live in a small town with no other practicing dentists for miles around. Get over yourself, you were probably bottom of YOUR class.
I agree. He claims he took 3-6 hours of studying per day just to pass his degree? What a dunce. An intelligent person could probably do well in the degree with less studying than that per week.
I have to disagree with the Dentist. You DO NOT have to have a gedree to be an intelligent and informed individual. My father is ver knowledgeable about different aspects of dentistry and he has had no college education. I can have a conversation with him about things I have done in dentistry and he can keep up with me most of the time. So, you are very ignorant to think you must have a college education to be knowledgeable about something even as complicated as dentistry.
@xylina – my wife received her doctorate 9 years ago. She by far did not “mooch” off her parents. Her father had no involvement in her life and her mom was physically disabled bringing in around $600.00 per month in disability. My wife made it through her education on hard work and student loans. She makes a very nice salary now, but she earned it the old fashion way – through hard work on her own part!!! If you actually knew physicians and dentists and other doctorate level health professionals, you would know that most DO NOT come from wealthy families where they can “mooch” off their parents.
MOOCH OF THEIR PARENTS!!!! Really???Do you know how insulting that is to a ton of people who work hard but can still barely pay their bills. I have a very well off Father, I did not ask his help, but I didn’t have $4,000.00 the wack off dentist tricked me into believing that I didn’t need 1 tooth pulled, I needed all 16 upper teeth pulled. He charged me for 16 teeth but I had, had my wisdom teeth removed, I had a porcelain tooth put in and one more tooth in the back. I had 9 upper teeth, he mutilated my face, when he didn’t even have a degree to do 2 oral surgeries, on what?? I will never know, but he destroyed my life for a long time and as many times as the Board of Dentistry took his license and made him take classes, he still went right back to destroying peoples faces, charging tons of money, lying, with holding records, etc….. and you want to point out the people that have to MOOCH OFF THEIR PARENTS. YOU ARE A VERY BAD PERSON.
Oops … I can’t type. I meant degree, not gedree
Is English your second language? You disgrace our profession.
Well said. I don’t tolerate people who belittle me or my staff. I say straight up “it seems you’re not happy here. Perhaps you would be more comfortable seeing another Dentist. Let me refer you to the Dental society for some names…I no longer tolerate miserable people.
That comment just proved every single stereotype of the high and mighty, can’t see past his own superiorness, paternalistic, dentist.
With an attitude like what you just exhibited in your ‘rant’, where you apologize at the end to anyone who didn’t go to ‘doctorate school’, no wonder dentists have a bad rap.
Another know-it-all hipster… Go ride your fixy somewhere else.
Newsflash!!!! TMJ is not a condition. It stands for temporomandibular joint. we all have one.
or two 😉
smartass, true :))))
“News Flash”: Maybe you should sit in on a dental education class or two before you start telling everyone how much you know about dentistry…otherwise you just sound foolish. Amazing how everyone thinks they are an expert…I’m not a surgeon and I would never try to tell someone how to do any type of surgery. Why is everyone suddenly an expert on everything else EXCEPT what they are responsible for?
I agree! 🙂
i don’t think a lot of people appreciate the dental education, and what exactly a dentist has to go through and learn/know to become a dentist. case in point, my brother once asked my husband why he had to go to 4 years of school just to learn how to drill on teeth. or even my brother-in-law (a little more benign), commenting on my husbands jack-o-lantern this year, said, “You could just as easily be a surgeon judging from the precision with which that pumpkin was cut.” i’ll admit that i didn’t even appreciate the extensiveness of a dental education until going through it (vicariously) alongside my husband. dentistry involves so much more than just teeth. the suffixes dmd (DOCTOR of dental MEDICINE–or some latin equivalent) or dds (DOCTOR of dental SURGERY) signify that. there should be an education class on dental education.
something to chew on: even when your neighborhood barber was also your dentist, they charged so much more for dental work than grooming–15 cents for a hair cut 50 cents to pull a tooth. now a days, i don’t know too many people complaining about paying $75-100+ for hair care every 1 1/2 to 2 months. school debt, business overhead, etc aside, shouldn’t that equate then that you should be willing to spend at least 2-3 times that much for dental care? and if you take care of your teeth, and get the suggested cleanings/check-ups twice a year, chances are that you’ll easily spend much, much less for dental work than you do on your hair.
Dont be too rude with dentist,TMJ mean temperomandibular joint it is not a disease, TMD-temperomandibular disease will not be caused by opening too long in a single appointment, more than i think no dentist will make the patient to open wide for long period unless and until it is mandatory and not more than 20 min at a stretch,and pain killer is not mandatory after fillings, make sure about your basic knowledge,Over filling do occur, not in all cases, and most of the time dentist will book the patient for check up and polishing after the filling, if you fail to adher the appointment , it is not the dentist to be blamed, i accept there are some who works unethically but calling dentist as greedy basterds is too strong word
Suggestsmagic, your TMJ comment is correct in some ways and for a 19 year old fairly insightful. Up until ten years or so ago, everyone called the dysfunction of the the jaw joint TMJ. TMD or TMJD are the correct acronyms used today. Hopefully, if you really do have TMD, you know this is a treatable condition. I suggest you find a dentist ‘you’ trust and have the condition properly diagnosed and treatment planned. No one should treat the condition without a minimum of the following: a complete history of the condition including any traumatic incidences; impressions of the teeth along with a bite impression mounted on a fully articulated articulator; a two-position bilateral transcranial radiograpgh with your teeth biting together and slightly apart; and a detailed range of motion examination. Simply wearing a nightguard is usually NOT the answer. Not treating this condition early will result in a lifetime of unnecessary pain. Good luck.
Thank you for a civilized reply, although her accusation of Dentists being “greedy bastards” and her misinformation, she is probably just a frustrated patient and is venting. All of this meaness and hatefulness is not solving any patient/dentist relations. Thank you for showing kindness and civility in a society that at times is losing those graces.
great comment! from one dentist to another, you sound like a dentist I would want to go to. 🙂
Thank you, Dr Bueno! Great advice! Elisa Sin and Kristine– agreed.
Well said. While reading ignorant comments filled with generalized accusations doesn’t exactly settle well with me, I believe she deserved a thoughtful, PROFESSIONAL response to set her straight. Dr. Bueno estaba realmente BUENO. I’m proud to know I have colleagues like you out there. @suggestsmagic: I am happy to hear that you’ve found a dentist you like and trust. Ultimately, this is the most important factor when choosing any professional or specialist, whether it be a doctor/dentist, lawyer, accountant or even dry cleaner! 🙂
I couldn’t have said it better! Thanks you so much, Natasha!
Treatment is successful in 30 to 50% of all cases, depending on the study and if you mean that she can be pain free.
Wow you can tell you have never worked in a dental office! Or gone to medical school, they don’t do what they do to be “basterds” they do they best job they can as fast as they can for you (personally I would rather then stay in there a little longer just to make sure they do their best), and pay their own bills like student loan (over $200,000.00 on school alone) to be able to provide that service for you, have you seen how much it cost to run a business? Do you think you can afford a $2000 electric bill each month? Consided that as one of the MANY expenses they have to pay before you can even walk in. And just having your mouth open does not cause TMJ look it up. Overfilling… really you must have been so eager to get out of there you probly did not take the time to show how you bite fits together. So I suggest re-evaulationg. If not let your teeth root out and get dentures oh wait you still would have to go see your dentist…. I hope your dentist never see you comment, for you sake.
Ummm….Everyone has 2 TMJ’s (temporalmandibular JOINTS). Do some research before you make such ignorant comments. The condition is called TMD (temporalmandibular DISEASE) and is not caused by your mouth being open too long. Next time you give someone a BJ, ask yourself “is my jaw sore?” The answer will probably be no. Stop being a dumbass.
Mrs. dentist…….. Hilarious. Thanks for giving her an ORAL exam to see if your predictions are right. haha
Your an idiot, she obviously is’nt familiar with the whole language, and it does’nt matter even a bit, fucktard.
Not nice.
Lolabees, Would you allow me to link to your blog? I would like use it as the basis of my next blog – ?
Absolutely! Thanks for all of your helpful comments.
peace to you
TMJ is the joint, not a condition, dental whiz. TMD is a condition caused by your crappy genetics or personal joint make-up, not the dentist. I’m married to a dentist, and he is far from a greedy bastard. I’m also a dental hygienist, and it’s people like you who think they know about dentistry and the mouth who need to be booted out the door. Go to dental school and see if you have the same opinion.
FYI: Everyone has TMJ (temporomandibular joint). It is a joint much like a knee. After a run, do you tell people you have “knee.” If you are going to diagnose yourself please use the proper terminology. Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD) encompasses a variety of problems that can affect the joint. Some are of muscular origin, some from anatomical problems with bone of the joint, some from disc inflammation/damage, etc… Be cautious about over simplifying a subject you are not an expert in. If your mouth fatigues during treatment, then inform your doctor so they can take steps to alleviate the problem. The best thing to do is inform your dentist before they start working that your jaw tires during treatment and you would like to take periodic breaks to rest. They will accomodate your request & they can recommend other therapies to do at home and before treatment to make the experience more comfortable. If you are having difficulty communicating with your dentist, you may need to look for someone who can better understand your needs. Best of luck.
Wow! You know soooo much about dentistry why don’t you fill your teeth yourself?!! That way you don’t have to go see a “basterd” dentist that gives you “TMJ”! By the way, TMJ stands for “Temporo Mandibular Joint”. Everybody has TMJ! It’s the name of your Jaw joint! Such a shame that some people with mentalities like you even exist!
And, I LOVED the article! IT’S SOOOO TRUE! Thank you!
Having your mouth open for too long is not the only thing that causes TMJ, plus you have to have your mouth open for a long period of time, a lot of the time. And if your in the dental chair THAT often with your mouth open THAT long, then you have clearly neglected yourself. And you do not prescribe painkillers for jaw pain, that doesnt fix the problem, it masks it
haha you know nothing about dentistry or tempromandibular joint dissorders! if you did you would delete your post! oh and TMJ is not a condition, its a joint!!!!!!
Umm..”Your wrong”, you should maybe check your spelling and grammar before you criticize someone else. First of all, your handle should be “You’re wrong” not your. It appears that you have some serious issues with apostrophes. “Is’nt ” is actually “Isn’t”; “does’nt” is actually “doesn’t”.
News flash, TMJ isn’t a condition…it’s a joint…everyone has one
TMJ is an abbreviation of TemproMandibular Joint, it is not a condition it is simply a joint name!
News flash: brush your teeth and follow your Dentists instructions and you won’t have to open your jaw for too long! ;))
Everyone, I don’t think we need to be nasty to correct someone’s ignorance. Just correct it without hurling abuse. Just as in any profession, there are those that are excellent in their trade and those that are just in it for the money. Personally, I can think of other ways to make a dollar than having to put my face that close to someones mouth. I know someone that I can barely have a face to face conversation let alone, correct the issues that may be causing that breath. I take my hat off to you dentists that decided to go in that direction. I just had to change dentists that recently did a filling on me. I had to go back, not kidding, FIVE times to correct a filling. I couldn’t sneeze, bite down, or drink without pain. He also bathed in cologne and made it really hard to breath while in his chair. So, what did I do? Found another dentist… And I have to admit, I have said I hate going to the dentist while in the chair. Never even gave it a second thought. I will not say that anymore. Thanks for giving me that slap on the head.. I should have known better. : ) Good luck to you!
Thank you, Honey! I’m sorry you had a bad experience, but glad you were able to find someone to help you. The truth is, if you are a lovely person, you can say “I hate going to the dentist,” and your dentist will probably laugh at you and hug you when you leave. It’s obvious that you are in that category!
I have to disagree with u! Your jaw hurts from 1 or 2 things or both…The shot if a lower injection or the muscles that you use everyday to chew and talk and smile with.I f smile alot or laugh after awhile everyone says “my jaw hurts from laughing too much!” so when you hold your mouth open for a period of time it uses the muscles of your jaw to bcome sore! Learn about the anatomy of the mouth before you think you can comment. And for the “greedy bastards” yes there are some that want JUST your money but not all!
FYI there is no condition called TMJ…TMJ is temporomandibular joint …basically your jaw joint . The condition is TMD temporomandibular dysfunction.
The reason I am a greedy bastard dentist is because of moronic, non-appreciative, ignorant people like you. Time to raise my fees.
hilarious!
ha a condition called TMJ – that made me laugh :))
When a patients jaw is numb they tend to bite down differently then when they are not. We use articulating paper that marks where you are hitting wrong. But when you are numb you don’t always bite correctly. Then when you get home and the anesthetic wears off, you begin biting normally, and you hit in the spots that we couldn’t see when you were numb. We mark your tooth as well as possible but we can’t always get it perfect the first time. So all you have to do is go back in and have it “shaved” down a little bit more. It is not the dentists fault. And yes it is common. Also why we tell patients that if they have “pain” to call and come back in. But its idiotic patients like you that think anything wrong is our fault, also that you see to know more despite our years of studying that make our jobs miserable. While I agree some dentists are greedy, most are just trying to do what is best for you. I have seen enough patients to know that some are just miserable and whiny no matter what you do. Like you. Like others have said. Maybe read up on some basic dental terms before you give us a news flash. By the way. You are paying your greedy bastard of dentist. So if you aren’t happy….find a new one!
Actually my mom had a crown done, but it just would not fit in there right and because she couldn’t eat anything solid (because as a consequence the other side of her mouth got extremely sore too) she lost a significant amount of weight. It took a year of trying to make it right and finally my mom gave up and she says it’s better now as long as she doesn’t chew on that one side.
It’s called TMD 😛 we all have a TMJ hahahha
Condition is not called TMJ, it is called TMD. TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint, everybody has TMJs. TMD stands for temporomandibular disorder. And yes, all ten reasons are correct, and I could add a few more to the list 🙂
Correction- TMJ stands for temporomamdibular joint- everyone has one… TMD or temporomamdibular disorder is the problem with the joint. If you are going to bash those of us with 10 years plus of education, please get your terminology correct at least.
I AM a dentist and believe me we are NOT greedy bastards! We are physicians who have the ability to KILL you when you sit down in our chair!! Therefore you are paying us for going to school all these years to do a job that YOU CAN’T DO YOURSELF and putting up with your complaining and rudeness!!!! Clearly we have your mouth open for a REASON!! It’s because if your nasty, slimy spit touches what we’ve already done…guess what?? WE HAVE TO START ALLLL OVER!!! And guess what else…..Stop acting like you know what we know!!! EVERYONE has a TMJ!!! You have NO IDEA what that is obviously!!! Google it so that you don’t sound so ignorant in the midst of your future rants!!
Remember, though that at the end of the day you’re a denist, not a real doctor.
Your mom calls me doctor
LOL! I hear that all the time! Bring it on, baby!
Remind me again, what does the first “D” in “DDS” stand for?
@Cardiology MD – I am thoroughly intrigued by your comment. I have to know all those medications with which you are keeping our mutual patient alive. Do you “real doctor” consult with your patients as to their dental health? People with gum disease are almost twice as likely to suffer from coronary artery disease. I frequently ask my patients with cardiovascular issues if their cardiologist ever inquired about routine dental checkups. The answer is most often a resounding, “NO!” I am also still amazed at the number of new patients walking into my office with a recent joint replacement having never been told (or better yet given a prescription) to take an antibiotic one hour prior to dental visits that could result in any amount of bleeding. I don’t know how thorough a cardiologist you are, but by my observations, we are treating people. We are not treating just hearts or teeth or knees. Let’s work together to help our patients.
Geez! He was kidding!
Oh Cardiology MD, so cute when you guys think you are better (even if you cannot spell). In any case, I will keep my eyes open in case I should meet a “denist” one day so I can tell them they aren’t a ‘real doctor’.
Oh before I go, not to burst your bubble, but assuming your name is correct, get off your high horse, everyone knows cardiology isnt brain surgery 🙂
Doctors don’t need to know how to spell correctly, hence the reason for their “chicken scratch” on the prescription pad!! 😝. Sorry, just trying to lighten things up a bit in here. I am sure to never forget that TMJ is a joint not a disorder as it has been pointed out by so very many posters here!! Thanks for the education. I realize that the dental profession is extremely hard work, and want to thank all of the wonderful people who had the bravery to take on this career!! I am 100% certain I would not have the stomach to take on everything you do in your career choice. Kudos to all of you, and my smile is for all of you!! Thank you!
@CardiologyMD: Dentist = doctor just as much as physician = doctor. Please keep in mind, a dentist knows WAY more about your field of expertise than you know about dentistry. I think my medical school roommate while I was in dental school told me that they received a 3 hour lecture on dentistry, to include cariology, anatomy of the oral-maxillofacial region, and demonstrations of quick “fixes” for patients who present with dental pain. A 3 hour lecture, to cover tiny bits and pieces of what I learned in 4 years of dental school plus 3 years of an OMFP residency… really? Did you know that when the first dental school was proposed (U of MD at Baltimore), several self-taught dentists went to the U of MD Med School to ask if dentistry could be made a specialty of medicine? They were told no, there isn’t enough knowledge to be had, or skills to acquire, in the field of dentistry to justify making it a separate specialty. Apparently nothing has changed on the medical side since the mid-1800’s… you are still led to believe that the whole scope of dentistry can be compressed into a 3 hour lecture! Too funny. But again, I know much more about medicine than you know about dentistry. You have revealed that you know as little about dentistry as suggestsmagic… however she is a 19 year old patient and I can tolerate her ignorance on the subject. Ignorance from a fellow health professional is another matter, and imo is inexcusable.
You’re a freaking moron. TMJ is the Temporomandibular Joint. TMD is Temporomandibular Disorder and is what you can get if somebody stretches your joint ligaments but is not usually caused by keeping your mouth open to do a filling. Most dentists aren’t greedy bastards like most priests aren’t pederasts. Oh yeah, and for you nimrods that think you inherited “soft teeth,” here’s a brush and floss–use it.
To the Oral Health Professionals:
Please read the previous responses before posting, I’ve read a million or so responses by dentists and what I assume to be educated people correcting a 19 year old layperson because she doesn’t know the difference between TMJ and TMD/TMJD. I think we got the idea after the first 10 posts. It doesn’t need to be repeated ad nauseam.
Also TMD is commonly referred to as TMJ, if you type in TMJ in Google guess what comes up? In fact all the links are associated with TMJ pain or disorders, not one link on the TMJ itself. Here’s a word for you guys: interchangeability. Kinda like how automobile=car, pop=soda, Ash Forceps= bird beaks, 23= cowhorns, radiograph=x-ray, sutures= stitches, etc…. My personal favorite however is how East West is used interchangeably with Cryer even though technically its not. (You may not do it but I’ve seen it done repeatedly)
Finally you all seem like educated people so why do most of you ridicule her for her ignorance? Do you treat your patients the same way? She’s 19, probably barely a college sophmore; most dentists are at the very youngest 26/27 when they graduate. You have easily 7-8 years worth of education more than her and she’s a moron because she didn’t know the difference between TMJ and TMD? You might as well call your children idiots for not knowing how to find the Lagrange multiplier equations for the point of the surface x4 + y4 + z4 + xy + yz + zx =6 at which x is largest. In fact most of you probably don’t know how to do that, dumbasses.
To suggestsmagic:
I’m sorry they harped on you but you did call the entire profession a bunch of greedy bastards. Believe it or not dentists are part of the 99%,albeit the upper 99%, but 99% nonetheless. And not all dentists make money, they teach you the procedures and theories in school but there is no class titled “Sustainable Business Practices for the General Dentist” or “How to NOT Run Your Practice Into the Ground”. Oh and if you brushed twice daily for 2 minutes each time and flossed correctly, twice daily as well, we wouldn’t have to force your mouth open for extended periods while we drill and fill now would we? 😉
Thank you for this perspective. And I have no idea what the Lagrange multiplier equations are, so it sounds good to me 😉
Great post! Yes, the horse has been beaten to death people, let it go and move on. It was a post by a 19 year old girl, she has gotten the point, she SAID she got the point. Enough already! Makes us all look like jackasses IMO.
Im a assistant and have been for 17 yrs, we give our patients breaks throught the procedure, however when we are working we are using materials that cant get wet, so we can always give someone a break. Yes having your mouth open for a long time causes muscle fatique/pain..the jaw joint is the “TempralMandibularJoint” not the name of the pain. Pain killers dont help tmj pain they on mask the pain, antiinflammatories like Advil and Aleve help with discomfort. Yes a high filling can cause pain in the teeth or if not adjusted can cause pain in the joint, however we try our best to adjust the bite right the first time, but when patients are numb the sensation isnt the same when you bite together, so sometimes this happpens. Im sorry you had a bad experience, but i promise its not done to rush through patients at least not in our office.
Thank you for a very helpful explanation of what we do.
I have a question for you not related to the whole TMJ thing though. You mentioned there are materials you use that can not get wet otherwise they are not effective. I was wondering if you could list a couple of these materials because i am a college student and im writing a paper about dentistry and i think its rather ironic that dentist work in a wet environment but the materials they use cant get wet.
It’s the standard of care to use a rubber dam. Only true professionals use it.
@college kid:
eg composite resin, amalgam, glass ionomers. The materials do not set instantly, and moisture can contaminate the bonding of the material. Additionally if some materials get too dry they can also have problems. Moisture contamination can cause problems not just with the strength of the restoration but also its retention and aesthetics.
College Kid, the most common materials we use that require a dry environment are composite (tooth-colored filling materials) and cements for crowns, veneers, etc. But most material we use really work best in a dry field, even if we can obtain acceptable results in the presence of some moisture.
The irony is not lost on us, belive me, but it’s what chemistry has to offer at this time. The reason these materials require a dry field is because they are hydrophobic, meaning they don’t mix well with water. If they contact a wet tooth surface, they sort of “float” on the surface of the water or saliva, much as oil floats on water, and don’t adhere to the tooth structure as we need them to do. If we used hydrophilic materials which would adhere to a wet surface, it seems that this problem would be solved, but such material tend to be water-soluble over time and would therefore actually dissolve. There actually were filling materials in the past that did this – they were great for a while, but then literally dissolved away in the saliva. So we choose the material that needs a dry field until it cures, since we can generally maintain that field for the time needed. We can’t stop a patient’s salivation forever.
I’m assuming you are not a science major, and therefore tried to use layman’s terms. If you are indeed a science major and this explanation comes across as a bit simplistic, I apologize.
I am laughing right now! Once again someone making their own diagnosis. The condition isn’t TMJ. That simply stands for temporalmandibular Joint. If you have trouble opening your mouth it is called Temporalmandibular Disorder commonly abbreviated to TMD.
Everyone has TMJ.
I agree that some dentists are greedy, but so are some accountants, some optometrists, some engineers, some governmental leaders, even some librarians. It seems that you have had some misguided expectations of your dentist. I have been to one dentist before who told me I had 15 cavities and gone for a second opinion to find that I only had one or two. We are our own advocates no matter what advice we choose to accept. We are responsible for our own selves. For a dentist to ask that we act properly while they try to take care of our mouth is not unreasonable.
Tylenol works wonders as a pin killer by the way.
I personally think people should take Miss. Manner’s classes. If you had them you wouldn’t use the foul language that you are so fluent in.
Carmen, thank you so much for your constructive comment… and for not name calling 😉
lol! A little knowledge is a dangerous thing!
After 11 years of school, my daughter came out of school $400,000 in debt and then spend another half million dollars to open a small office. Do you think there’s any hope of her buying her own home any time soon? It’s people like you that just wreck the world for everyone!
Not all dentists are bastards! I work for one of the few who are not.. yes he has his bad days but he is laid back, conservative and can give some awesome dental care! And news flash that is why they have mouth props to help relax ur jaw muscles maybe ask for one next time! But I agree there are real shady dentists out there and thats why you should go to Academy of General Dentist website and find one that way.. just a suggestion
Actually, I’d say you work for one of the majority who aren’t bastards. In my experience, only a few ARE. Just like any other group of people, you’re gonna find a mix of good and bad – mostly good, a few bad. I’ve heard dentists argue for hours over what is the most appropriate treatment plan for a patient – they’re so passionate because they’re so concerned abouthte patient’s best interests. They all agree they want the best for the patient, even if they disagree regarding how to achieve that goal.
The truth is. Having your mouth open for a length of time at a dental appt and coming away with TMD means your jaw was already stuffed up before that to a certain extent and the appt just exacerbated the condition. The only way the dentist is at fault is if he or she didn’t advise you of your poor joint health in the past. If a dentist recommends splints to you and you decline that and later end up with TMD from a dental appt that can involve 5, 10 or 30 mins of actual opening time then the dentist cannot be blamed for this.
Also..not all dentists work fast because they are greedy. Some work fast so that the patient doesn’t need to have their mouth open too long thereby getting TMD symptoms and because the dentist may not want the next patient to have to wait too long because he or she is running late because it only takes one late show to screw the day up.
I am a dentist and I typically don’t “work out” anyone, at any speed. I think that it would be a good idea for you to do just a little bit of research, before you make this type of allegation. I’m sorry that you have had bad experiences with your dentist, but try to avoid blanket statements like this, it is just silly. There are greedy people in all walks of life. There are greedy preachers, nuns, teachers, stock brokers, etc. But there just as many that are not greedy. News Flash: the only way to a dentist to work on a patients teeth is for him to have his mouth open. To do dentistry with your mouth closed is much more painful than jaw soreness, I assure you. Hang in there suggestsmagic, hope you can find a dentist that treats you with kindness. And try out spell check, it works great!
there is no such thing called good dentist or bad dentist ,
hey girl… dont talk of things u dont know alright… i am not a dentist, i am a medical doctor… TMJ is not a disease.. it is the joint of ur jaw.. called tempero mandibular joint… u can always tell your dentist that u want to close ur mouth for a while when he’s doing the procedure..u dont say it and u blame ur dentist… it’s best that u manage ur dental problems all on ur own.. respect him …
Only a dentist (in private practice) as an owner of the practice, understands and feels the pain of our everyday professional life. Talk to your dentist before making negative comments. Very few make it to be a dentist and even fewer can handle the stress of running a practice. Next time THANK your DENTIST.
hi…if by time you feel uncomfortable, sitting/lying in the dental chair, then you can tell or inform your dentist in a a NICE way by raising your hand…letting us know how you feel is important to us…its like a give and take relationship…
You need to find a better dentist. If your dentist makes you feel that way, you are probably correct……so why go back to him/her. High spots happen, but it’s the dentist’s job to get you comfortable and back to normal as quickly as possible. I tell patients that I don’t charge extra for doing it right (the first time). Also, that if they think that they have a high spot, they probably do….it will get better as soon as it gets adjusted, and the bite is back to normal. That said, it’s much easier to check the bite when a patient is not numb.
..”having your mouth open for too long can give you a horrible condition called TMJ”…
I presume you are a female, so I have a question for you: When you go to your Gynecologist for your regular check-ups, do put your legs crossed…or do you actually open them and let the Dr. do his/her job? ……that’s would be as difficult as a dentist trying to work with a patient that opens their mouth about 5mm……
Just saying……
dhuuuuu! You soffer from TMJ? Good for you! I have two… thamks God each side of my skull! Two Temporo Mandibular Joints. If you are not happy with your dentist, find a new one but be sure that him too can have conditions to love you back. Be nice young lady. I am sure that you will find sonner or latter a nice dentist too 😉
TMJ is a joint. Temporomandibular joint. If you knee hurts you don’t say you have a horrible condition called knee. When you want to hate on a dentist, at least know what you’re talking about. It’s called TMD, hun.
Technically, everyone has TMJ. Two, in fact.
Everyone has a TMJ, TMD is caused by your teeth not matching the closing path of your TMJ, you may be sore after an appointment but every extra centimeter you open helps dentists achieve the micron margins that restorations require. And most jaw pain is caused by infections, not overfilled fillings, although they can be painful also.
You really need to go and see another dentist, if this is your thoughts and feelings of dentists, you have been greatly mistreated. I believe Lolabees is actually commenting on patients with ignorant attitudes much like yours. If you actually knew how much it costs to look after a patient correctly, and in fact how little the dentist gets of the fee, you might retract “greedy bastards”. You have painted the entire profession with one big inaccurate brush. There is a great saying, trying walking in someone else’s shoes a day before you judge. I am sorry that your dental experiences have have left you so angry and misinformed. DMD
May I ask you which dental school you graduated from? Because there are many techincal things wrong with what you have said. Have a lovely day. Just FYI, TMJ is not a condition it is an anatomical system called temporomandibular joint. TMD is a condition that is a disorder of TMJ. But interesting comeback though. Makes us all feel a lot better.:)
News FLASH…..all you really have to do to prevent the so called “pain” the dr is causing you is brush and floss!!!!!! HELLO!!!!
by the way in which profession are you in miss suggestsmagic? we can have negative voices for you as well…
Hehe… I had a horrible experience with a dentist in first grade… I couldn’t keep my mouth open “wide” enough, and she hit me, causing the clamp she had over my tooth to cut my inner cheek. I also founde out as an adult, I had the misfortune to have six wisdom teeth, rather than the usual four. What a raw deal!!! I didn’t realize until I was thirty that people actually went to the dnetist voluntarily for a “cleaning”. I get anxious every single time I have to sit in a dentists’ chair, but i also do NOT blame every dentist I see for the actions of that first psychotic idiot i saw when I was five years old.
I am curious… what is the profit margin for a dentist? ie…What does it actually cost to do a filling, compared to what is charged for it????
First off i am not a dentist. but i have been in the dental field for many years. to calculate the profit margin for a dentist is a little complicated. but i will just use the office i work at for this example. my Doctor has been practicing for about 12 years. and i must say i think he is one of the best dentists that i have worked with.
so to break down the profit margin one must calculate all the expenses that are involved.
we have a beautiful dental office that has 8 operatories. the building was recently built and the cost for the building was about ($1.2 million). the set up and Dental Equipment for the office was about another ($1 million). so that is just the start up cost.
Employee payroll cost: is about ($35K per/month).
Supply Cost: our doctor orders every 3month to save because we get a bulk discount but still the supply cost each month is about ($40K per/month)
building maintenance and gas, electric, security, office supply, professional licencing, continuing education, dental lab fees and all the other stuff that is part of any business is added.
So when it all boils down a real good Dental office that is running efficiently with minimal waist has an overhead of about 65-70%, that is not including the Doctors own salary.
so lets say you get a Crown that is $1000 your doctor will make a profit of about $300 for 3-4 hrs of work.
Just to clear things up…TMJ is not a condition, it stands for Temporal Mandibular Joint. The dentist needs you to keep your mouth open because your teeth are in your mouth ad if you close your mouth your saliva will touch the area he’s working on and will have to start over. And he works fast but efficient because he knows it’s not comfortable for you. therefore he/she has your best interest at heart. And the painkillers are for your tooth not your jaw.
You don’t need teeth to be happy or prosperous or a well respected member of the community. Have all your teeth ripped out, and then you won’t need to go to the dentist. It is an instant fix for TMD too. Smoke and suck as many candies and chocs as you like. Blenders are cheap.
My favourite pick me up is steakburger soup with the lot. I laugh at those “greedy” dentists
every day, when I grimace in the mirror.
I say ” Suck that, you greedy bastards! Just try and rip me off now. ”
Suggestsmagic, I suggest we start our own club ” Suckers United ” our motto could be ” We suck “. Our mission statement could be ” to make the dentists of the world redundant”
That would be the ultimate revenge, hey. What a waste of all that expensive education.
When we have set the world free from the tyranny of dentists and their evil ways,
noone would ever be able to criticise us for looking like a bunch of dumbass stupid underachievers with poor grammar ever again.
You sound like you had some bad experiences, but don’t you dare call us all greedy bastards. Most of us really care about our patients. Some of us work our asses off and barely make a living because of all the regulations and overhead. I give too much away because of people like you who make me feel like I have to apologize. Owning a small business can be a nightmare, but I take pride in supporting several families. Next time, think before you make general derogatory statements and leave the diagnosis to the professionals.
Learn to spell and learn the difference between there, their, and they’re before you comment on the validity of a dentist. Thank you.
Are you my English teacher? NO! No no no, thank you. 🙂
Perhaps you should also search for an alternate English teacher.
Yes, having your jaw open for too long can give you a headache, but to say it would cause TMJ is just funny. TMJ is caused by over use of the jaw joint. it is not because you kept your mouth open for maximum of 2 hrs one day in your life time. that’s like saying if you run once for 1hr you get a knee injury.
but must likely the discomfort that you are feeling in your jaw after your appointment, is the injection that your dentist gave you to make your appointment more comfortable.
Or if you feel like you have been open for too long just ask for a break. I know your dentist would love to give you a break rather than bending in every direction trying to just get a glimpse of the working site.
Such a great commentary on the realities of dentistry! Thank you! There are some wonderful, rewarding days in this profession but others are so mentally exhausting that you want to just walk out the door. Ignorant patients like “suggestsmagic” seem to take delight in coming in your office with a bad attitude and fault finding everything you do for them. Brush your teeth and you won’t need any fillings “shaved down.” Ugh.
Thanks, Lauren. You’re right, and while it’s great to celebrate those rewarding days, sometimes it’s just fun to get real about the crazy stuff we see. 😉
uhm..that was rude, get a life other than making people feel bad about their job, dentists are very well paid yes, but like the artical said, they worked HARD to get where they are,they deserve it.
First off, TMJ is NOT a condition, its actually short for: Temporomandibular Joint. The disease would be TMD. Everything else you said is nonsense too.
Such a pitty that you make such a commotion over a little thing such as not being able to shut your jaw. Well, if you look at it another patients point of view, would you want to be sitting in the waiting room or in one of the chairs waiting for the arrival of your dentist for hours… Also, if you don’t like the way your dentist works, find another one!
TMJ isn’t a horrible condition it is short for Temporomandibular Joint, that is just the name of the jaw joint. You mean TMD Temporomandibular Disorder, which has a lot of different causes. Opening your mouth for 30mins wont cause anything but an ache that goes away itself.
i made an appointment to see a dentist to inquire about being fitted for braces as my teeth are shaped rather poorly from years of using sodium flouride and boxing. i arrived on time was greeted warmly and i asked about braces. the dentist told me i would need to have some work done before being considered for braces so i agreed,although i did not know what i was agreeing to. i proceeded to have two teeth removed ,two teeth which were giving me no problems whatsoever. as i sat in the dentist chair pondering why i was having these teeth removed i could only come to the conclusion this person was using me for practice, anyway, three days later the bleeding still aint stopped and i am now having trouble with the area where the teeth used to be. the NHS ,”never fail to create pain where pain need not be” give treatment where treatment need not be giving,
@steve
Why on earth would you allow treatment that you weren’t sure why you needed and that ‘you did not know you were agreeing to’? Sitting in the chair allowing it to happen, and all the while thinking ‘why am I doing this?’ IS actually agreeing to the treatment. The dentist extracted TWO teeth and you had NO idea why??? Do you realize how crazy that sounds? It is actually the patient’s responsibility to ask questions and understand why a health professional is performing treatment. I’m sure the dentist didn’t just plop you in the chair and begin pulling teeth with no explanation of the treatment recommended, and if h/she did, that is your own fault. I’m absolutely sure that is wasn’t just to ‘practice pulling teeth’, that’s ABSURD. If you don’t understand why someone is treating a part of your body, how about ASKING THEM (preferably PRIOR to the extreme pressure and loud popping noises coming from your jaw)!
Yes it may cause discomfort. As a dental professional I’ll tell ya, if you raise your hand, chances are we can stop to give your jaw a break. News flash: TMJ is an anatomical part of the body, not a condition. TMD is a condition. TMJ is essentially the joint that opens and closes the lower jaw. TMD is a disorder of the TMJ. And the jaw joint is usually sore from the muscles working to stay open during a procedure, so pain medication or muscle relaxers can help. I am not a fan of unnecessary medication, so resting it, and things like ice can help as well, but most people prefer the medication.
Sorry, suggestsmagic, but I must correct you on your statement made in 2011.
I certainly hope you have TMJ. In fact, I hope you have two of them, for your sake. News flash: TMJ stands for temporomandibular joint, and it’s basically what allows you to open and close your mouth. There is one on each side of your jaw, located just in front of your ear. The condition you’re referring to is TMD, temporomandibular joint disorder. And this will not occur from having your jaw open for a mere hour to 2 hours. Just deal with it. Wearing ill-fitting or uncomfortable shoes or running for an hour or two probably does more damage to joints than keeping your jaw open for an extended period of time.
Also, jaw pain is most commonly caused from either A. Improper occlusion (when you bite down and the restoration is too “high.”) or B. Bruxism and/or clenching (when you grind and clench your teeth, thereby wearing out the muscles and ligaments that keep your jaw aligned and functioning properly). A restoration needs to be overfilled initially to determine the proper contours to fit to the tooth properly–then it needs to be adjusted according to the patient’s bite. However, when the patient is anesthetized, it’s difficult to determine if the restoration is “high,” so sometimes another appointment is required for adjustment if the patient is feeling uncomfortable.
I find your greedy bastard comment to be quite hurtful. You must have had a run-in with one of those, and I’m sorry for you for that. But please, don’t lump all of us into the “greedy bastard” category. Nearly every career involved with entrepreneurship can have their fair share of “greedy bastards” out there, but we’re not all like that. We just want to help you. We work hard for our money, just as you do, but with +$300K in student loans plus running a practice at +$300/hr/day (including weekends), our quality care comes with a price tag and a great deal of stress. We have employees to take care of (pay, benefits, vacation, etc.), inventory of materials to keep, bills to pay, all while trying to take care of ourselves and our families at the same time.
Also, if somebody has horrible grammar and spelling, guess what you do? Ignore their post. Please proofread your entries if you want them to be taken seriously.
The condition is called TMD. Everybody has TMJ because that is the abbreviation for your jaw joint. Also every person has a different bite. When a filling is placed the dentist adjusts it to the best of their ability. It is hard for you, the patient to feel if it is adjusted right because you are typically still numb during this process. So it is perfectly acceptable if a filling is too high and the patient needs to come back in and get it adjusted when they are no longer numb. Before you accuse all dentists of being horrible, then blame them for problems you don’t even know the proper name for, get your facts straight. There are unfortunately many Dentists who are greedy, I have unfortunately worked for one. There are also many greedy physicians, pediatricians, lawyers, nail salon workers, carpenters, plumbers, car mechanics, the list goes on and on. The great thing is, if you don’t trust them, you can go elsewhere, just like I left my employer who was in dentistry for the money, and not for the patients. He actually was legal in diagnosis and treatment, but his heart was in the wrong place.
TMJ is not a condition. TMJ stand for Temporomandibular joint . Sounds like you went through 8 years of college to do proper dentistry. You are an idiot. You have zero idea how hard dental professionals work for their patients. Your perception is not reality. If someone does surgery on a part of your body there’s a chance it may hurt. Imagine that!. Also, the reason they may not let you close is because there are critical steps that need to happen. If the prepped tooth gets contaminated by saliva, guess what you get to start the procedure all over again. Why don’t you stick to criticizing something you know two shits about.
You are wrong. I have worked for several dentists and while there were two that were greedy bastard and bitch, they were the exception to the rule. You think it’s a “newsflash” to them that your jaw might hurt? You obviously don’t know that EVERYONE has a TMJ….look it up. A reputable dentist wouldn’t prescribe pain killers for a sore jaw, they would suggest that you take an over the counter pain medication like ibuprofen or Tylenol. Yes, they overfill the cavity preparation but then they carve it down so that it fits your bite. They use articulating paper to “highlight” the high areas and they do the best they can, but they are working on people like you, who complain about EVERYTHING and don’t follow instructions that a 2 year old could understand. Dentists and patients need to work with each other for the best outcome. If you don’t cooperate, don’t be surprised when you experience a problem…..but don’t blame the dentist.
Invest in spell check!
I am sorry you feel this way. It seems that the dental care that you have received is not only below par (which I see way too often) but lacks the intellectual input that your dentist should be proving you with. I always say that you get what you pay for and that is just as true for the car you drive or the shoes you buy as it is the health care you choose to provide yourself with. Not only should the dentist be able to inform his/her pt about dental diseases, but the pt themselves should be a smart consumer. By doing the proper research such as reading reviews, asking questions, google searching, and more importantly meeting your health care provider/ seeing their office, a pt will have a wonderful and thought provoking experience with the proper health care specialist. Remember that you dental team is in charge of your health. If you do not trust them then you should find another dentist that you do trust.
Dr. Dean
Well…your argument doesn’t make sense. First-TMJ is not a disorder. TMJ is the abbreviation for temporomandibular joint; everyone has two of these. “TMJ Disorder” is an actual disorder. Second, “most of the time jaw pain is caused by an over-filling”….?? Jaw pain in general can be caused by hundreds of things. If a dentist “over-fills” a filling, you don’t understand how minuscule that really is. It is most definitely minimal enough to where it will absolutely not cause jaw pain. It may cause tooth discomfort and the occlusion must be adjusted, but it will not cause jaw pain.
You have a TMJ. Everyone has a TMJ – its the TemporoMandibular Joint. When that joint is irritated, is called TMJD (TemporoMandibular Joint Disorder). Please do your research before you post unreliable information. The problem with comment boxes is that anyone with a voice can be heard. You don’t deserve to be heard.
Thank you webMD for providing this woman the insight necessary to compose such grammatically sound feedback.
Actually, the cause is unknown for TMJ. There are theories, but non are proven to be the cause.
Nice try, but I must ask, where did you get your dental degree? Perhaps you should go back there and demand a refund, and continue your job at the fruit stand.
I think you’ve missed a couple of important points. You can choose your dentist. You can also choose how often or if you go to the dentist. If you take care of your teeth, you shouldn’t have to go in for any comprehensive treatment very often. Remember, the dentist didn’t put your decay there, you did. Jaw pain is not his fault. You have to keep your mouth open to have work done effectively. If you think you will need a couple of breaks, tell the dentist ahead of time and put your hand up when its time. He may need a couple of moments to get done with the tricky thing he is doing right then, but should let you have a breather soon. Communication is important in any good relationship, and that includes the relationship you have with your dentist. If your dentist is a butt head, get a new one. There are good ones and bad ones. Do some homework before you pick one.
I’m a greedy bastard because dental school cost me $250,000- not including any living expenses, undergrad cost me $100,000….. right out of school I am $350,000 in debt. I’m sorry for being a greedy bastard. I should be working for free.
On on top of that- while all of my friends had houses and CHILDREN- I had to wait 8 years for all of that AND come out in debt. I will not be out of debt until I am nearly 50…. all so that I can provide a nice life for my family. It’s called striving to make a good life for yourself. Stop whining about your life and DO SOMETHING TO MAKE IT BETTER.
I’ve been a Dental Lab Tech for over 30 years now. I have specialized in Implantology for the last 15 years. I have, for the most part, always had a good relationship with My Dentists. However, when working with some of Them, I find I really have to hold back when discussing particular cases. Merely because They think They know more than I do about a certain procedure. (Implants mainly) They go to a 3 day weekend course on Implant Placement and Restorative Techniques and They are suddenly ‘Experts’. Makes Me laugh sometimes how little Some of Them actually know.
I saw where someone listed Their Lab Fees as part of Their ‘Expensive’ overhead..that’s a laugh! Most Dentists try to get Us to lower Our cost per Crown before They will do business with Us. On average, for 1 crown, the Dentist’s Lab Fees are going to be less than $100.00. Compare that to the 1,200 to sometimes over 2,000 dollars that They are going to charge Their Patient. (I’ve seen some Dentists charge over 3,000 for a single crown.) Lab Fees are only 5 to 8% of Their overhead.(less than 3% when over 3 grand). Oh yeah, and We can’t Unionize either, the ADA will not do business with anyone who even speaks of a Union. Heaven knows They wouldn’t want to actually have to pay Us what We’re actually worth!
Then there are Dentists who, after running up a 10,000 dollar Lab Bill, will simply not do business with You anymore and will go to another Lab and do the same damned thing.
(dealt with a few of those over the Years). Many times We have had to take Dentists to Court just to get paid for the work We did. And don’t forget the Dentists that really shouldn’t be Dentists because They really don’t possess the skills necessary to produce quality Restorations. I know of one Dr. that was high up in the ADA ranks, that can not do a simple Preparation for a Crown without gouging out around the Margin or causing massive undercuts in the Prep. On top of that, He sends Us a crappy Impression full of bubbles and pits that really isn’t an accurate representation of what’s in the Patients Mouth. But He expects Us to do a wonderful, well fitting restoration on a piece of garbage that would never pass muster in Dental School.
Can You tell I’m frustrated?
I AM POST NUMBER #1337 BOOYAH!
Your response makes no sense you don’t get TMJ from having your mouth open too long that’s just a muscle ache like any muscle fatigue. If I overfilled your tooth for you after you had a hole in it due to poor oral hygiene and diet do you not want it contoured properly. We are self employed and have to work to get paid . Dentists are not greedy bastards they want to help. Sounds like your one of those people who just wants to be negative and not help yourself. Maybe if you actually spoke to your dentist you might get the service you desire. The problem is the patients don’t appreciate the cost of the work they are having done (some dental materials have a higher price per gram than gold by a considerable margin). Do you expect the dentist to pay for your mistakes and lifestyle that has causes your tooth decay? Maybe you should read the article again.
You are going to the wrong dentist. Most are caring individuals who want to provide you with the best possible outcomes. Unfair to say all are greedy!
And….you studied dentistry where??? “News Flash”…TMJ is not a “HORRIBLE CONDITION” ; it’s a body part. Tempero-Mandibular Joint. MOST of the time, jaw pain has nothing to do with “overfilling”…most jaw pain is minimal and caused by bruising at the injection sites, and by the fact that because you don’t brush your teeth properly and the food accumulating near the gum line caused the cavity to extend below it. The gum is disturbed because the dentist had to move it away a bit to properly fill the tooth. You got pain killers not because you need them; you got them because you whined about how badly it hurt. A couple of days for the minor bruising to subside and you’ll be as good as new.
Before you slam a profession in a public place like this, you really should at least try to educate yourself, even minimally, so that you don’t look like such a moron
I’m sorry I’m not even a dentist and I think you are a moron.
Greedy!! Who’s your dentist!! Because we give small breaks constantly; however, you can’t expect a dentist to invest the whole morning on a 20min. fiñling. Fyi: TMJ! Everyone has one, it stand for temporal mandibular joint, you mean disfunctions of the tmj… (Look it up). Finally when your dentist asks you to tap your teeth and grind is adjusting your bite and it can always be adjusted again if after the anesthesia wears off the patient feels the bite is not right. Furthermore, for fillings a simple over-the-counter pain med. will do just fine, why prescribe for a simple soreness after a simple procedure.
TMJ is not a condition you idiot. TMJ stands for temporo mandibular joint. Do you complain of a “knee” or an “elbow”? When you grow a brain cell or two, perhaps you might make sense
TMJ is a name of the joint, it is like saying I have a horrible condition called a Knee. Dentists are not greedy, they have to charge enough to cover their staff, supplies, and methods to maintain their permit to work. You could always go to mexico and pay a lot less, in a non sterile world, see how that works out for you lol.
This is the right word for them, they are greedy bastards, they are in a hurry to make more money out of you and kick you out as soon as possible. They never listen to you, they think they know it better, because they are educated and you are not, so you just shut up! And when you have complication – something is wrong with you, they never had it in their practice! And the assholes practice is 2 years.
Tmj means u have temporal mandubular joint. It’s like me saying u have ear when u have an earache or knee when u knee ache. Correct terminology is TMD…temporal mandubular joint disorder.
Yes some dentist are greedy. And guess what…most are not. Tuition these days cost $100,000 USD to $400,000 USD just for dental school alone plus interest and student loan fees. Pay that off in 20+ years equals a house payment. Also that doesn’t include your education cost to a 4 year bachelor program and living expense for the minimal 8 + years for time period your are achieving your higher education. Mind you…most dentist don’t get tax write off or any government aid such Obama care or other subsidies…most of us dentist do it cuz we r smart and capable- not because we stick our hand out for freebies.
Plus to open a dental office it will cost $100,000 to $1,000,000 USD plus back interest and fees. Then to deal with people like you who say we r greedy to make $200 to $400 per filling, not really thrilling for me to wait for negativity like u. This $200 to $400 doesn’t all go our pockets– I have 1 to 3 assistant and 1 to 2 front staff salary that I pay for the 1 hour I blocked out for the filling, plus material cost and rent if my office for 1 hour and other cost related to opening the office for 1 hour that day.
Most of u patients with negative attitucourtneypope115@gmail.comdes will wait til your small cavity has destroyed the tooth and is in pain…then you need a root canal/crown/dental implants or whatever. They all cost more to do the filling.
Yes it is uncomfortable to open your mouth for the appointment but it goes so much faster when u don’t waste 15 min to complain and then waste another 15 minute to stop every 5 minutes now my 1 hour blocked time we reserved for u has become an 1 hour 30 min ordeal and it’s not like u r paying an extra 30 min of my time and my staffs salary.
we may be greedy bastards, but at least we can spell. And TMDJ is not a news flash to your dentist. AAAND, as for telling us how to do a filling properly, see #11, and come tell me how to do it properly after spending 8+ years in school.
Most of the dentists are concentrating on their practice, getting trainings and lectures to collect more certificates and trainings that is why they pay attention to self development and tend to think that because they are getting professionally better and more experienced they need to have more patients which doesn’t happen that easy. The main reason is that times changing and patients have more tools to make a smart decision about their healthcare and now they can unchain from traditional family dentists culture and try to find out hidden gems dentists around them who are nicer and better. Zentist.io results show that over 60% of Americans are willing to travel within their state to find a dentist they liked and if his prices were better. Surprisingly 10% were even ready to travel across the country to find a great dentist and to save substantially. Zentist.io showed a dentist in Butler, AL who was popular with their patients who wanted to visit her since she offered dentures 40% less then their own dentists and had a great video with her children and actors which gave the potential patients trust and emotional connection. Because great dentists cannot fill up their time slots in many US cities they will have to up-sell their existing patients which makes patients unhappy and that is how chicken and egg problem starts. If dentists participated in marketplaces and started to be startup entrepreneur in addition to great professionals they would fill their openings easily and generate enough revenue to be comfortable and transparent. I am saying startup entrepreneur not a businessman because businessman will concentrate on bottom of line unlike startup entrepreneurs who are not looking to earn huge profits right away but rather grow in number of Likes, Retweets, Follows and within their community. There is a lot of friction when you charge a patient additional $500 rather than charging 5 patients $100 each to test elasticity of demand. So, dentists should expose to more people, get more patients and charge less and still make more money and have more happy patients!
Sorry Ariel couldn’t reply to your comment for some reason so your post as said no reply on your reply post . This is rediculous add which actually brings down the good dentist there are . This to you Ariel not the above , your comment spot on and couldn’t read mountains of other comments as not got free week to read them all . Get on with job and get a life it’s a blessing don’t fling back people’s faces the dentist or dentist started this blog . Speechless
I’m glad you decided to leave your career. I get so tired of incompetence and people that are in people careers that don’t like people I just want to blast them. If you don’t like people find a career where you don’t have to deal with them.
When a person such as I had Breen told by a nuero as he takes another mri or ct or mra you have the smallest mouth i have ever seen. When you go in for a gi and they tell you they had to stretch your throat twice as they tried three times but instead ripped the lining of your esophagus d5o had to stop just to get the tube down your throat and you explain this to the dentist up front but because he keeps saying open your mouth wider you try as he rips the sides of your mouth open and states he ordered dime medicine to fix it. I have MS the pain that you just caused me is real and will last for days in the back of my neck and my mouth and now as always i have split lips. You gave me the first cavities I ever had in my life and I see the dentist twice a year add without xrays at 38! I’m laying there the next thing I know needles are being shoved in my mouth five times as you poceed to supposedly fill 4 cavities w/o x-ray nor permission. I can’t speak because my while face is swollen and I go to work sick and end up with bruised wires and nose from my face swelling so much from the shots I guess. A few years later I see another February and am petrified. But I have a teeth fetish and my tooth also hurts. I’m I three explaining I have MS and what it has done to my brain and other passers of my body and the needs I’m on that I stopped so that you wouldn’t have to worry two weeks in advance but I passed out fell and knocked my tooth loose. You pull the tooth telling me another 10,000 on order to fix it which i pay but instead give for filings to tee same two teeth that when i starry wandering what??? Add I’m embarrassed to be missing a tooth. My neighbor who over sees three prisons dentistry takes a look at the bills and states you had filled the same teeth over and over and in all honesty since you were putting in a bridge shouldn’t have filled them as you are going to ground them down to nothing basically and put this bridge in. Ripping me if 10,852 for a job never completed. As I’m not rich. So I’m without that tooth and finally get used to it and then the aneurysm grows again and I pass out knocking out another tooth partially and you just dig out the part that was left in my mouth. Telling me no need to worry about it as it’s in the back. I asked won’t my teeth shift you say no and they do. So yes to trust a dentist that as he works in your mouth with his drill hits other teeth and then they hurt as he has chipped them but won’t own it. It becomes scary.
No its not their fault I’m ill, but when forewarned of my illnesses and accept the project then please take my fear into consideration. Not fear of a dentistry but fear of is he really going to fix what he claims or lie again and just cause more problems. I have a teeth thing….i love peoples smiles and if you’re teeth are nasty I said go see a dentist. Dam have you never brushed your teeth with all that tarter built up around them aackk I would never date you. WHEN dentists look at you like ughh instead of let’s get’r done I also find annoying as they don’t do very much their techs do most of everything; So what’s the problem. Awz you want to leave at 2 so you can go play golf
If you want to whine as you are then thank the great one that you left and no one had to go in an office where the dentist doesn’t want to be there in the first place.
You go in or wake up and put out negativity that then is what you will get in return. That’s just the law of physics.
Anyone that reads this article you have just told them they are exactly right in how they feel and I am a retired chemical engineer and emergency responder for hazmat materials. Only stating so you can’t blow me off as some run of the mill person.
PS for the rude gentlemen below about tmj. Most people wouldn’t just bring it up as they would not know about it unless it had been brought up to them. It is not something most people are born with it is an illness a painful one and is usually caused by grinding of the teeth or bearing down on then while you are driving or sitting or in an uncomfortable positron.
So John was it, lolabees puts out 10 reasons to hate your dentists, te6n by all means should expect some feedback. I take it you are a dentists and one of those overly sensitive people of the world today that expectst everyone to watch how they say things becauseb it might hurt someone’s feelings. My response would be the comment want mad to you so float on by as you need to quit plagiarizing and know what the illness truly does.
Different people deal with things differently. One’s horrific pain may be another’s chuckle. Have you ever heard that their is different pain tollerences. NO. I will answer for you as you were so rude in your attack.
Good day.
you’re an idiot.
Do you take the Hippocratic Oath? This is indeed very unprofessional, and further if you don’t like the career you’ve chosen, by all means stop doing it. My dentist drives a Tesla so I know you are very well compensated for your work. Do you realize that most of us have to compensate you for your hour of work with have our week’s salary? If you only want to work on perfect teeth in a perfect mouth, I don’t think you’ll building much of a practice.
Either be a medical professional or don’t. You chose this path. If you hate your patients, it’s time to get out. Oh, PS speaking of buying your house, how many times a day do you upsell Invisalign to your patients. In short, cry me a river
I don’t hate the dentist, but I do fear going. Sorry, I still have those shrill-sounding implements from childhood in my head.
Your dentist probably doesn’t hate you either, rumpydog 😉 I think many of us understand fear and are very sympathetic to it. I always used to tease my patients that there were probably other places they’d rather be than in my chair. As long as we can laugh together a little bit, it makes the visit a lot easier. Have you ever tried the laughing gas aka nitrous oxide? It really helps some people with anxiety.
HI Rumpydog type real person
I am with you on this. Believe it or not, I am a dentist.
i think dentists should get on the receiving end each year just to keep them honest and empathetic. but then I’m a bit different.
My suggestion is simple and easy. Wear some close fitting dark glasses like motorbike riders wear. It is amazing how this makes you feel removed from what is happening.
AND wear some noise cancelling headphones. Not earplug type , I mean full cuff over the ear old fashioned sort but with noise cancelling technology. Cuts out that aweful whine of the drill and the horrible pervasive sucking sound.
Make sure your dentist has something on the ceiling to focus on.
DONT close your eyes !! this just makes you more jumpy and anticipating that something aweful is going to hppen. establish upfront signals like that nice Dental Assistant suggested to Suggestmagic that enable you to feel IN CONTROL.
Dentists work really hard, Its not that easy drilling 50micron accuracy on a moving target.
But ultimately it is your mouth and you are paying for the benefit of excellent dental care.
so it is not unreasonable for you to set the agenda and feel in control.
I tell my patients that > ” You are the driver, I am just the navigator” ” I am here to help you. You are the one in charge of how we spend your time and money ”
It is not that hard. when you treat people like real people, and ask for and give mutual respect, I have found over 30 years that very few people abuse the relationship of trust and care. Thos e very few that do … maybe they are having a tough time, a bad day or just need to grow up more. Suck it back and move on. I love dentistry and my patients
( even if they dont love me sometimes )
Hi,
Yep I’m another one that fears the dentist, I don’t say a word, but I grip the chair arms like you wouldn’t believe, and I’m sure the fear is showing all over my face, especially the eyes, and that’s before the dentist has even looked at my teeth. 😀
Loved the post, it’s good for a change to see things from the other side of the chair. 🙂
Thanks, magsx2! I really wanted to share the other perspective. It’s not really the fear that bothered me so much as a dentist, but it was the way people treated me as a result of their fear. We really just want people to be comfortable in the chair. I hope you have a dentist that does that for you!
“The way people treated YOU as a result of their fear!!!!” Do you have any comprehension of what empathy entails? Well i guess not otherwise you wouldn’t be spouting such garbage as you have done. i’m glad you’ve moved on to other pastures that leaves less chance of further patients being subjected to the selfish principles of another uncompassionate fuck wit and perpetuating this cycle of dentist on one side and the patient on the other. all the luck with your new beginnings.
No words can begin to describe how big of an idiot your post makes you sound! Hilarious!
Nice language “I fear for you”. Your mom must be really proud.
So, it’s not selfish to be disrespectful of someone who’s trying to help you? Dentists aren’t deserving of the respect that should be shown to any human being, just because people don’t like what we do for them?
Every dentist I know does their damnedest to make a procedure as comfortable as possible, and to provide the best treatment they can. All of my patients, even the ones who annoy me, are treated with respect. All I ask is the same in return.
Who’s putting the dentist on one side and the patient on the other again?
I agree. I am actually really good to my patients, even the ones who are rude and disrespectful. I like a lot of BS but like any service industry, the customer is always right!
Sandra, thanks so much for your constructive and informative comments on the topic.
@i fear for you… hahahaha ‘selfish principles of another uncompassionate f***wit’ rich coming from someone with such mastery and command of the king’s english… empathy is one thing, dealing with crap off people is another. But judging from your comments, you have a sense of entitlement and would probably expect someone to respond to your foul mouth with compassion and sympathy with something along the lines of “oh ‘i fear for you’, i get a sense of displeasure from your comments about my post, how does it make you feel, did your step father touch you in inappropriate ways”. Dentists are not payed to be psychologists. Yes we are empathetic, but no we did not pick dentistry to address people’s psychological problems.
Lovely friend,
Please ask your dentist if he performs procedures under minimal oral sedation. takeing small dose of benzodiazepine under complete supervision of your dentist is the best way to go about it. You will have a very enjoyable visit and feel no stress, therefore, your healing time would be a lot shorter becasue you have not had the anxiety. Hope you enjoy your next visit
This is a great post!!! So funny and yet so true! Glad you wrote it b/c I am guilty of a couple of these – but I will work on it!
Thanks, Boy Mom Blogger! It’s good to get the dialogue going, and these are things we can never say to our patients! Just be friendly to your dentist, and all of those things are easily overlooked!
I was just glad that I only could tick off 1 of these annoyances. That x-ray/bite down thing is just way too much for my gag reflexes. I am hoping this gives me a 94% Dentist Likes Me Score.
Haha! Some people do legitimately have that gag reflex– I forgot about that one. That may have to appear in a future post! It sounds like your dentist likes you! A 94% is an A, right?
There’s also those people (like me) who have those extra little bone bumps in their jaw. On the opposite side of the bone from the canines. They’re not bone spurs… Can’t remember what my dentist called them.
@JonB,
They’re called “tori” (singular is “torus”), and yes, they can make it very difficult for some people to bite down on x-ray films. Sometimes physically impossible.
My husband had a peanut stuck underneath/between his bilateral mandibular tori once. I was at the office busy working my ass off fighting cavities so he decided to take care of it by fashioning a small tool made out of a couple of toothpicks to remove it! He said it took forever and almost had to see me with a “TA”. This would have been my first peanut removal treatment……not sure how much to charge my husband in the future if it happens again. Anyone?
I’ve been practicing dentistry for over 17 years and I love dentistry. Yes, it is back breaking work but it is so rewarding when patient’s smile and appreciate our hard work. When patient’s throw up on you, bite your finger, come in with thier tuna fish sandwich in between their teeth and gums…….no that is not fun. We don’t deal with life or death situations daily but many times, I was the one who pulled the thorn out of the tiger’s paw and became their “life saver”. I had a fisherman who was at sea for more than a month with a terrible toothache and nobody to help him. He came into the office as soon as he was on land with a very loose tooth (mobility +3) and smelled like a very ripe fisherman. He was so happy I was able to remove his tooth without pain, he came back later on that day with a big bag of fresh scallops already shucked and a big hug. That was one of my most awesome dental moments.
This forum is making me laugh because it reminds me of when I get together with my dental friends, all we do is talk about dentistry and it is our only way to vent some of the frustrations. I bet you were an awesome dentist who just burned out too early. You can always come back to it after a break. Dentistry will always be there for you. There is
too much decay 🙂 Good luck Lolabees!
JonB– yes. I have seen people with tori under their tongue that cover the whole floor of their mouth. It is physically impossible to get x-rays on them so we do our best– and yes we understand!
ddsmile– I love to hear that dentists love practicing dentistry. I wish I did too– I still love it, but I just don’t love practicing it. Those patient stories like the one you told are the best. I love most of my patients. It was so hard for me to leave because I felt like I was abandoning them. And I did make sure to give them my best all the time. Patients want and deserve to have someone like you as their dentist. Thank you so much for the encouragement, and I’m so happy you are having as much fun with this as I am!
Someone had to say this… Back in the good old days, they were really BAD old days for going to the dentist. No air drills–just RRRrrr RrrRrr RRRrrr–vibrating and grinding, seemingly forever. Leaky syringes for anesthesia that left your mouth tasting awful. Much more time sitting in wretchedly uncomfortable chairs drowning in your own saliva because there were no spiffy little suction devices. I can’t say I love going, but I’m happy as a clam to have my own teeth in good working order. And happy I never have to rinse and spit with numb puffy lips ever again.
Kristy, my favorite ones are the patients that have experienced this kind of dentistry or worse and are now so appreciative of how good they have it now!
Had one of those experiences! And my dentist happened to be my grandpa! It was when he didn’t numb me at all for a filling…I KNEW it was time for him to retire. I didn’t hate him though 🙂
Good thing you didn’t hate him!
It’s great to be able to see the other point of view, to walk a mile in the dentist’s shoes. Thanks for enlightening us. 🙂
Thanks, WPW! If we could all find a way to walk in someone else’s shoes…
This post is hilarious – thanks for writing it, it’s good to hear the perspective from the other side of the bright light!
My last trip to the dentist was actually quite nice – it was my first trip in 12 years, and everyone in the office came by to see the miracle of healthy my mouth was. I also made the hygienist nauseous by telling her a Mitch Hedberg joke. Have you ever heard his stuff? He once said, “I have so much tartar, I don’t have to dip my fish sticks in s**t.”
Thanks, Noel! It’s good to see that it’s a welcome rant! Glad to hear that your last trip to the dentist was so successful– I hope that means you’re doing something right 😉 Haven’t heard that joke, but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen that mouth before. Thanks for sharing it. Ewww!
LOVED the comedy of Mitch Hedberg! I was sorry to hear that he has passed on from a drug overdose but his comedy was HILARIOUS!
News flash: TMJ is not a disease, it’s a joint. Hence the name temporomandibular joint. We all have two TMJs. What you were trying to refer to was TMD, a disease of the joint. This should be #12, patients that say that the dentist gave them TMJ. No, idiot, you were born with a TMJ.
Thank you, Monica! Exactly what I was going to address in a future post… well, one of the things 🙂
I am a dentist and was going to say the same thing….
I like that… what she said! Thanks for chiming in, Jason!
This was absolutely histerical! Seriously just made the rest of my work day better. Cheers!
Awesome! I’m so glad you liked it, and I assume you had at least 1 of those 10 things happen to you today???
Very nice…did not leave anything out!! Thanks for airing it out 😉
Thanks, Pedro! And you’re very welcome. Trust me, it was my pleasure. Although, I’m sure I could think of a few more things if put up to the challenge 🙂
As you know, I’ve always been frightened of going to the Dentist. But I figure that teeth are something that I just wouldn’t be happy without! So, it’s a case of grin and bear it for me! I try to be a good compliant patient… Thanks for your thoughts on this subject, and I’m happy to you have made a decision that is good for you!
You’ve got it right, and you are a good patient! I should know!
Yes, You provided me with some of my best dental work! Thanks!
I think you are my long lost twin. I am almost 10 years into this dentist thing and MAN would I love to get out. I’ve worked in a high end small group, a corporate chain, a large high volume group, and now have my own practice. How did you do it? How did you get out? I have only just found your blog from this newest post, I think I have a lot of reading to do. I think you might be living my dream life? Seriously, this just blew my mind. Also, love the hair (looked at your last post too)
Natalie, thanks so much! It’s so reassuring to know that there are other people out there that feel the way I have felt for so long. Making the change was so hard, but so worth it! I was planning on writing my whole story through this blog, and now I will do it for sure! Email me anytime! Good luck– you can do it!
I would like to e-mail you, I really want to pick your brain. You have to understand for a Food Network/Travel Channel/HGTV junkie who hates being a dentist, your story has really got me thinking. My wheels are spinning in my brain. You are living the life now! How do I find your e-mail to contact you? I have to confess I’m new to this whole WordPress scene. I love how this has completely exploded on Facebook overnight. You’re going viral!
Sorry to hear you ‘re looking to leave dentistry. I’ve been practicing for 26 years and love it! My advice is to go and take some courses at LVI. They have many stories of dentists who felt as you do, and now wouldn’t leave for anything! Being able to rid a patient of a lifetime of pain is immensely gratifying!
Thanks, John! Believe it or not, I am sorry to be leaving dentistry too. I wish I wanted to stay, but it’s just not the right match for me. It’s like breaking up… “it’s not you, it’s me.” 😉
I did do a lot of courses at Pankey, and I loved them. I thought I would be able to turn it around with that education, but in the end, it wasn’t enough. So glad you love it– we need people like you!
I’m a dental assistant and studied at LVI it was very rewarding and changed the way I look at dentistry! You don’t know what you don’t know!
Very funny!! So true!! Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks for visiting!
It’s really impressive to see you walking away from dentistry, Hats off to your courage. I am a dentist myself and I feel you on all your points. I was so tempted to walk away as well but I wasn’t brave enough. So after 6 years of general dentistry,I still have hope that maybe after I’m done with endo residency things will change or maybe i’m just temporarily running away 😦
Thanks, Sarah! It was definitely not easy, and I tried to stay just like you are. It took me 10 years. Hopefully you’ll love endo, but if not, it’s never too late!
I am a periodontist and you are my hero!
Dave, thanks SO much! Funny– the only other person who said that to me is a periodontist friend of mine! All the things we wish we could say, right?
Lolabees, i loved your post, it was hilarious. So true for many dentists out there that probably think it but will never have the courage to say it out loud. I have been an office manager for over 9 years and have heard every one of these comments at least once or twice a day. We have done the best we could to re-educate the patients, be kind to them in hopes that they would return that. In most cases, we want to think that we have succeeded. However, there’s always that percentage of people that feel like crapping on your day just to make sure they’re not the only miserable ones. Well said, I commend you for your courage.
I have a curiosity, why did you leave dentistry? You really disliked that much? I saw you travel a lot but I’m curious, did you go back to school or have a total career change?
For all the patients out there that fit at least 1 out of the 10 listed above, no worries, we’ll tolerate you. However, we’ll never love you unless you love us!!! Something to think about
Manager! Well said! You make really great points, and you said them so beautifully. We do try so hard to educate, and we do succeed with many. The career was that wrong for me. I did have a change, and I am helping people lose weight. More on that later 😉
And you are great at your new career! Changed my life!
Thanks, Deb! You did all the work! It was so rewarding and such a blast for me to help facilitate that 🙂
Dental school has made me gain weight! Help!
You’re asking the right person for help! 😉 The stress if 3rd year can do that. I had some big weight fluctuations that year. I have some healthy recipes that may help you on my food blog at idealdiet.wordpress.com
I love this post, u go lolabees ;-). I’m a dental assistant and can get a little blunt with a patient that may work my nerves, like the ones with the jacked up mouth and blame the dentist for not being able to make a mountain out of a mole hill in a day. Ugh, but for the gaggers i give tell them a trick i learned in school, breathe through your nose, it works 95% of the time, but you have have your ones that don’t want to listen to the assistant b/c of well we are the assistant. But 1 patient who has always had a gagging problem at every dental office shared how happy and comfortable she was for me taking her x-rays. She stated that i need to share that trick because it definitely helps a lot. So for all you gaggers, please believe we are not trying to clean your vomit so please breathe deep in and out your nose. And lolabee, you are a breathe of fresh air.
Wow, thanks Annie! Isn’t it great when we make huge breakthroughs with 1 patient… and they are appreciative! Those were the precious moments that made it so worthwhile for me. Until they didn’t!
I have a very effective trick for gaggers (in addition to breathing in and out through the nose). If I’m taking radiographs then I ask the client to first curl the toes of there right foot… count to three, release and then curl there toes on there left foot. Then of course they would repeat until the picture is done. If I’m taking impressions then I ask the client to lift the right foot up, count to five then put it down and then lift the left foot for five seconds and repeat as needed. It’s proven to be very effective for even very strong gaggers.
Thanks for the tip, Polly! Hopeully others can use it to get the job done and at least try to make sure our patients are comfortable.
Haha, I liked your post! Nice to hear the opposite perspective, I’m glad you liked my post and that it inspired you! 🙂
Wow, RHC! It looks like we’ve made a pretty good team on this one!!!! We should do it again 🙂
Hooboy. I definitely am not a fan of visiting the dentist and still haven’t found one I like. One of them insulted me, another said she ONLY uses the most expensive things which my insurance does not cover. But I brush my teeth before I go, and I floss sometimes! I’ve heard hygienist horror stories about people with gingivitis and other horrible mouth issues where their teeth are rotting out and haven’t been to a dentist in years. And yet, someone still offers to clean their teeth and help them get it fixed. I wouldn’t wish that job on my worst enemy. Glad you could get that off your chest. Good luck in your new career!
Thanks, rubysongbird! You are not alone! I do hope you can find a dentist you like. The friendship between a dentist and a patient is a really cool thing! Maybe I can help you find someone in your town?
My favorites:
“Doc, I’d rather have a baby than go to the dentist.”
“I’m allergic to epinephrine.”
“Novacaine doesn’t work on me.”
“My last dentist had to put his knee in my chest to get the tooth out.”
“My roots are wrapped around my jawbone.”
“I had a bad experience as a child.”
“My insurance covers 100%.”
“Are you sure this gas is all the way up? I don’t feel a thing.”
“I lost my Vicodin prescription, can you write me another?”
Rich, this is perfection! Thanks for adding a bunch that I forgot about! I love how we can all get together like this!
Oh! You forgot…
“The baby leeched all the calcium out of my teeth.”
This one might be an Alabama special. Great post!
Nice! Thanks for adding!
Lol, I hear the same thing in South Africa!
It’s oddly reassuring to know this is universal! Thanks for reading!
My sister-in-law used that excuse all the time! HaHa! She has a full set of dentures (since she was 30 years old) and even though she’s only 55 she looks much older because of all the wrinkles from having all her teeth extracted. Wait til her lower ridge disappears and her lower denture won’t stay in…..she’ll probably say that her grandchildren leeched the calcium from her jaw! PRICELESS!
Meghan, I’ve practiced in Virginia and West Virginia, and I’ve heard the same thing both places, so it’s not just Alabama.
The baby line’s my favorite! I always wish I could say, “Well great! Go get knocked up and brush and floss your damn teeth!”
If a patient’s mouth is really jacked up I can’t help but think with their halitosis and mountains of plaque how could someone handle kissing them long enough to make a baby? Terrible I know but we’re being honest, right?
Maybe there was no kissing? Haha!
I’ve thought the exact same thing. And people with lousy oral hygiene are often lacking in hygiene practices in other parts of their bodies, too. Blech!
Meghan, the baby leeching has also spread to Colorado and Pennsylvania…seems like its almost as big an epidemic as childhood caries. Toothfairy, I agree 100%. In the past year I have seen no less than 12 pregnant women 27 or younger who needed all of their posterior teeth (and sometimes more) extracted and think to myself, “Good Lord, who would kiss this?” Then I feel bad because I know that they are going to pass this gross bacteria on to their innocent child. Literally the kid didn’t have a chance, and will go on to say it was “bad genes.”
One thing that really makes me hate a patient, though, is when they STINK! I mean smelling like cat pee, severe BO, smoke that permeates throughout the office and offends other patients. Not to mention that no mask can defend a dentist of an assistant from such an odor.
Sandra, just got that one. Hilarious!
How about ” do i get a credit cause I dont have insurance”?. or “Do I have to pay for that today”?. I really love it when the patient has, like you said before, needed treatment for a year or so, tooth started bothering two weeks ago, and they are in agonizing pain. But….when you tell them a time you have available they ” are at work, can I come later”?. if we say we have time to see you at 1 we mean 1. our schedule is already full. why should I work late or through my lunch because you don’t like to have fillings and put it off?
Yup. If I’m sick and call my doctor’s office for an appointment, I take what I can get. It’s MY emergency, not hers, and not her other patients’, who would have to wait if she sees me when she doesn’t really have time to work me in.
Pain is a great motivator to see the dentist. But patients create the thing they fear the most by not acting until they are in pain. No reason you should accommodate patients who choose not to act unless they are in pain. You don’t have to support that behavior if you don’t want to. You know the State Farm commercial where the guy (Jerry) calls his old agent when he’s in an accident – “I’m sorry Jerry, you switched your insurance and I can’t help you”….Same in the case of an “urgency” (if it was truly an emergency, they would go to the ER). You empathize, offer the options you have and they get to decide. With your support, they could experience a shift in their thinking in the future – ie: “Terry, you expressed that you want to avoid pain at all costs. If you don’t ever want to go through that again, we recommend (fill in the blank).”
That one has always gotten me. If it is truly an emergency, they will come when you tell them you can see them. I don’t know of a single dentist that doesn’t offer to get an emergency in the day they call. That’s customer care.
The first thing that came out of a root canal patient of mine was this: “there were 2 things I fear most in life child birth and going to the dentist. I already had a kid, now I have to see you. ”
I just had to smile and nod thinking oh brother! However, when we were finally done I got a huge ” thank you for putting up with me, I know I’m a psyco path patient!”
Now that comment made my day 🙂 it makes all the difference when patients appreciate you work and admit they were tiresome.
I agree! Remember those moments when you need it to keep you going. Thanks for sharing!
Another is “I did not have time to brush my teeth.” My reply has been “that’s alright, I don’t have time to wash my hands.”
Are you recently retired? Congrats!
Howard W WalkerDDS, LOVe your reply to the patient that didn’t have time to brush his/her teeth! I am a practicing Dental Hygienist of 20+ years. I may have to use that line myself. I did have a patient once that every time he came in to get his teeth cleaned, informed me that he didn’t brush because he knew I was going to clean them. Unfortunately, I didn’t have an answer at the time as I was a “beginner” in my career.
I do wish I could retire too!! I practice in an “unconventional” setting, and have no desire to practice in private practice. So once I do retire I will no longer be interested in doing any dental hygiene work. Congratulations to both of you on your retirement~~ ENJOY!!!
Rich and lolabees, I love this. I hear these all the time. I’ve said the “It’s ok, I forgot to wash my hands” one before. They give me the funniest looks.
I have never heard that one. How cute and funny!
Oh, my front tooth here is a crown (as they point to a 30 year old monochromatic PFM that is 5 shades to light)
That’s funny.
Great post. I’m also a dentist and almost fell out of my chair reading this. Im ready to post this in my waiting room. What are you doing now??
Thanks, Mark! This is so wonderful that people are having such a good time with this! Right now I’m having a blast connecting with a bunch of dentists who finally feel heard! No, I think you mean with my career– I am helping people lose weight. Will have more on that later 🙂
I have just come back from my 2nd visit to the dentist in two weeks. I am numb, my jaw hurts but I no longer have a mouth full of amalgam fillings and I love my clean, whiter smile. The discomfort and short lived pain was so definitely worth it! Not only is a routine check up at the dentist a smart one for aesthetic reasons, but bad oral hygiene is also detrimental to the health of the whole body.
I’m wondering if people who go under the knife for plastic surgery also have a fear and distain for their surgeon?
Maureen, it’s so great to hear this perspective! You have hit the most crucial part of all: our whole health is dependent on our oral health. I always say, “you know, the mouth IS connected to your body!” I’m glad you value this, and your dentist probably loves you!
Great post – so much truth there – it needs to be posted on every dentist’ wall – right where the patient can see it… maybe on the ceiling above the chair!
One thing though… #8… if you were spending hours making a crown fit – you were using the wrong lab! A good lab that knows what they are doing is dedicated to helping you have a great day – not the other way around. Our crown seats take 20 minutes or less with virtually no adjustments.
Thanks, J Bear! Yes, I agree about the lab. Years ago we had major problems with our lab work and it was the worst. Now in recent years, I’ve worked with a great lab, and they do beautiful work. But, if you factor in prep time, patient management time, lab time and seat time there is a whole lot of TLC that goes into making something fit perfectly for the patient.
That was just awesome! Thank you.
Thank you, and you’re very welcome– it was awesome for me too!
Great list. Things I’ve had to bite my tongue and not say for over 40 years in practice. Here’s another one. “My insurance won’t pay much on a crown – just do a big filling.” They are letting some insurance secretary that hasn’t seen their mouth diagnose and treatment plan what dentistry they need.
Oh, so very true, Curt! Doesn’t it feel good to just let it out! Congrats on 40 years in the biz– impressive!
Thank you for posting this Lolabees! You’ve taken the words right out of my mouth. Another thing I hate is when the patients complain, “I don’t know why I get cavities. I brush my teeth everyday,” and yet their plaque levels indicate that it’s been weeks since they’ve brushed. Talk about lying through your teeth!
You’re welcome, Diane! We have a way of simply knowing, don’t we? Thanks for adding to the list!
I spend most of my time with the dental hygienist for routine cleanings. My dentist barely makes a cameo; and is usually working on someone else. I guess when your teeth are straight, healthy and clean; there’s no need to hate, fear, despise, or complain to your dentist about anything. However, I think anything as invasive, uncomfortable and painful (yes, there is ALWAYS pain involved) as dental work will ubiquitously rank as an undesired and unwanted chore of human maintenance. That’s just the way it is; and the fallout from those negative perceptions are forever attached to the dentists’ career.
Thanks, Bob! Glad you don’t have the negative experiences yourself. However, while I’ll agree that it is invasive, it is not true that it is ALWAYS painful. These are stereotypes and only true in a few cases. You’d be surprised by how many people left my office saying that it wasn’t as bad as they thought it was going to be. Still a negative slant, but I’ll take it! Also, many people who have a lot of dental needs are still lovely people and do not possess any of the 10 qualities on my list. Life is about choices, and we choose how to react to what we need to do to maintain our health. Thanks for adding in the non-dentist perspective! I hope you continue to have great dental health! I always say, “you never want to get to know your dentist too well!”
I agree with Lolabees here on this one. I’ve had plenty of patients say that they didn’t even feel pain during the injection or the drilling. Everybody has a different reaction.
Wow lolabees! Way to have a voice from the other side. One of the things that has always bothered me is how negatively most people perceive and talk about the dental profession, and thus our (yes, I am one) POV is just “not worthy”. I’m sure many dentists have had many, if not all, the thoughts you’ve pointed out here :p
Congrats on the career change; I believe life is too short to be doing something that makes you unhappy. Looks like you are enjoying yourself much more now 🙂 Would love to hear the hows and the whys of the transition, I find them interesting, Also the writing. I’m a fan (of writing) as well.
Wish you continued luck and joy.
PS: You may consider adding an email address/contact form on your blog
Thanks, Ritu! I love your website! What a great way for people to connect. Yes, I think I’ve struck a chord with many in this post. Don’t we all wish to be heard?!? Thanks for the kind words, and I will take your PS advice. This whole thing blew up in a way I never would have expected!
Well, there’s more coming….I put in on my Twitter feed and saw it on a couple others’ later on as well…..Enjoy the limelight!
And thanks for checking out my website. I have another that you might enjoy since you like humor:
http://raodentistry.wordpress.com/
BTW, would love to chat more sometime…hence the request for an email address:)
Keep doing what you’re doing!
Is it true that dentists have the highest suicide rate of any profession?
Great question! I don’t know, but I have always heard that. I tried to do a search on it a while back and never came up with anything. I wouldn’t be surprised though, because it is a very high pressured career. Can anyone weigh in on that?
Fantastic blog lolabees!
I have not heard about dentists having the highest suicide rate, but I have heard dental technicians do. This question did make me curious, so I looked it up on the American Psychological Association’s website and they claim….. “But experts on suicide say that statistics on its relation to occupation are not clear. There is no national data set on occupation and suicide. Local studies indicate elevated rates in different occupations, but the data usually “turn out to be frail,” says prominent suicide researcher David Clark, PhD.
And in fact, points out Ronald Maris, PhD, director of the Center for the Study of Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior at the University of South Carolina, “Occupation is not a major predictor of suicide and it does not explain much about why the person commits suicide.”
I still maintain my CDA/LDA, but have not practiced in 8 years now. I don’t know how many times I would say to a patient who would say to me ” I hate the dentist” and I would look at them and say something along the lines of …”Boy, it’s a good thing I am not the dentist then huh”… just to lighten it up a bit and get them to be more comfortable.
http://www.apa.org/monitor/jan01/suicide.aspx
That is actually not true. However, if you consider the fact that dentists are generally over achievers, otherwise they would not have been able to complete the education required for the profession, the criticism they draw from some of their patients is enough to push anyone over the edge.
Thanks, doc! Wonder where that stereotype came from?
Hi, I am a dentist too… i would like to add to your points (perhaps number 12) that some patients burst on us if the treatment does not go accordingly or if there is temporarily some discomfort (despite the pre-warnings). The patients need to understand that most issues are resolvable if only they can sit patiently and discuss this with their dentists’. This only creates a crack in the Dentist-Patient relationship and sometimes the patient may forget it (once the issue is resolved) but the dentist may feel it for days to come.
On the flip side… we dentists are human too… I want the patients to know that if you have a concern (like pain after treatment), we are truly concerned and it saddens us too. For all the drill noise haters… your dentist and companies are working towards catering your needs. It’s just a matter of time. Imagine the old times where the “doctor” hammered holes into teeth and our ancestors extracted teeth with no anaesthesia. We are in a better era and better is coming up still.
And please.. It’s not always about THE MONEY !!!
Apologies for being rude Lolabees.. but I forgot to praise your blog. I am 35 and my specialty is Restorative Dentistry and I prefer to do more Endodontics. I have a lot to experience as a practitioner. I find this a very interesting read and have experienced all that you have mentioned. Thank you for voicing it out. I am putting this up on Facebook for others to read 🙂
Rude? No way! I just did cartwheels over your other comment! Thanks for sharing your experiences, and thanks for the praise (that’s always accepted!) Thanks also for sharing it on facebook. I am astounded at how many people are moved by this! It feels so good to finally express how we feel.
Amen, Dr! Well said, and kudos to you for adding such valuable insight into this discussion. THANK YOU!!!!!
This is a funny list, good thing I really like my dentist!
Thanks– it makes you exempt, right? 🙂
I LOVE the dentist! (and the clean, smooth feeling of my teeth after they are cleaned!). Thanks to dentists all over the world! I also typically spend most of my time with the dental hygienist, but the final check up of my dentist is pleasant, too. If I don’t understand the dental jargon, I um…I dunno…ask..isn’t that how you usually find out information? ;D She’s always happy to answer, too!
Thanks, Amanda! The world is so lucky to have people like you in it! I will speak for all dentists when we say we appreciate you, and you are probably the bright spot in your hygienist’s and dentist’s day!
Dentists are funny
Do you mean funny funny or weird funny? 🙂
I want to photocopy this and give it to all of my patients!
Wouldn’t that be great? Not sure if that would go over too well 😉 I think that’s why so many of us are so fired up about this!
Absolutely fantastic
Thanks!
I just love the way you find the time to reply to every single comment that people post and you’re always so nice, positive and smiley! Keep making these emails pop into my inbox!
Thanks, cazbag! I committed to myself that I would! I’m so appreciative that people are taking the time to join in the discussion.
Hilarious! I love #5. I always tell my patients, “I can only do good work on good patients”. Those people who can’t/won’t open wide enough for me to see properly don’t necessarily get my best work!
Isn’t that the truth! It’s fun when we can say those very true things with some humor to our patients.
and they blame u at end it its not perfect job !!
rami , dentist too 🙂
nice entry, enjoyed reading it and I am so guilty of the 1st one!
Thanks, Dave. Maybe in the future you can add, “but I really like you.”
too true
LolaB, I am disappointed in your post. how could you come up with only 10? LOL! j/k…Surely, there are tons more. I read the ‘redhead’s top 10 list, too’ jeez louyse! Believe me, when I do my career shift (5-10yrs forthcoming,) I’ll have plenty to say as well. congrats on following your hopes and dreams…now you get to give people smiles in a different way. mad love, P
Dr M-dog! So good to hear from an old friend! Haha! You’ll have to start taking notes so you can be my guest blogger when that day comes! Mad love right back at ya!
Epic. It’s so true with EVERYTHING. I’m a new dentist and people spend more time asking me how old I am or if I’m actually old enough to do dentistry then I spend telling them what’s going on with their mouth.
Though in response to #1, I once had a bad day during my first few days working. Patient said “I hate dentists, they all SUCK.” So I said to her (not jokingly either), “You know, I hate patients. All patients.” She looked at me and laughed when she realized how ridiculous what she and I had both said. We got along great after that.
That used to happen to me all the time until I found the perfect response. They’d say, “How are old you? Wow, you look so young?” My response: “I know, aren’t I so lucky?” They quickly saw that I was going along with it, and they started to have fun with it. It was weird because the more I said that, the less people questioned my age and experience.
Humor is the key– perfect way to handle a comment like that! #1 really got me for a long time. Your skin gets a little thicker the longer you are at it. Good luck to you– sounds like you’ll do great!
As a hygienist , when I hear that ” I hate the dentist” I reply, “Really? Wow, I haven’t heard that before, She’s a really great person and an awesome dentist! I’m really sorry you feel that way… I guess we’re okay though, Right? I’m just the hygienist. ” MOST people smile back, and recant, but a few get nasty and say, ” No, I don’t like you either/more”
Dead on. It’s a love-hate relationship dentists have with their patients. For over ten years now I have been helping dentists understand human behavior and why their patients do what they do and I hear the frustration! (Dentist; “Honestly, sometimes I just want to slap a patient upside the head!”) I believe it’s OK for dentists and their teams to challenge patients on this stuff – by replacing judgement and becoming curious, gaining trust and being honest. Yeah, it takes time and skill but how else will the patient’s perception of the dentist change? Thanks for your honesty and humor – and best of luck with your new career!
Thanks! What a great way to take a negative situation and make it positive. We all need your help– keep doing what you’re doing!
I always say, “Nobody likes the dentist….if you did, I’d worry about you.”
I like that. Sounds like my, “you really don’t want to get to know your dentist too well.” A little humor always helps, doesn’t it?
This is so cool ! I am a dentist too and I understand you 100% .You make my day today!
Thank you so much. And you mine!
I am going to copy your posting to my blog (full credits). Too good to pass up!
Thank you so much! Can’t wait to check out your blog!
Hi Lolabees… As a former patient of your.. who is in the profession (hygienist) and has had horrible experiences with the dentist… YOU are a GEM of a dentist. Intelligent, meticulous, funny and kind… the profession lost a great one when you changed careers. Also, this blog.. flipping hysterical.. Miss seeing your face around the corner and hearing you laugh.
Heidi, coming from one of the best hygienists out there, I take that as a huge compliment. Thank you for everything, always.
Thank you Lolabees.. Going to Virginia for the next two years… hope to do a little volunteer work at the VA to keep my “fingers wet”. However, when I return we will have to revisit old ideas, no??? Learning to scuba in February.. maybe see you down south, pura vida amiga. stay in touch.
Hey! I just read it and it feels so good to hear our part of the story too, me being a dentist aswell.
Kudos! 🙂
Thanks, Zain. That’s just it– we want to be heard too.
I am going to print this and share it with my clinic…. Thank you.
So glad you enjoyed it!
I dont disagree with your list but you come off like an asshole making a whole blog post about it. I dont see people who are waiting tables making FAR less than you complaining about the idiots they serve. Maybe try being grateful youve had the opportunities that youve had and even the opportunity to leave your job when so many are without.
Seriously… thats what you got out of this? You really missed the point.
Really? Someone expressing an opinion about their profession with humor and wit in response to someone else’s rant on their OWN blog is an “asshole”? Why don’t YOU express your crappy, negative opinions on your blog? Oh right, because no one will read it.
FYI, everyone complains, it’s human nature. And in your comment, you are doing the same.
So what does that make you?
So what does make you?
wow .. to be honest. you seriously didnt get anything from this farce. I pity you.
Actually, YOU come off as an asshole by posting this comment. To compare a dentist, who went through 4 years of undergraduate work, as well as 4 years of dental school, and then possibly additional schooling to specialize, which costs approximately $350,000++ (not including all the interest on student loans), to a waitressing job??? That shows how badly you did not understand this comedic article.
Do you really think waiters don’t complain about the idiots they serve who don’t tip them enough or who yell at them when the order is wrong?
She’s not being ungrateful by posting this, she’s just voicing an opinion about her profession that she paid several hundred thousands dollar to get too. It’s not like this high-paying profession just falls into individuals laps; dentists work unbelievably hard and long for their degrees and the title of doctor.
I am completely guilty of saying I hate going to the dentist. I absoutly love my dentist! She does amazing work. I think as patients we look at our dentist appointment as a grade card on how well we take care of our own teeth. When we are told we have a cavity or need a root canal its like I’m being told I failed at doing something as simple as taking care of my own teeth:( So in al actuality its not the dentist I hate, or the appointment… It’s the results of how well we did our job in-between our visits to the dentist. I have to say as an adult I do a great job, but as a child I wasn’t so great at keeping up on my teeth. Therefore, visits were never great as a child which resulted in fearing the dentist and carrying that fear with me as an adult! So this is a learning experience for me also! I will never let the words “i hate the dentist” come out of my mouth again! 🙂 My dentist went out of her way to hand write a “happy birthday” letter to my daughter. My daughter loved writing her back and even invited her dentist to her b-day party! I love my dentist! And as for the comment of being rude, i am a server and I have posted blog’s about the top 10 things not to do to your server! All my server friends laughed and everybody else that read it learned something from it! Loved this post:) thanks for letting us see what its like to be in your shoes. Valuable info:)
Well said. Glad to see most of you got the point of this post.
@lesson learned– it is very obvious that you are NOT one of those patients on the list because it is obvious that you have compassion and care about those around you. I love to hear about how great your relationship is with you, your daughter, and your dentist! Thanks for sharing!
Don’t forget the Practice Payment Loans to pay back in order to start a practice from scratch–~$6k/mo. So in all actuality, after all the bills and the student loans and the practice loans, and how LITTLE the insurance companies actually pay their in-network dentists, a dentist DOES bring in about as much as a waitress. That’s why my husband had to get a second job. That’s what happens when you start your own practice a year before the economy tanked.
BTW: I loved the list SOOO TRUE!!! 🙂
Farce– It’s easy to point at different issues and say that because they exist, nothing else has the right to exist or be important for another person. Judgement comes very easily to many. The true strength comes in finding compassion where you might not think you are capable of finding it. And btw, this asshole didn’t have those opportunities. This asshole made them. 😀
I used to wait on tables, and I made a lot more money doing that than in dentistry! They are both very stressful jobs, so letting off a little steam is a good thing. I used to tell hilarious stories about the patrons of my restaurant as well as my patients today. Just because we laugh and joke, does not mean we are not grateful….but I wish my patients were as grateful as I am! Ha Ha
I am a dental student and I agree with everything you just said! I have some of the rudest patients and I just bite my tongue and be polite. You know how chewed up my tongue is at the end of the day? Hurts more than your TMD. Lolabees what did you change your career to? I was thinking of paying off student loans and doing the same. 🙂 I’m in my 3rd year of dental school.
I was a dental student too and was going through this kind of conflict as well. In the midst of my 2nd year I decided to step away from dental school because I ultimately did not feel like I would ever be completely satisfied with my career choice (although I knew many students who were very happy in dentistry). Since I left dental school with pretty good grades, I was able to take my MCAT and apply to medical school. I am now going into my 3rd year of medical school and couldn’t be happier 🙂 From experience, I can honestly say it takes WAY more guts to walk away from a prestigious and expensive seat in dental school than to stick with something that you think will make you miserable. Good luck to you!
Haha! Once I paid off my loans, I felt free to do whatever! I am helping people lose weight now. My interests sort of evolved into traveling, eating ;), cooking, and nutrition. It’s amazing to help someone get off of their diabetes meds. Not too different in that I still coach people with their health, but it’s just a lot less intense. Took a long time to find what I wanted to do though. Good luck! I hope you get to do what you like… and that may even be dentistry!
I’m a dentist myself, and enjoyed this 🙂 Every point you made is something I come across several times a week. In fact, I could add to the list!
I wish you well in your new endeavours!
Thanks, Renee! Glad you enjoyed!
I love the dentist. It takes me five minutes in the morning to brush, floss and use mouth wash. And it takes me five minutes at night. It only takes my dental hygienist thirty minutes to clean my teeth at the most. A little goes a long way.
Your dentist loves you too. And I bet he/she would still love you even if your teeth weren’t perfect 🙂
Is it rude to copy this and hand out to patients? Just kidding- this made my long day a little better!
I bet many would laugh right along with you, but maybe better not to take the risk. Glad it added some laughter to your day!
This is pretty awesome. I have friends who work in the dental field, and I’ve heard most of the horror stories, and love hearing them. I also have TMJD and hate dental visits because my jaw hurts at the end, but my hygienists have always been really nice about giving me breaks from holding my mouth open.
Thanks! We really do want you to be comfortable and always try to work with the specific needs of our patients. Thanks for sharing
You don’t see people waiting tables complaining about the people they serve? Funny, I’ve seen articles on just that. My office subscribes to Reader’s Digest for the waiting room, and every issue now contains a “Fifty Things Your — Won’t Tell You” column. So far, they’ve had quotes from dentists, physicians, nurses, teachers, and, yes, servers, off the top of my head. They can be quite entertaining, enlightening, and maybe even helpful, if people recognize negative behaviors in themselves and try to change.
Love this…..this sums it up!
I’m not a dentist, but I’m an office manager who has the unfortunate job of collecting the money. I find it unbelievable when people expect to walk out without paying anything, as if it doesn’t cost any money to run the office, as if I don’t have to pay the rent, the doctors, the assistants, the hygienists, the front desk staff, computers, phones, electricity, heat, and that lovely little toothbrush and floss we give you that no… we do NOT get for free. I love the grocery store comparison and use it frequently. The worst part is, they accuse us of being SO EXPENSIVE, except when it comes down to, (we’re an insurance based office) it’s THEIR INSURANCE that dictates how much we can even charge them! If you don’t like how much you have to pay, talk to your insurance company or your employer, not me. If after that you still think I’m overcharging you, I’ll also send you the supply bill and lab bill directly, bc that filling we just put in your mouth cost us $$$!
Bisou, I was so gratified a few weeks ago when I had a teenage girl in for an emergency visit. We have signs in our waiting room stating that patients will be charged if they don’t show for their appointments. The girl’s boyfriend read it and became indignant. But her mom said, “Well, they lose money when people don’t show up. It costs them just to open the door.” Some people GET IT. Of course, we never charge anyone who has an emergency or is sick, and we may let the charge slide altogether, if you’re not someone who repeatedly no-shows. It’s basically to remind patients that yes, it costs me money to be here. When you don’t show up, or don’t pay your bill, my assistant doesn’t jus say, “That’s all right, I’ll just work for free for a few hours.” The landlord still expects a rent check, and the electric company will turn my power off just like they do to anyone who doesn’t pay the bill. Add salaries, rent, utilities, materials etc. and it cost me about $60 per hour just to be open.
Folks, if I reserve a hotel room, and don’t show up, I STILL HAVE TO PAY FOR THE ROOM. And the hotel doesn’t care if I’ve had a family emergency or sudden illness. It costs money to be in business. Your dentist isn’t an exception.
Awesome Post!!!! I am a dentist that has thought about leaving the field many many times for some of these reasons too. I applaud your courage to find your path…. Its sad to say, but you are so invested in dentistry before you really realize its not all the $$$ and Dr this and Dr that you thought it would be. Even the main reasons of being a health care provider and serving our fellow man/woman gets tested from time to time. Ever hear of apathy burnout? Yep, its real and dentist feel it big time.
I left restorative dentistry of 6 years and did an Orthodontic residency. I am now 2 years out of that and it is somewhat better. I hear all the time about “ooooo rich orthodontist….” but no one takes account the hundreds of thousands of dollars it takes… the pressure in college to even get into dental school… the pressures in dental school for perfection … the hoops you jump thru for specialty training, etc. It really chaps my A$$ too when people (some) act like its not their mouth your working on… they take no ownership for their own oral health care and demand you “fix” them and then have the audacity to claim you are overcharging them by your fee…. nice, real nice!
Good for you Lolabees
Thank you! Another good point– taking responsibility for ourselves is so important. Even us dentists!
Oh, I am a pharmacist…I could complete this from a pharmacists point of view….the zingers are flying through my head! I ❤ my dentists, oral surgeon, orthodontist, and peridontist—they rock! (the dude who did my root canal though, he can go to hades).
I would love to hear your point of view. I’m guessing maybe something a dentist or doctor does when we work with you would make your list! Maybe we’ll do a guest post one day! Thanks!
Love this!! I’m a hygienist and some of these points are true for our patients as well!! What I hate is when parents bring their kids in and threaten them with a shot or hold up the instrument packets and taunt them! I mean really parents?! No wonder your children are scared of us…
I take parents aside and politely tell them to knock it off when they do this. If they don’t take the hint, I get less polite. I do not appreciate them using me to discipline their child. For most kids, I can make this an easy, fun visit.
Parents, don’t make your kids scared of me. If you and they take care of their teeth, there will be very little chance they will ever have to go through anything painful in my office. You are traumatizing your child, and greatly increasing the chance that, should your child need work, it will have to be done by a specialist, in a hospital, under general anesthisia, because your child won’t be able to cooperate with me. You’re making it harder on me, your child, and yourself. Stoppit!
One of my favorites:
You cannot lay the chair back AT ALL. I cannot recline or I will stop breathing!!
How do these people sleep? Even a lazy boy reclines a little. I have patients who swear that going back at all cuts off their airway.
Thank you!!! I wonder this SAME thing myself!!!
One of my favorites is how they are so allergic to metal anything so you cannot possibly use any metal instruments in their mouths…but have rings on several if not all fingers!
I thought I would replay to this particular comment because for myself there are certain areas of my body I can not have certain metals touch because i am allergic in these areas, for instance I can wear cheap mentals such as nickle or sterling silver on my fingers and around my wrists, but put them around my neck or in my ears, and I swell up and break out in hives.. not defending the patient here, but perhaps could be the cause soemthing to consider and do research on.
What what– don’t worry, you can defend the patient here too 🙂 I hope every one remembers that this post and the comments really aren’t about us vs. them. Besides, we are patients too at some point; dentists and doctors can be some of our worst patients, and you know we’ve all said that before. I would bet it’s a similar ratio of great:bad patients to that of our non-health-care-provider patients.
Very interesting about your metal allergy. Thanks!
my favorite is listening to a patient say “i’m so afraid of needles” and ” i hate going to the dentist” as you are admiring the details of their full arm tattoo. never had a tattoo. but i’m pretty sure there is a needle involved and the arm wasn’t hurting so much that you needed one. dentistry is a funny complicated business in many ways!!
Awesome post, tdanz. Lots of those tatoo folks also have pierced tongues, guaged ears, you name it. All sorts of totally elective pain they have chosen to have inflicted on them, and pain much more severe than my 30-guage needle with topical anesthetic beforehand.
Wow! Dentist… We are popular. The best profession in the world. Lost the post. We love our patients though. They make our day and are the reason we are working.
We are definitely a polarizing topic, aren’t we? Who knew? Thanks for keeping it where this post was intended. And there’s nothing I love more than dentists who love and appreciate what they do!
Wow Lolabees. Did you ever think this post would stir up the responses you have gotten? After reading through the posts thus far the take home for me is this: Those darn patients get in the way of doing dentistry! Being a dentist would be great if people weren’t attached to their teeth but that’s not the case. If a dentist wants to stay sane and positive over their lifetime in the profession, it requires some serious behavioral skills. This area is rarely taught in dental school and it is often not considered in many practices but it is one of the most important factors in being successful.
I absolutely did not. I thought only my 40 friends, family, and new blogging friends would see it, have a chuckle, and forget all about it. It’s true– as a profession we need serious help in dealing with communication with PEOPLE (not just patients.) Ah, heck, we all do, not just dentists! Thanks for your comment!
This is great! My husband is a dentist and this gave me a real laugh. All so true!
Yay! It worked!
Oh behalf of me and probably everyone else, I sincerely apologize for probably all of that, except for #1 (I hope), I tend to not tell people, that have pointy and sharp objects in their hands, that I hate them/their job. But I completely agree, and am pretty sure I’m guilty of a lot of that.
Maybe so or maybe not. One thing I’m sure of is if you do any of that, you probably do it in a way that your dentist still loves you anyway– that does happen. I’m only guessing, but your ability to laugh at the list and admit that YOU might do these things shows me that you are able to walk through life without judging YOURSELF or others too harshly. I don’t know… just guessing? Thanks!
You forgot:
1) “Soft teeth run in my family, so it isn’t my fault my teeth are all rotten.” Enough said.
2) The patient who complains they hate needles, doesn’t let you give local, then whines and flinches when you try and work without anaesthesia at their request.
3) The patients who think that fluoridated water and amalgam fillings are giant conspiracies where dentists are trying to poison everyone. (These are usually the ones who keep coming back time after time because their “natural” white fillings are giving them post-op sensitivity–And it’s probably a good thing they don’t know that composite contains BPA!)
4) Complete strangers who, upon finding out you are a dentist, pop out their dentures in the middle of the grocery store while describing every past experience they have ever had with dentists…(These are the times I thank GOD I’m not a proctologist!)
5) Parents. “I don’t know why my 4-year-old has cavities in every tooth. He SAYS he brushes his teeth!” Followed by “I can’t get him to stop drinking pop. He doesn’t LIKE water.” Followed by “I don’t care that my kid is screaming, flailing and trying to grab the instruments out of your hand, and we aren’t leaving until this is done because we can’t afford to pay for sedation!” (I even heard someone tell their child “It’s okay dear, it’s totally normal to have teeth ripped out of your face. Look, mommy has had it done lots of times!”)
Good luck in your new career! 🙂
LOL @ #4!
5) I just refuse to work on the flailing kids. Parents, it’s UNSAFE. Unsafe for me, my assistant, and most of all for your child. Our handpiece (drill) goes a couple hundred thousand rpm’s, and it doesn’t have brakes. If your little one jerks, I could cut open his cheek, tongue, lip, or God knows what else. I know sedation is expensive, but so is reconstructive surgery.
I could go on all day about #2. First things first, kids are some tough mofos. They may cry about getting the shot but I give them the option of doing it without and only giving them the shot if they say it hurts. You’d be surprised at what these kids tolerate to avoid the shot.
Second, nobody likes needles. There’s no need to tell me, I hear it from everyone. In fact I have yet to meet a patient that has told me “Hey doc I love needles! Lets get anesthetized!”
My final gripe with this subject is the big tough looking dude with sleeves of tatoos that cries and whimpers when it’s time for the shot. You sit 3 hours for a tatoo but can’t sit still for a 10 second injection? Ridiculous!
Sacar- I like your comment, but all joking aside, I’m going to add that I actually like it when patients tell me that they are scared of the needle. If I know which part of the procedure really bothers them, I can give a little extra TLC, and we all leave happier– usually!
Thanks for joining in the fun! I bet you feel better too now 😉
Hilarious!
I LOVE THE DENTIST! She tells me I don’t need to go back so often, but I can’t help it ;p
p.s. now my BFF is in dentistry LOL
Yay! Thanks for the love!
these are exactly the feelings of a dentist…i felt so relieved after reading it…
So glad to hear it!
Hi There
I’m certainly no doctor, but my dentist refers to my jaw popping/ aching as TMJ, as well. Just providing a bit of defense for us laymen folk.
Thanks for the post. I had no idea it was so horrible to be a dentist.
Perhaps your dentist is just telling you where the pain is coming from (your TMJ).
Thanks for adding. I’m sure some do.
Never really hated or feared the dentist myself … unfortunately, I managed to inherit very soft teeth and have to see mine fairly frequently, but the only thing I actually detest are crown fittings (that plastic goop tastes nasty and always tries to sneak down my throat, so I have to lean forward the whole time they’re taking the mold). I try to smile and joke with them and the hygienists … I figure they get abuse from other people all day.
… some people don’t brush before going to the dentist? Ewwwww …. why would they do that?
With that attitude, you will always do well at the dentist! Thanks for helping us help you. And we agree– impressions suck! You’d be surprised at how some people don’t brush…
I am a dental assistant.. I have been told a few times,” I knew I was coming to the dentist today so I didnt bother brushing because I knew the hygienist would be cleaning them anyway.” Really? Really? I don’t even know how to repsond when someone says that. I read this blog last night and had a good chuckle over it. At work today, after a few challenging patients, I jokingly asked my boss if he wanted me to print this off and start handing it out to a few patients. You have to be able to have a sense of humor in this job and be able to laugh it off.
im a dentist..and i really really love what i do…but unfortunately, i plan to work abroad as a dental assistant..recently applying for agencies and hirings online.. working here (Philippines) is not much of a success to me..
It’s like a doctor complaining about you being sick…
…or a restaurant complaining about you being hungry…
Stupid dentists. Shut up and actually do your job. You’re being well overpaid and then complain about doing what you’re supposed to do.
You really missed the boat on this one. She’s not complaining about her patients needing dental care. She’s simply saying that dentists are people too, and in a clever and fun way might I add. Doctors do complain about patients and waiters do complain about customers. Not because they’re sick or hungry but because some people are just clueless and jerks. I’m not even a dentist and I found this very entertaining and enjoyed hearing from the other point of view. Based on your response you appear to be a sad and angry individual. Lighten up.
:)!!!!! Thanks for understanding and for keeping the tone of this how it was meant to be. I agree… Mean People Suck.
Not at all Tamir. This dentist is telling you how it is to work in someone’s mouth who has no respect for other people. I doubt you would like to be told all day long “I don’t like you” at your work and the person saying that expecting you to do an A+ job on you afterwards. How would you like it if every time you tried to help someone prevent some serious disease down the road and they thumbed their nose at you until it became said problem?
It is all about respecting one another as human beings first. If you go into a restaurant and you tell your waitress that you really don’t like waitresses, what kind of service do you expect to get? Seriously people! The grass is not always greener on somebody else’s side of the fence nor is there a big ole dollar tree there either!
Tamir – you sound like a rude and very uneducated person. Coming from my personal experience as a dental nurse – if i had a dollar for the amount of times a patient has walked into the surgery and flat out told the dentist they hate them, or dislike them, i would be a millionaire. If you did that to staff at a restaurant you would most likely end up eating spit or other bodily fluids that night. Why is it that simply because someone holds the title “Dentist”, a lack of basic manners and kindness is allowed?? And may i remind you that Lollabee is posting this in reply to a post made on another blog titled “10 reasons i HATE dentists”…maybe if that person hates dentists they should simply stop going and when their teeth begin to give them pain or fall out, they have no one to blame but themselves. And just so you know Tamir – most dentists earn about 30 – 40% of what they earn grossly because of overheads. A relative of mine has just graduated from dentistry and now has a study debt of over $50,000 – and that is without any specialisation in a field such as orthodontics (braces).
🙂
It has nothing to do with being sick or hungry. It is about putting up with jerks in a professional manner and a small percentage of patients not realizing that dentists are people too. She’s not complaining, she is stating her point of view in a fun and enjoyable blog.
There are less than 250,000 dentists in the US out of over 300 million people. Becoming a dentist is not easy. How much we are paid is all relative to our own cost of doing business. I don’t think you are qualified in anyway to say that we are “being well overpaid”.
By the way, doctors do complain about patients and waiters do complain about customers. You probably aren’t aware of it because they are complaining about you…
More 🙂
ahh yes Tamir….internet is a wonderful creation. We can all hide behind an artificial barrier that gives us false sense of protection and bravery to accuse others destructively instead of channelling that focus into constructive comments. Please do reply and share your thoughts on how healthcare professionals should handle the aforementioned dilemmas dentists and physicians face daily. Let’s start with a emergency case (fortunately, it’s infrequent but is enough to dampen the emotional stability of the most psychologically trained professionals for the rest of the day).
patient: What do you mean you can’t pull the tooth today, I drove all the way here!
dentist: i understand you are in great pain and we worked hard to squeeze you into our fully booked schedule as an emergency walk in patient. However, my scheduled patients also deserves my full attention. If you were the other patients, you would feel the same way too. (dentist holding back the urge to criticize the patient’s lack of mannerism and COMMON courtesy because with great knowledge comes a completely different moral/ethical/professional standard by which people judge you).
patient: then I want you to reimburse my gas money!
dentist: __________________ (Tamir, please fill in the blank with a response that maintains professional integrity and is emotionally detached, it is harder than you think)
everyone, please chime in.
p.s. people are in general kind and well-meaning. Beyond the basic necessities what most people crave for is recognition and appreciation as has been proven by statistics in the Carrot Principle. Dentists, physicians, and people in general may be complaining only because they hope that they could just get a little more appreciation. One ill-mannered patient can ruin the day but so can one appreciative patient make you day. Tamir, you must yearn for the recognition from your peers, boss and family and friends. Don’t you?
Very well said! Thank you!
Once a patient had a toothache, called up, and told me to go to his house to treat him, because he did not want to drive all the way to the surgery to get an emergency treatment. According to him, I ‘should pay for his petrol’.
Tamir, now don’t get offended or anything, but I really, really dislike you. I mean, I don’t know you as a person at all, but as a troll, it is really your job to have people dislike you. At least people who don’t like dentists are getting something out of the deal. We, on the other hand, are just getting more ignorant listening to comments like yours.
No, it’s like a doctor complaining about you being sick, but refusing to let you help them. If you go to the doctor for a sore throat, but won’t open your mouth for the doctor to look, can he or she help you? Nope. Same if you go to the dentist and won’t open or squirm around. We have an easier time doing what we’re supposed to do when patients do what they’re supposed to do.
Overpaid? Ha! I have enormous debt from dental school and make LESS than my staff. Our overhead is insane compared to other professions. I am not only responsible for your mouth, I am also responsible for your LIFE. If you have a medical emergency in the office, it is on MY shoulders. We aren’t complaining about the work we do. We are laughing about the mentality of a percentage of the population we treat- probably someone like you 😉 Do you like to get paid when you work? Do you like to be appreciated at your job? We do too…
Stupid Tamir, I feel sorry for anyone without a sense of humor. I attended a seminar about stress when I was teaching high school. We discussed the causes of stress and then they ranked the professions they studied. Teachers were #2, servers were #3, and dentists were #1. These are the only 3 professions I’ve had in my adult life. Lay off! We deserve to laugh!
I LIKE my dentist, he lives next door, is a nice neighbor, a nice guy, and very professional. I have almost ALWAYS liked going to the dentist. I know, I’m weird. It started as a kid because my Uncle Lou, who was a dentist, cleaned my teeth. I then went on to have a series of mostly good dentists over the years.
I did have one who filled an awful lot of fillings one year that I don’t think were really there, and who had a hard time keeping his hands where they belonged. Somehow, I think those two things were connected. My mother didn’t take us back to him.
I had one dentist who I liked who was murdered on the street outside his office in broad daylight, and I did feel that the dentist who took over his practice WAS trying to take my last dollar: his high tech office with every latest dental gadget and machine was being built into the lower level of his ostentatious, multilevel home which sported a partial glass floor so that fish from the outdoor pond could entertain guests and patients – one of the few interesting decorating ideas. It’s fine with me if my dentist is rich, but I’d just as soon not have my nose rubbed in the tackiness of it, especially since his office staff had to be pushed to file the insurance paperwork and insisted I prepay for a crown even though it was already approved. It didn’t help that the crown fell out after two years.
But aside from those two bad eggs, I’ve had good experiences. I like how my mouth feels when it’s all clean! And I appreciate people who have to spend their days picking around in the funky mouths of anyone who makes an appointment.
So thanks, cousin, for putting up with everyone, and good luck with your new life.
Wow, Nancy! Bummer to have those bad experiences, but glad you got away from that. Congrats on being able to see the good after some bad stuff. Thanks for visiting me here, and thanks SO MUCH for the support!
What about the patient whose breath could melt a birthday cake saying, “I know I need a deep cleaning, but can I get a regular cleaning?”. Hell naw!
Or ” the Dentist down the street charges this much for the same service. Why do you charge so much”. If you thought it was such a great deal, why didn’t you get the work done there??? If you needed a triple by-pass, would you spend months price shopping a cardiologist?
Or “the tooth doesn’t bother me, doc!” Despite the fact that teeth are in your mouth, they should still be considered body parts. If you have pain, caries, fractures, etc., in a tooth you have a broken body part. You are in a diseased state or “dis-ease”. If all of the above were on your forehead and you had to look @ it in the mirror everyday, would you do something about it then? Of course you would.
1) Patients with State “Medicaid” insurance. You should be kissing our feet for doing your work instead of having an entitled attitude. Since when does free insurance that provides you for the most part with FREE dental care entitle you to be a demanding, picky pain in the ass patient. If you wait an hour,, too bad.
2) Don’t complain when we stop taking HMO. How would you like a 75% pay cut at your job. HMO insurance is garbage, everyone knows it or should know it. Its obvious when its the “cheaper” option to select at work.
3) I never stay late or come early for bankers or government employees. They are more than happy to slam the door in your face as soon as their lazy office or department closes.
I deal quite well with the stuff I don’t like about being a dentist. I do love being a dentist, just airing a few things out.
It’s 1 am EST and your post has gone viral throughout my dental school (Temple). I’m a 4th year dental student and I’m glad you had the audacity to let it all out. I’m not even in the “real world” and I feel the same way… haha If you’re ever in Philly, I owe you a hi-5 and a drink bc these comments are more entertaining than my oral path notes. Hopefully zero no shows after this blog… ciao
So cool! I’ll take you up on that if I ever come out!
Really enjoyed reading the post and all the comments after that
Every job sucks. That’s why it’s work.
That said, I’m surprised by the negativity. I’ve been going to the same office since I was a kid and the experience was always painless and cheerful. Great people, very positive upbeat hygienists. I have a hard time imagining a single patient who goes to my dentist doing a single one of these things. I think all the staff are having a really good time there.
For whatever reason, I’m lucky enough to have good teeth even though I don’t do much other than brush once a day. The hygienists are always raving about how I take such good care of my teeth. I literally spend less than a minute a day on them; don’t really get it. Never get cavities or other problems, no real plaque, always white and shiny.
The old dentist we had was an immigrant from South America who worked incredibly hard to get his degree against all odds and come to Canada to practice. Great man, and he took his entire staff to a different developing country every year to volunteer for several weeks. Unfortunately, he was taken by cancer several years ago.
The dentist who replaced him had big shoes to fill but is a very down-to-earth and kind man, and I’m never unhappy to go to the dentist even though I have a very hard time paying for it (very low income and no insurance – I don’t complain about it though, it’s a very specialized service).
I do have a bit of an issue with the huge profits they are raking in (it’s in a wealthy area – trust me, they are not hurting on student loans etc here) compared to, for example, my job as an audio designer where I have also spent 10+ years in intensive study and experience learning as much as I can about another highly specialized skill, but barely scraping by because it is in a field that currently has much less monetary value assigned to it than dentistry.
It’s not so much that they don’t deserve it – just that they seem to be among a privileged few who are earning what they truly deserve these days.
Like most people, I also strongly dislike the majority of the interactions I’m forced to have with ungrateful clients at work, even though I try to stay positive while there, so don’t think you’re alone in this. At least you’re being paid enough to potentially raise a family in return. Not everyone is.
Love your story. Thanks for sharing. There are many benefits to being a dentist and many love it, and it IS a great career in many ways. A lot of the negativity here is people letting off some steam. Unfortunately with this post as with everyone’s job, sometimes the negative overshadows the positive. Good luck with your career.
Whaaaaaaaa! Brad, grow up!
Lolabees, I feel exactly the same way about dentistry and your blog really spoke to me. Seriously, what can someone like me who is also sick of dentistry do to get out of dentistry and still pay off 350k in loans? Choosing this profession really screws you if it isn’t a good match for you, but not many other professions pay enough to cover this amount of debt. It is true that life is too short to be doing something that makes you unhappy, but I can’t come up with a good solution. Any suggestions?
Teresa, we get calls all the time from dentists asking for help because they are fed up with their patients. They say they take the joy out of their profession. You may want to consider surrounding yourself with a behaviorally gifted staff who can work with your patients in a different way, dedicate yourself to providing a full time facilitator (patient coordinator) who spends the necessary time getting to know why your patients voluntarily walked through your front door, and learning their story and how they hope you will make their life better. By offering what will make their life better in a way they can understand, it can make your life richer. The rest, let go.
I think you have to “do the work” to find a way out, and it certainly didn’t happen overnight for me. Until then you may try to follow Mary Beth’s advice. I was able to get some really good years out of dentistry until I decided it was just time to move on. I’m dedicating more posts to this topic, so stay tuned.
YES YES THIS IS SOOOO TRUE!!!! PATIENTS DON’T REALISE WHAT TWATS THEY CAN BE. As for the accusation that we are greedy – DO YOU FUCKERS REALISE WHAT IT TAKES TO PROVIDE YOUR TREATMENT? THE MATERIAL COSTS??? THE PRETTY GIRL HOLDING THE SUCTION (yeah I’m sure not many of them work for free you arseholes!!!)??? THE COSTS OF BUYING/LEASING THE CHAIR??? ALL THAT STATE OF THE ART SHIT YOU WANT US TO USE ON YOU??? THE TV IN THE WAITING ROOM??? THE LOCAL ANAESTHETIC – perhaps we could give you a 10% discount by not using it, just like low-cost airlines give you a 10% discount if you carry your own suitcase to the plane – AND ALL THE OTHER FANCY SHIT YOU IDIOTS INSIST UPON??? Dentists keep precious little of that, a bit of an insult considering our training and the time and effort (including physical, we cop quite a bit of back strain), and also considering that for the most part, your treatment would last for several years and improves your quality of life. Or were you hoping to have a pretty smile and be able to enjoy your steak for $30?
Before you lash out at your dental bill, maybe think about all the useless shit you spend your money on – like smartphones (oh you are so fucking important that you couldn’t afford not to check facebook 10 times an hour you fucking lowlife scum), pay TV, your fuel-guzzling car (oh a small fuel efficient Corolla is so beneath you your fucking majesty), season tickets for your loser sports team, that Contiki tour (yeah, getting pissed and having sex with people from your home country is totally the way to appreciate the cultural variance of Europe you bogan/chav/redneck scum!!!) – and tally that up. Might make your dental bill look reasonable hey!!!
I can’t wait till I retire and I can fuck all the ungrateful wankers you are off FOREVER!!!!
Wow Pauly!
lolabees did her rant in a very funny and professional way without the use of such strong language! Your rant makes me think of a 16 year old boy who is cursing behind his parents back and is very unprofessional. I can totally relate with everything you are saying, but I could have understood it much better without all the f-this and f-thats!
I agree. So many patients complain about how they can’t afford dental treatment and yet they buy such fancy things like iphones, ipads, designer clothes, etc. People need to get their priorities straight!
Almost anyone can afford what they truly want and almost no one wants everything they can afford. Patients get to decide how they allocate their money and what they choose. We can’t want it more than they do. We can only gain their trust and try to influence their thinking.
Very true Mary Beth! If there is a strong enough desire to get any product or service, people would make the effort to save up or allocate funds accordingly. It is ultimately their decision.
Ok I know this is an extremely late to the party reply but I’ve seen this sentiment more than once and I have to say you can’t always tell someone’s circumstances by what items they’re wearing or carrying around. If I were to come in to your office I would likely be wearing a 200$ coat… that I either bought years ago when I had a job, or got on an extreme discount. I would be carrying a new iPhone… that my friend bought me and pays for monthly. He gave that to me as a present and I couldn’t say, oh no please could you spend that on my dental work instead. It’s rude to tell someone how to gift you and I do legit need the phone. I would be wearing a two hundred dollar bag… that I got as a Christmas gift and will likely never replace. Just because I know people who have been generous enough to gift me some lovely things does not mean I have scads of money. I get a disability check and no dental coverage. I’m not saying that kind of person doesn’t exist because they definitely do but remember people like me exist too and often get penalized for the bad examples other people provide.
Hahaha! I feel for you. Crazy! Well said! Hahahaha… I know you feel better now.
Say it, Pauly! I like you. Where do you practice? I’d be your patient. I LOVE funny people and people that say it like it is .
Haha! The first time I read this I was shocked, and then having gone back I found it pretty funny myself! Whoa!
Ha!
This is getting printed and hung in the break room at our clinic 🙂
oh my god my miserable life is written in few words …. i thought that my life would be much complicated ….. god bless me
Lolabees. look at all the replies lady.. you must be sooooo proud 🙂
This post was hilarious…well written. The only thing you forgot to include is people trying to text while working in their mouth. I think it’s extremely rude….
You may like to know that this post is going viral amongst dentists who live a long way away from you on a totally different continent. We appreciate every word you wrote.
“NO OFFENSE” meant…
here 10 reasons are a open statement.
I have to make a comment about someone canceling an appointment. I am not speaking of chronic no-shows who just decide not to come, but people who sometimes cancel at the last minute or same day.
I have a problem with the medical field who make such a big deal about this, when, in all probability, you have run late yourself on numerous occasions. I have seen several dentists and MDs who run late on a regular basis. These are the same doctors who whine about patients who cancel and come late. Why is your time more valuable than mine? More than likely, many of your patients have taken off work to come to you. No matter what their job, taking off is costing them something…an hourly wage, vacation time, sick time. I, too, have spent thousands of dollars on a degree and deserve the same respect of my time that you do. Perhaps you are not one of those dentists that run late all the time, but please remember that just because you are a dentist does NOT mean your time is worth more than your patients’.
Your perspective is absolutely correct. Everyone’s time is valuable. In fact, running late is the number 1 stress factor among the dental profession. Nobody likes to run late and majority of dentists hate running late and try not to. Unfortunately, being a dentist is quite different from being a family physician. Family physicians spend majority of their time talking to patients and writing reports whereas dentists spend the majority of their time actually doing physical procedures. Whereas the physician can stop a conversation anytime, the reality is once a procedure is started by a dentist it has to be finished (for example, removing a badly broken down tooth) and it is sometimes difficult to guage the amount of time needed. So in response to your concern, I believe the majority of dentists don’t think their time is more valuable than the patients’, otherwise it wouldn’t be the number stress factor for them.
Thanks to all of you for saying this and saving me some typing 😉 Agreed.
That’s a good point, Annie, which is why I always strive to stay on schedule. I seldom run late. Sometimes, a procedure may take a bit longer than anticipated, or I may have to work in an emergency (yesterday I saw a 2-year-old girl who had fallen and hit her front teeth), but I always apologize, and try to make things move along as quickly as possible while still providing good care.
I think most of us have a problem with the patient who is habitually late, which forces us behind schedule for the rest of the day. Those patients’ time is valuable, too, and a habitually late patient is disrespecting not just me, but also my staff and my other patients.
If you strive to stay on time, your patients will begin to show up on time. If you are always late, you teach your patients the bad behavior of being late. There are occasions where your schedule will be off and when you acknowledge it, apologize and explain how concerned you are for your patient’s time, they appreciate that. If the patient shows up late and it does not allow you to do the procedure in the remaining time, you have two choices – do it and run late or explain that you are unable to complete the procedure and will have to reschedule. Your patient will be annoyed and you will lose revenue for that day but it will be less likely to occur in the future.
Mary Beth,
Here’s where we’ll have to agree to disagree. From the time I have been here, I have consistently stayed on schedule, except of fairly rare times when running behind was unavoidable. There are still patients who seem to be unable to show up on time. In fact, some get angry if I mention that we need them to be on time for their appointments, as if I am the rude one. Some seem to run late as a sort of power play, as if making us wait makes them feel more important.
And I do reschedule, if I don’t have time to complete the procedure. And some of them will show up late the next time, too.
Our solution – we tell them their appointment is 15 or 30 minutes than it actually is. Passive-aggressive, maybe, but it seems to work.
*except for*
and their appointments are 15 or 30 minutes earlier. Posting between patients, losing my train of thought 🙂
I agree with you on that. There will always be exceptions – patients who are always late – to everything! Sounds like you have a workaround for that.
Keeping people waiting is my #1 stressor.
It really is quite amazing to me. This blog is consistent with what I typically hear at dental meetings and at the University where I am clinical faculty. Dentists continue to berate patients for incorrect use of terminology and a lack of understanding of the complexities of particular procedures. Instead, try LISTENING to what they are saying!! It really doesn’t matter that a patient says they have TMJ instead of TMD. They are trying to tell you, the best they can, that their jaw hurts. It just doesn’t have to be so difficult. I apologize to all patients who have been made to feel less than by my colleagues.
Thank you this was the very message I was addressing within my post and I certainly appricate a dentist who is willing to understand his or her paitence.
Thank you. You are right! It’s a shame there’s too much on the school curriculum that we can’t help new dentists to better learn this skill. There is a lot of good CE out there to help with this though.
Did you skip over the whole “greedy bastard” generalization? I have patients tell me daily that they have been diagnosed with “TMJ”. I listen and then proceed to educate them to the best of my knowledge as to how we can treat their issues. I personally do not know many dentists that would stop and say, “Wait asshole, it’s TMD!” However, if you come into my office and say,”Hey, Doc, I think you’re a greedy bastard, rot in hell and I have TMJ”, I may not be so receptive.
Wow. Some of the remarks and name calling to Suggestsmagic were surprising. I assume those replies/posts were from dentists? Real professionals? Condesending? Makes me think of the Southpark episode about SMUG. (SNIFFFF…) I’ve had mostly good experiences with dentists. But when someone says ‘I hate the dentist’… its usually “the experience” not the dentist, in my opinion. I don’t have a denta-phobia, but the sound of the tools and the scraping etc makes me cringe and its difficult to relax.I love the reclining chair and would gladly have one in my den to watch TV! And its the dentists that will not work with you on payments that give the others a bad name. All of my MDs work out payment arrangements, and take insurance, but my dentist does not. Cash or Credit…before you leave.
Are all of your MDs in private practice working solely for themselves? Most dentists will accept insurance and offer third-party finance arrangements. I would imagine that your cash/credit dentist has been burned by debting turds once too often.
I LOVE my dentist – he always tells me I brush very well and then he shows me pictures of his dogs (who model part-time and wear Burberry jackets). He is awesome.
One thing I think is an interesting point is the slight hypocrisy that you can sometimes get from health practitioners, though. Sometimes I think that affects the dentist/doctor-patient relationship. I’m a medical student, so I speak from some personal experience. I’ve met doctors who are really fat, doctors who are alcoholics, doctors who smoke, doctors who appear to have had excessive sun exposure etc…. equally, I’ve always been surprised at how so many dentists and orthodontists I’ve met seem to have bad teeth. It’s quite odd…
What bothers me as a dentist is that patients always feel they deserve some type of discount for knowing someone. Imagine checking out at the grocery store, and saying, “hey, could you take a little off. I know other people who shop here, too.” Dental offices have tremendous overhead and with the elective nature of truly profitable dental work, times are difficult now. Just because someone has a doctorate doesnt mean they wake up every morning to piles of cash at their door.
I am a dentist in Kansas and I LOVED reading this!!!!
Well, I tolerate trips to the dentist, thus think of them as a necessary evil. Then again, since I’ve had enough work, I like my dentist and his staff – even though I haven’t received my invite to the office holiday party – and after spending all that time with them this year.
Dentist here..love my job and most of my patients…its the handful that you talk about here that can be a challenge. Five per cent give you 95 per cent of your headaches.BTW saw this on Facebook…viral post indeed.
Right. That’s where the “degree of difficult” fee comes in. If you choose to work with them, and they require more time and effort, you are entitled to charge more.
Usually, yes. But dentist who are participating with PPO’s can’t increase their fees. Or they can, but will have to write off whatever the insurance company doesn’t pay, anyway.
lolabees – I HAD to share this with my staff first thing this morning. We are all cracking up and how funny the TRUTH is!! Thanks for starting our day with some humor about our challenging and rewarding profession 🙂 I have only been practicing about 5 1/2 years but I can relate to all 10 of these for sure!! I have a small, patient focused practice and I really try hard to treat each patient as an individual and be understanding, respectful, caring and considerate while doing my best work. I love most of my patients – but there sure are some doozies out there that do all the things on this list and then some. Thanks again!!
A fellow dentist friend shared this with me and I HAVE to share it with all of you! Made me lol. Gotta have a sense of humor – but this list is so TRUE!
Former Dr. Lolabees,
I can say I knew you when! Great blog – hilarious but sadly true. I congratulate you in your new endeavor. It takes a lot of courage to make the change that you did. You are an inspiration. I hope you find happiness on your path. Keep in touch….B
p.s. – love the haircut!
you forgot: patients moving when having a moving drill in their mouth and patients opening 1 mm. how the F am i going to see your tooth if you open for one finger to get in?
Ironically, after posting this yesterday on FB, I got a call at 1am this morning from a tourist saying she had ” a bit” of a dental emergency. Really!?!?!?!? She obviously did not read # 4 on this list. Good Lord!!!!
Lolabees we may have been separated at birth….your beginning paragraph may have just been written by me too in my head. And I posted this on my FB site because it is SO TRUE.
I love this article!! I am currently a dental assistant and love working with my Dr. Plus I love going to the dentist. Why? because I have never had a cavity in my life, but have gotten 1,16,17,32 extracted. (all in one visit!) I to have a TMJ problem and it does not have anything to do with having your mouth opened to long, because as you can see I have no extended work in my mouth. (crowns, bridges and so on) My all time favorite complaint is my whole mouth hurts around the gums. Plus my gums bleed. And when the dr tells them it’s because you need a serious cleaning! They can’t believe it! When you look at your teeth in the mirror don’t you see the dirt? When your arm leg is infected doesn’t it hurt? Well same thing your going to feel pain. And other favorite is sorry, but I forgot to brush my teeth today? You mean to tell me in the am when you wake up you do not use the rest room to release? Like hellooooo do it then! No one is ever that busy!!!
This article was hilarious. As a dentist, I have experienced MANY of those same sentiments! haha Thanks for writing.
Thanks for writing this! After years of working in a dental office at the front desk, I have heard it all! You are right on every count!
also, don’t call us on Dec.20th and want to get in and use your benefits up for the year. Plan ahead and be polite when you are told the schedule is filled already.
Here are some reasons why your child’s pediatric dentist hates you (not your child):
1. Your child is 3 1/2, clinging to your leg screaming like a Howler monkey and oh yeah every tooth in their mouth needs a filling or cap. Why are you looking at me like I woke up this AM and decided I wanted to kill your child today by recommending sedation or the hospital? It must be MY fault – I apparently leave my magic wand at home too often.
2. No one told you to not put you baby to bed without a bottle full of apple juice? You’re an attorney. Really?
3. I don’t really care about your martial status. The sign in the waiting room and form YOU signed says whoever brings the child is financially responsible. It’s not MY problem your ex husband won’t pay his child’s bill so please don’t yell at my staff when they call looking for money that YOU owe me.
4. I’ve seen all four of your children since they were 12 months old. You know all about my family because of the years we’ve spent together. Your youngest child is completely manageable when you’re out of the room but reverts to a 2 year old when you’re in the room yet you insist that you must be in the room stroking their hands and constantly asking them if they’re all right? FYI you’re not helping them or me.
5. I assess kids all day long and I don’t charge for laughing gas so when I recommend your 4 year old child would benefit from it for the four quadrants of treatment they need why would you say no?
6. Do we really need to fix the big hole in my 4 year old’s baby molar? Isn’t it just a baby tooth? Sigh….this is your 5th child and your oldest is in college. Pretty sure we’ve had this conversation before but just in case I was just trying to fleece some money out of you lets have it again.
7. Last time you were in your four children had 18 cavities. We spoke at length about flossing and brushing and it’s importance. First thing I ask this appointment is how are the kids doing with flossing and brushing and you respond they’re not. You then look at me like I’m trying to rob you when I tell you they have more cavities. Really?
8. Telling me you are not brushing and flossing your 3 year old who already had 2 cavities because “they won’t let you” is not an excuse. Man up, be a parent and clean their teeth!
9. Parents should not = child’s best friend. Sometimes you have to tell them no. Sometimes you have to make them do things they don’t want to.
10. Informed consent does not = al a carte dentistry. Just because you don’t like any of the options doesn’t mean you can just make up your own options and expect us to follow your uneducated lead.
I see a very large percentage of pedo patients. Most of them I love. But I do always say the same thing…I love the patients, don’t like the parents. Every single one of these rings true. Well done!
I had a patient who was a 4 y.o. little girl who had her parents wrapped around her little finger. Dad is a physician and had to accompany her into the op, against my advise. He interrupted us several times to pamper his little girl saying, “Don’t worry; it won’t hurt!” while only doing an exam and pro. The child had rampant decay, so I explained the treatment plan to dad and child in layman’s terms. He refused a fluoride treatment and while clutching his child, he asked, “Why would you torture her just for a baby tooth she will eventually lose?” I couldn’t believe Dr. Dad’s ignorance and arrogance! He sure did his child a real disservice mentioning “hurt” and “torture” within 5 minutes of each other…and to top it off, showed that he didn’t trust me (or any dentist) by questioning me in front of her. Obviously, I referred out.
Great!
Love this post, great addendum. Pedo surely brings its own challenges, and yes, most of them are dealing with the parents!
OMG- I absolutely despise the parents that put their children to bed with a bottle full of juice or milk and then give you the response “Well it’s just a baby tooth!”. REALLY?!?! Do these people really think that just because it’s a baby tooth that it must not hurt the child to have a giant rotten hole in it?
So true!!! What cracks me up is when the parents say ” I told you not to eat all that candy, but you do not listen!” the poor kid is 6yrs old has cavities on every tooth. Who the hell buys the candy?! Who is the adult with the job to buy the candy?! This just pisses me off evey time there is one who comes in with the same reply. And boy do I let them have it. And I’m just the assistant. 🙂
11. When I’m your 5th opinion and all four docs before me said the same thing….chances are I’ll agree with them so hopefully you’ll go for a sixth opinion and I don’t have to deal with you. (Happened to me yesterday – red flags went up, mom gave me the creeps, and all I wanted was out of the room with her and little Johnny).
I’m not a pediatric dentist, but I can relate to every single point you listed!
I’m not a dentist, but I work in the medical field so my empathy goes to the dentist. What an accurate depiction of the attitudes and challenges we see as healthcare providers. And if you’re going to tell a dentist/doctor a “medical fact” about your diagnosis because you think they’re wrong, then don’t accuse them of berating you for correcting your inaccurate assessment. The internet and your friends are no substitute for the years of schooling and medical practice that preceded their diagnosis of your problem.
Great article. I too am a dentist an can totally relate to every bit of it.
Just curious about what you are doing now that you have left dentistry….I am constantly looking for a way out myself !!! 🙂
I love the dentist! Makes my teeth feel great. My father gave both my sister and I his genetic predisposition for lots of plaque. I brush my teeth and floss twice everyday and I do it very carefully and thoroughly, yet every time I go to the dentist the hygienist says, “You have a lot of plaque, you should make sure and floss and brush thoroughly.” When I tell them I do and I have a genetically plaque-y teeth, they give me the “Sure, whatever you say” look. Why is that? What is there that I need to do to convince these people?
oh please, are we really supposed to feel sorry for how much money dentists make. You are paid plenty because HMO’s didn’t screw you over like they did MD’s. Quit complaining. Md’s, mainly surgeons are the ones he aren’t paid enough.
I understand the anguish sometimes invovled in the job, but lets remember you get paid to do you job! If your patients do not wish to take care of there mouth let them continue to waste money, and you continue to do you job and get paid for it. Trust me I understand the need to talk about issues in the work place, but did it ever occur to anyone that by openly admitting the faults of your patience and the ignorance you incounter with them may perhaps create and issue that now patience are in fear that there dentists are constantly judging them? Wich I can not speak for everyone, but that is the fear I think most patience have and it is why they put off what could be done today, onto tomorrow or the next day so forth and so on; it is not right of course. Secondly noone seems to be addressing the patience and there personal lives and all the contributing factors that may be at work.. of course more often then not its laziness, but again if the patient wishes to procrastinate or be lazy let them waste there money. while I found humour within this blog some of the dentist responding I was rather in shock; if your post reflect at all how you work, I would be in fear of you as well. Some of your posts are very rude and are a reflection upon yourself. Those dentists and commenters that posted and actually took the time to be polite and explain your cause, that reflects on you as well; in a positive manner.
You make money doing what you do, dont take abuse from your patience by anymeans, but comments like,” I hate the dentist,” are not a personal stab upon you. I will be the first to admit I have said,” I hate going to the dentist,” and not out of disrespect to my dentist, but out of fear and awkwardness, he asked me why and I explained and he said he would hate the dentist to, had he gone through the expierence. Rather then take it personal if you have not asked them why, ask. It is no different then purchasing a house and you have to sign the documents what is something that is always said,” I am signing my life away,” everyone seems to reference that statement, its the same concept the I hate the dentist remarks are the same somewhere along the line that became the thing to say.
There is a big difference between “I hate going to the dentist” and “I hate the dentist”. I’ve heard both. Maybe it seems like just semantics to you, but it means something to the dentists who get to hear it. And no, I don’t generally take it personally, but I do think it’s rude.
And while, yes, we do profit from patients’ self-neglect, sometimes, the amount we get paid just isn’t adequate compensation. I’ve had patients bite my fingers multiple times during an exam or filling. How do you expect me to do good work when you’re closed down so much that you’re actually biting my size-four-ring fingers? I’ve had them grab my hands with the syringe or handpiece in their mouths. Eventually, no matter how much we get paid, we’re still going to be aggravated.
As to the posts being public, I think that’s a good thing. Lolabee wasn’t insulting, and some patients would really benefit from being told what they’re doing to hinder their own care. When I ask someone to open wider, they often roll their eyes like I’m being unreasonable demanding. Maybe seeing that every dentist on this forum feels the same would help them see the light.
“Your Wrong” and “Am I Right” and Presumably, “What What” should quit being a coward and use the same name. This is rude. Because English is your 3rd language, you may also not understand American humor. We are not upset; we love our jobs; we are just blowing off steam! YOU’RE wrong about our incomes, Mr. Know-it-all-just-a student. Many dentists own their own businesses and this comes with a lot more responsibility that just practicing medicine or dentistry. Yes, you can set you’re own hours, and practice the way you want to and don’t have to take orders from someone else. I have a individual patient-focused, evidence-based practice I can take pride in; however, I don’t go on vacations and don’t make much money because of my overhead. I pay my employees well to care about my patients as much as I do. I also take offense to your elitist view that physicians are on a higher ethical plane than dentists. We are all professionals held to a higher ethical standard than the general population. Perhaps it’s because you are a foreign student and the way you view women is culturally different, but you sound rather sexist about your fiance’s less important and less sacrificing job than you plan to attain. Are you aware that dentists have the most stressful profession in America? (…at least from one study presented to me at a stress workshop broadcast on national public radio.) Teachers are #2 and Servers are #3. Physicians are no where near the top 10. You need to give more credit to your fiance and to the practice of dentistry. You are a young self-righteous man who has a lot to learn. How dare you judge us!
I’ve never read this blog until today but I have to thank you for the 20 minutes of laughter at reading all the News Flashes contained in the comments. Loved your top 11 list and then loved the ignorant commenter (with horrible TMJ) who called every dentist a greedy bastard. If that doesn’t open up the floor for some comical discussion! I love my dentist!
It’s probably a good idea for you to stop being a dentist.
Stop whining.
Since patients are people, and some people are asholes, it’s only science to expect to meet all kinds. Like diffusion.
Besides, you’re the patients custodian, in a sence, and that means you’re obliged to help them, how idiotic they may seem!
Stop whining.
The above is true if you see yourself as someone having a moral responsibility for the patient (as all physicians MUST agree to. Though, you’re not a physician).
If you dont (and you dont need to), you are free to treat whoever you want!
Since the patients actually pay you (contra physicians) what does it matter if the patient misstreat their teeth? Since you, as you claim, (wish is a lie*) dont care for the patients? (Eat candy – support your dentist)
*The only reason you’re irritated at them patients misstreating their dental hygiene, is because you actually care. Here by proving your whole article wrong.
Stop whining.
Well, my point all comes down to this: Being a dentist is not a bad job. You actually dont take much shit OVERALL, you get a lot of money, you do something that is meaningful for yourself (and patients, dont forget) and you can always say no to working crap hours as a physician, again, can not.
Ah, that felt good.
Yours sincerely
First off, go back to 6th grade english class.
Second, patients do not “actually pay you” – most have insurance, that pays jack shit for the care and supplies used to treat each and every patient.
“Being a dentist is not a bad job. you actually don’t take much shit OVERALL, you get a lot of money…”, etc, etc. ARE YOU A DENTIST???? DO YOU HAVE ANY PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE OF ANY OF THIS? OR ARE YOU JUST ANOTHER IDIOT???
The article was not whining. It was blowing off steam that practically ALL medical professionals would love to do, preferably in a patient’s face.
And “The above is true if you see yourself as someone having a moral responsibility for the patient (as all physicians MUST agree to. Though, you’re not a physician).” You’re an idiot. Dentists and dental hygienists must also abide and agree to the moral responsibilities laid out in our “code”. We are medical professionals, which you obviously are not.
My english isn’t good and I know that.
English is my third language and it feels bad to see that every comment is about my bad english rather than about the point I was trying to make (and I am sure most of you got it…).
For the record I have two years left on my education and then I am actually a medical professional, a physician. I also am engaged to and lives with a dentist. Before that I worked at a dentist clinic, assisting both dentists and maxillo-facial surgeons.
I dont know how it works were you live, but here dentists does make a lot of money and does have a smaller responsibility for the patients than a physician. (Something my girlfriend is actually glad for). Patients do pay (or the insurance company does, or the health care system). We have a good life and she has a good job and if you cant take patients I really think this kind of job doesn’t fit you. I cant see why it gets you all so upset when I point it out.
Did you understand that?
If you didn’t we can always try to write in danish, but I dont expect you to understand.
I dont expect you to know even a single word.
You, how ever, expect me to be able to write in perfect english just to be taken seriously.
I dont think that it is fair and it doesn’t exactly make me think you are respectful towards your patients either.
Btw, I am “your wrong” but I wont keep that name for obvious reasons.
I loved this comment, thank God I skipped all the way to the end. Hooray for the American public educational school system!
“Your” wrong: Don’t be mad that lolabees had you in mind when she wrote this. She’s just trying to help you out.
You spelled “your” wrong. Should be “you’re wrong”. So I guess YOU are wrong.
You’re welcome.
I’m a dentist, and I don’t see this as whining. Actually, these are stating actual facts, that keep repeating over and over by some patients. It’s the patients who keep whining over and over and over. They actually abuse their dentists by constant complains, and the reason is, dentist get alot of money etc….. It looks like you didn’t get it yet. It takes years and efforts to be successful, and any profit made is to pay off student loans and high price practice expenses . Our job is meaningful more when patients know to appreciate.
You don’t understand the profession at all. Neither Physicians nor dentists have a moral or legal obligation to treat any patient that walks through the door. They are custodians of the patients treatment and health, but are not held captive by patients refusal to follow through. If the patient refuses to do their part then the dentist has every right to, and should refuse to provide treatment. Dentists are Doctors by the way. This article was about the lack of common decency and respect patients sometimes show their dentists. The rest of your comments are gibberish due to an utter disrespect for the rules of grammar and a failure to portray complete thoughts.
^ mwah mwah mwah!!!! perfectly stated!
That’s really funny! “eat candy – support your dentist.” =))) Being a dentist is rewarding when we have appreciative patients and patients who prioritize their teeth…. More Than any other new gadgets or designer stuffs or other vices they have. But I don’t think you get to read about things here talking about the profits and expenses. You should for your better understanding, your wrong! =)))
Your Wrong – I would love for you to come to work with me for a day! I work at a busy dental hospital in a ‘rough’ town and it would really open your eye to what this lady was originally poking fun at!
I do take a lot of shit actually, and with some patients its like swimming against the tide which can be increds frustrating when all you want to do is help them and yet when you point out that they may want to consider toothbrushing for a change, they look at you like you’ve just shat on them! And NHS dentists get paid F all, so its safe to say im not in it for that reason!!!
For you ladies out there, one major cause of TMD is oral sex. So instead of blaming your dentist, blame your significant other.
I feel like this everyday.
dear patients out there. one thing more, b4 visiting ur dentist wear a nice perfume, ve bath coz at tymes u stink like anything and dont stare at them during treatment. thankyou
Nahh I don’t want them to wear any perfume. Brushing their teeth (preferably floss too) and having a shower is enough. Love it when the occasional few wash their hair too. 🙂
Dear YourWrong. You are, actually, wrong (grammatically, that is). Let me correct you: It should be You’re Wrong. And if you have never been in the dentist’s seat, then you really have no objective way of understanding her opinion. She is not whining in her post, she is expressing her opinion (as you just have above).
I have sat in the dentist’s seat…as a dentist. And I can relate to many of her comments. I’d like to chime in on her post further and mention that one thing the physicians have over the dentists is that many patients accept that a medical visit (immunizations, surgery, etc…) will involve pain. They accept it and deal with it. Many patients, however, seem to think that a dental visit must be painless. That is, in part, due to inaccurate expectations brought on by a small subset of dentists who promise things beyond reason. But most dentists (I’m sure there are a few freaks, though) do not like hurting others and are really there to help solve issues. She mentions this in her post, but I just wanted to elaborate on the disparity of expectations between medicine and dentistry.
Thanks for the post Lola!
Wow~ you go girl!!! Umm I mean Dr… 😛 Hehe You just voiced the thoughts of sooo many dentists out there!!! 🙂 I just graduated from dental school and have been going through major conflicts over the thoughts of career change… I have been debating over it sooo much!! A good percentage of my friends who just started working already complain about how much they hate their jobs and it seriously got me to think.. But I’m soo scared to make this change with over $350k+ in student loans, the shame it would bring on my family (being asian doesn’t help hehe), etc…. 😥 and its not like I suck at dentistry or my patients hate me either (a few of them even said they would move to the Seattle with me when I graduated and I was going to school in Philly) It’s just that I don’t feel passionate about dentistry.. I don’t stay up all night thinking about teeth as some of my classmates do.. When I’m doing something I’m passionate about like fashion designing or creating something, I can stay up all night and not even feel tired or even hungry!!! :3 When I tell people that dentistry is my back-up plan they laugh! But I don’t regret going to dental school either~ Even though it was the hardest four years of my life (by that I mean it almost actually cost my life.. Maybe more on that later…) I wouldn’t trade it for the experiences, changes, DRAMA (maybe a little less of that hahaa), growth I’ve gained from it… (wow it would seriously make some great reality tv!!! Want to produce it with me?!?! Hehehe) But it also made me very jaded with people and some parts of life… Le Sigh.. But if I didn’t go it would’ve always been on the back of my head and somehow I still would’ve probably ended up in dental school later only to realize the same things much, much later hahah… dilemmas, dilemmas…. Sorry for going on and on… 🙂 Your blog has inspired me sooo much though!!! So if you see dr.fashion designer on project runway next season that’s me!!! 😛
PS this is going viral amoung my dental friends on facebook!!! Yay!!!
Among** sorry for all the grammatical errors… Argh can’t spell or write today!!!
Hey, what about those “momzillas” who self-educated and “degreed” themselves via googling, and tried to tell the dentists how to treat their children?
By the way, most fees (PPOs) are determined by the insurance companies, so it’s not like the dentist just “make a lot of money” by charging just whatever. It’s your insurance who takes your money, and may or may not reimburse us for our labor.
Thirdly, I’ve seen some patients looking for chances to sue (one blatantly wrote to us suggesting to settle out of court before she sued. We didn’t, and she didn’t sue). These people surely help driving the cost of doing business up.
This seems like a lashing out post and most of the dentists I know are kind people that are really trying to give their patients a good experience. If the world looked more at the positive and not the negative both sides would be resolved. My husband is a dentist and he loves it. He loves seeing the same families and watching them grow up. It is a stressful job, but what job isn’t. He worries about the patients the don’t take his advice because he knows what is coming. He spends more on quality stuff than most so he knows he is giving quality care. I know you see the bill and he doesn’t expect you to pay for his education. He choose to do this he knew the sacrifice but trully wanted to help others. I know that sounds so clique but he left a job at a big corporate dental company to start his own practice so he could do the kind of work he could be proud of. Money is tight but we make it. There is a lot of overhead and stress but he can’t see himself doing anything else. The good and bad will come with every job but putting someone down because they said tmj instead of tmd seems like we need a manners lesson too.
I’m not a dentist, but as a new optometrist I can definitely sympathize with you about the majority of this. My favorite is definitely when patients comment about the price of an exam and reference them paying for my car/ house whatever when they’re definitely living a more expensive life than me and I haven’t bought a new car in 5 years because I’m chipping away on $300,000+ debt.
Thanks for making me laugh with your post, and good luck with your new career.
Haha! Hilarious.
I have a really great dentist. The only thing I hate about visiting him is that he is super cute and I have to sit there with my mouth open, drooling all over myself while he looks at my cavities. It’s embarrassing.
Thank you for the post. Very Very true. Not to forget, the rude patients talking on their phones or looking at their texts as soon as you turn or stop for a minute despite of a sign that says not to use your cell phone in operatory. Besides, regarding the first patient comment, if you feel your filling is high, you have to go back to your dentist within the first week, not wait weeks and months and then complain of TMJ pain.
There was a practice in Australia that had a sign in their reception area stating: “Please turn off your mobile phone while in the operatory. It interferes with our sterilization equipment”.
I can’t even imagine saying/doing these things about/to my dentist. I’ve been with the same dentist and dental hygienist my whole life (since I had baby teeth) and I love them! Sadly I have to switch because I moved and now they’re just far away. Life happens. But if I could take them with me I’d be totally okay with that!
This was too funny!
Amen.
WOW .. I just had a really good chuckle at “Your wrong”…. “The only reason you’re irritated at them patients misstreating their dental hygiene, is because you actually care.” I’m sorry but “at them patients”?! Really??
Clearly you are not IN the dental field or you wouldn’t have said any of the above.
I think this article is PERFECT! I have been in the field for 15 years and this couldn’t be more dead on!!!!! LOVE IT!
This top 10 was awesome. I read it from my friend’s FB status, which he cut n pasted. But i can totally relate and i read it at the end of a long day filled with 8 of the top 11. It was definitely amusing to read and blew off steam at the end of the day. I’m curious tho, you’re no longer practicing? Career change? Where can i read about it? Better yet, how can I do the same?
thanks!
Tell me your secrets too! It seems like a common feeling us dentists experience. I’ve been out 10 years too and feel exactly the same as you!
I also love it when I have the syringe in my hand and they say, “is this gonna hurt?” I want to come back and say, “No. It isn’t going to hurt me at all. You… on the other hand, may feel a little pinch. I always try my best to be gentle. But if you flinch and move, I will hurt. And I won’t be happy. At least you had some topical on your cheek. My thumb has nothing.”
I thought this was great. It is amazing how many people accuse us of ripping them off when all we are trying to do is help them. I drive a 10 year old car with 150k miles on it that I bought used 3 years ago and I still have patients accusing me of trying to pay my car payment with their mouths. Ironically they say it and when they leave I see them get in their late model foreign car.
30-35% is a ridiculous quote. I have been reimbursed as low as 16% (by greedy companies that want to take advantage of dentists) and as high as 25% (but I had to pay my own lab bills), that’s it. And yes, my debt is ridiculous: $780,000. If you want to blame someone for the high cost of dental treatment, blame the cost of dental schools and blame the ridiculous reimbursements from insurance companies. Also, blame the ridiculous patient that comes in and wants to spend 2 hours talking about a simple filling. Your insurance company doesn’t pay me to waste 2 hrs talking to you, they only pay me to do a simple filling.
AMEN!!!!!!!
I’m more interested in the career change. How long did you practice? What did you do with your debt? I’d like to do the same put have too many responsibilities/commitments. The stress gives me really bad TMJ
Great article. All my life I was afraid to go to the dentist. Later I moved to another country, Sweden and enjoyed as I never did before.
Great blog! =))))) Congratulations lolabees! Mwah Mwah Mwah
FYI …. Im not fond of reading! It make me feel sleepy. But this thing made me stay up so late for hours… And didn’t stop till I get to read all the comments. I had good laugh!!! Thanks to all the funny dentist and patients
Xylina, I didn’t “mooch” off my parents for my education. I paid my own way through school and even sent money home to help support the family while I was in school…I value an education enough to make those sacrifices.
Also, don’t be mean to the person with sharp instruments or the person who can write you a prescription for pain meds.
I am a dental student now and starting to see real patients in the clinic. Luckily, I have not encountered many patients myself that I want to “hate” just yet. But this definately gave me a good laugh!! It is quite amusing to hear what all the dental patients out there actually hate us for, and knowing 95% of their issues are self-inflicted due to their years of poor (or lack of) personal oral hygiene! If they don’t like to come see us because we “give them a shot” or “make their teeth hurt when we fill a cavity”, then take care of them in the first place! We work our tails off (and drain our bank accounts) to learn the skills we need to offer a very valuable service, and deserve a little bit of respect for it! WHERE’S THE LOVE PEOPLE?!
Thanks for this post! Although I have been blessed with amazing patients thus far, I know exactly where to go to put a smile on my face when (God forbid) I finally meet one of these patients I inevitably will “hate too” 🙂
SuggestMagic:
people aren’t upset b/c of the grammar or spelling mistakes or even your lack of knowledge, but b/c of your attitude: you (wrongly) assume that dentists are greedy, you call all of them bastards, and then you NEVER apologize. If I called all people of a certain skin color a bad name, that would be unacceptable, but you think it is okay to call all dentists “greedy bastards?!” It just goes to show that you are unappreciative of the work that dentists do to help you keep your teeth. My advice to you: brush and floss, watch what you eat and drink, perform dentistry on yourself, and the next time you want to shoot off your mouth, stop and think “could I possibly be wrong about this?”
Also, next time you have to pay a “large” dental bill, consider this: dentistry is actually really difficult to do. Dentists work
1. upside down (notice how they position themselves over your head), under water (spit everywhere),
2. in the dark (yes, your mouth is very dark and sometimes we cannot get enough light in there), in reverse (we look through a mirror to see things),
3. in a small contained area (yes, even you do not have a mouth that is that big),
4. on a moving target (people move even when they are trying not to move),
5. on a target that MAY be whining,
6. with very sharp instruments (which causes us worry), and
7. in very precise terms (we worry about 1/2 millimeters).
The only reason dentistry LOOKS so easy to perform is that your dentist is actually very well educated, trained and even has some natural talent which makes it LOOK easy. Don’t you think talented people deserve to be reimbursed well? I mean, I want a well-educated and talented person performing surgery on me and I am willing to pay well for that service; I wouldn’t want an uneducated person performing a surgery on me no matter how little they charged me.
Amen!
Agree!
Lighten up people! Everyone has a client once in a while that is a pain in the ass in every profession. We all vent once in a while, whether it is to your best friend or your dog. So don’t take the rant personally. I have had great dentists and horrifying dentists. But I know there are things that I personally could have done or said to make things go more smoothly. Don’t take everything so personal either. Everyone has different conditions/concerns and disorders it doesn’t mean we need to berate each other. Just laugh it off and laugh at yourself once in a while. You will be much happier that way. And just ask for some extra nitrous oxide and turn up your head phones!
lolabees, if you were my dentist, I wouldn’t hate the dentist at all! You are smokin’ hot! In fact, I might be chipping a few teeth just to get an appt! lol
No really, you’re actually very cute. Wish you were in NY!
Have a great holiday season!
For all us bastards that are not greedy……. I take umbrage. : )
Thanks, Charlie– that’s very sweet. Finally someone made a sensible comment on here 😉 Thanks for keeping it light, as it was meant to be. A very happy Holidays to you!
Ok, so maybe the two days a year that I spend at the dentist are not my absolute favorite days. But this is in no way because of my dentist. I have had a couple great dentists and wonderful dental hygienists. I don’t understand why adults think it is permissible to act like two-year-olds just because they don’t enjoy their time in the dentist chair. To date I have had my two front teeth knocked out, a trauma related cyst then developed resulting in a root canal followed by another crown to replace the one damaged by the root canal. Did this cost me A LOT of money? Yes. Where would I be without the care the dentists provided? Well to start with I would have no front teeth which would mean that I would have a hell of a time eating, and I would never want to smile. Yep, pretty happy with the money I spent there. Dentists invested a lot of time and money becoming dentists and they do a job that I wouldn’t do for any amount of money. Mostly because of people like those described above.
Thanks for your support, Amie.
Another one to add to the list….. It feels too numb I can’t swallow properly. Well what would you rather I injected you with. Water?
#5 – I have a small mouth. If you’ll ask me nicely to open it wider, I will, but often I don’t know unless you tell me. Also, if someone is making noise inside my mouth that sounds like they’re removing enamel, I’m going to wince whether it hurts or not. Put on your grown-up pants & deal with it – it’s a natural human reaction.
I actually like my dentist, but for most appointments I see him for less than 5 minutes. Maybe your hygenist should be making most of these complaints? Some are valid but some seem as if you’re reaching to get a full 10 gripes in.
Do you like being a dentist? You chose a profession that requires lots of expensive education & working in people’s mouths. This does not make you superior to other people & I’m sick to death of doctors & lawyers acting like multiple degrees = greater intelligence, or that we should feel sorry for them or treat them like royalty because of what they chose to do. All jobs have their downside. You’re lucky you’re free to complain in a public forum. Many of us can’t for fear we’ll be fired.
Okay, I just read the first paragraph and realized you’re no longer practicing dentistry, so apparently you didn’t like it. My bad. I skipped right to the top ten list without reading the intro. I’ll patiently await the name-calling and bashing from all the perfect people here who needed to post yet agin that “TMJ is not a condition” after it had been said over 100 times.
no she left the profession hence the rant. trust, if she was still a dentist and she wrote this, she’d be utterly fucked!!!! well thats how it would work in the uk anyway.
seems like most people in america only see the hygienist (which is obvs a good sign!) but in england we mostly do all our own hyg stuff. interesting perspective
Very true, Sally – I have good teeth and I take care of them, so maybe that’s partly why I don’t see the actual dentist very often. It’s nearly always the hygienist doing 99% of the work on me, and I know they probably make less money than I do to stick their hands in people’s mouths all day long. And I’ll also admit I’m having a crappy day at work myself, so I may have been a little bit of an ass in my initial post.
I’m glad for people if they’re able to escape a job they hate, especially if they do have to work with the public and their attitude is going to impact other people. But I also think that if you’re in a job you hate and have other choices, that you probably should think twice before you bitch about it.
In this case, I just think, you know – hopefully you knew dentistry was going to involve being in people’s mouths and working all day with patients who aren’t real happy to be in the dentist chair, because let’s face it, most people don’t like to go to the dentist. That’s just the way it is. If you want to be around happy people all day long, the medical profession in almost any capacity probably isn’t a real good career move.
I don’t think it excuses people being abusive, but some of this rant seems a bit petty considering that some of it is simply part of being a dentist. It’s kind of like a policeman complaining about having to deal with criminals all day long – it comes with the territory. If I thought for a minute my dentist had this kind of attitude, I’d leave him in a nano-second.
Frankly, Annie, every dentist I know, including me, feels this way about some (not all, or even most) patients. Chances are, yours does, too, and just doesn’t say so.
Lolabee just put it out there.
We understand that most people don’t like to go to the dentist. I don’t like to go to the gynecologist, either, but I don’t tell him I hate him, I show up on time, I shower before my appointment, I don’t complain the whole time I’m there, and I don’t complain about the bill on the way out. I don’t like it when my mechanic tells me I need to do some expensive maintenance on my car, but I appreciate him telling me before it gets more expensive.
I don’t think we’re asking that much. Respect, and a team attitude from our patients regarding their own oral health. Sure, police officers expect criminals to be a pain. But we aren’t talking about criminals here; we’re talking about people who should have the civility and maturity to get through a dental appointment that is for their own good without insulting the dentist.
Dr. Drake – as I said, I don’t think people should be abusive to the dentist. And of course patients are hopefully not criminals – you missed my point on the analogy, which is, don’t gripe about something you knew was going to be a core part of your line of work when you chose to go into that field.
I can sympathize on some of the points made, but she started to lose me on #5 & on the one about x-rays. Those are things I don’t think many patients intentionally do. Due to my small mouth, I’ve had a few times when the x-ray film slipped because it barely fits in my mouth & we had to start over. If I thought my dentist felt hostile toward me for that, I would find another dentist. But then again my dentist has never actually taken my x-rays. It was always the hygenist, so he probably doesn’t feel hostile but she might. LOL.
But where she really lost me was the comment about how much she paid for her education. Sorry, no sympathy there. That was completely a life choice & it sounds kind of arrogant.
I have to say, I was appalled at the overwhelming number of dentists who chimed in with literally hundreds of posts to beat a 19-year-old into the ground (did anyone notice the blog that sparked this blog was also written by someone whom I think was 21?). Sure, she called the profession collective “bastards,” but her point was a little bit proven by all the highly-“educated” dentists who responded to her not knowing the difference between TMJ & TMD, by calling her an “idiot,” among some less-kind and vulgar terms (I believe one called her a “twat.”).
Really? And the dentists are how old? I’ve lost a lot of respect for the dental profession today. If I ever have to find a new one, I surely hope I don’t end up in any of the chairs of most of the dentists who responded to this blog.
Annie,
It’s just Sandy :). I am a dentist, and yes, I put my full name here, but just because the site asked for my name to log in.
I know most of my patients aren’t intentionally making faces or closing down, but after about the 20th time of saying “Wider, please”, with them opening wider for about 2 seconds and then biting my fingers again, it does get just a bit annoying.
And with the x-ray thing, Lolabees said she understands some people just can’t. I have a small mouth, too, and yes, the films hurt, but I suck it up. Just the way I suck it up when I get my flu shot or my blood drawn. Some patients won’t put up with a minor discomfort well enough for us to make an accurate diagnosis. For those who truly CAN’T, I sympathize.
And she wasn’t complaining about the cost of student loans, merely stating that they are a factor in the cost of the services we provide. They’re a factor in the cost of the services every professional provides, whether they are in business for themselves, or employed by someone else. If people don’t want the cost of education passed on to them, they should visit unlicensed, probably poorly educated health care providers working out of someone’s basement. If they want care from licensed, regulated, highly trained professionals, they will have to pay costs commensurate with that. Yes, it’s a lifestyle choice that we make, but if nobody made that choice, who would provide care?
I understood your analogy about criminals, I just don’t agree with it. For one, I think it is perfectly allowable for police officers to complain; everyone needs to vent, especially in a high-stress job. But also, the police officers aren’t generally trying to help the criminals, so that is a more adversarial relationship. We’re trying to help our patients, but are still being placed into an adversarial relationship with some by way of their own behavior. And, to be honest, I worked in the dental field several years before I decided on dental school, and patients were more stoic then, so, no, I didn’t expect such a large number of them would work against me in their own care. I don’t think most of us were aware before that, unless our parents were dentists, and mine weren’t. In fact, I chose dentistry over medicine in part because dental patients seemed more reasonable and appreciative than medical patients. Not so, anymore.
I agree with you about the posts in response to suggestsmagic, which is why I didn’t address the TMJ/TMD thing at all, but focused on her lack of understanding for why we sometimes have to do things a certain way, and her insult to our profession as a whole.
The thing is, every dentist I know, both personally and through online fora, feels this way about some of their patients. We all have the occasional patient who makes us want to just stay home. And we say so among ourselves. And it’s not just us – our staff generally feel the same way about the same patients, because their job is also made more difficult by patients who won’t cooperate and who complain a lot. We’re all just trying to keep people healthy, and some mutual respect is in order.
Strange. From my own experience of treating patients, most patients do NOT wince even when they can hear the drilling in their mouths (which is why when one winces I immediately assume there is pain). I know it is normal for patients to be anxious in the dental chair, but I was quite surprised to read ‘I’m going to wince whether it hurts or not’.
Thanks for posting this! I’ve been a dentist for 16 years, in both a large group practice and in my own private practice. I can certainly relate, and so can my staff! Its amazing to me how many of my patients think I’m so rich, that they should receive a discount, or not have to pay their insurance co-pays. This when I drive a 13 year old car with 160K miles on it, and haven’t taken a real vacation in 5 years. As for insurance companies, they keep saying the price of healthcare is going up, and yet they are actually cutting the fees they pay to me…Delta, Blue Cross and Medicaid all cut their reimbursement…so I’d like to know what costs are going up? Its not my fees.
My brother is my dentist. I love him. I still pay him, let him make fun of me while his fingers are in my mouth (so I can’t reply… it’s ok though, I bite him from time to time 😉 ) and I always brush my teeth before I go see him! He went to school for a long long time and I admire him for making it through! He’s an awesome dentist.
Also… I grind my teeth!
How can this topic get so many replies? Is this a dentist forum/site? Btw, good choice with WordPress. Kick ass CMS. If you ever need customization for it let me know. I will trade dental services for a custom Web design 🙂
On a more serious note, I think that every industry could list 10 reasons why they hate their customers. It isn’t just related to dentists.
Cheers!!
Lolabees,
You Rock. A friend of mine and I run a FB group called Dysfunctional Dental Stories. One of our members shared your blog in our group, which led others to share on the main FB wall and now I see that you’re going viral on FB. We, my friend Mary Beth and I would LOVE to have you join our group if you are on FB. It is full of really cool people from the dental community who love to share crazy stories about our daily adventures in our practices. I think you’d fit right in! I LOVE this blog and your others too, I’ve read a few. Keep blogging! Love Nomi Waters
It’s horrible for me. I have a hair trigger gag reflex and x-rays in particular are sheer torture.
But that’s not my dentist’s fault. He’s a good guy.
Patients like you can be very tricky but at least we understand that it’s not your fault. You’re not just tricking your own mind into being overly anxious and difficult.
Wonderful, wonderful post! To add: everyone feels inclined to make really dumb jokes and comments about dentists and dentistry. The best ones are just lame. (No, your sugar-rich dessert would not make me recoil in horror. I do have a personality outside of dentistry, and I love dessert.) The worst ones are passive-aggressive. (If I’m venting about a rough day that I just had, I’m not inclined to hear about how dentists are evil because your root canal hurt like hell.)
Anyhow, I wish you all the best in your future endeavors! 🙂
Seriously, hundreds of thousands of dollars in school loans. I love Basterds. Can we spell it basturds too? Excellent post. Thumbs up and amen!
This is SPOT ON. I wish those bastyrds can read this.
Healthcare profession is a “Noble profession” after all…We work more than what we get paid for, we understand that people make mistakes and keep our counter-transference in check! But it is also the most satisfying and rewarding job after all!
Love it!!!
Sincerely,
Your mouth janitor
Love the Post! I am a dentist and SO want to post this in my office! However, patients would feel it totally offensive so I will keep it to myself. I did repost it on my facebook…….so funny!
How did u put on FB? I’m trying from my phone. Not sure if it will let me?
Love it!!
I Love this.. So true!!! LOL
Lolabees: You really are not helping your profession with this sort of public outcry. Everyone reading this was at some point a patient, and very likely to be again in their lifetime. And the next time they go in to see a dentist, they will think of nothing but this post and resent their dentist even more. Imagine too if someone were to identify you, and your own patients saw what you had written about them! If someone in the medicine talked about patients this way…man. Frankly, you should have known what you were going into before you attended dental school. It is a lifelong commitment to others, and no one ever said it would be glorious or even that you would be appreciated for what you do. Good riddance.
People in the medical profession have written stuff like this. Look at a Reader’s Digest sometime. There is a monthly article about “50 Things Your ____ Won’t Tell You,” and doctors and nurses have been the ones in the blank at times.
And some patients really need to know what they do that is a hindrance to their own care. If that knowledge comes from a blog, so be it.
And it’s obvious from her former patients’ posts that Lolabees career change is not “good riddance” to them. It seems she was well-liked, which means she treated her patients well.
I have been a hygienist for 30 years and have always tried my very best to treat my patients as well, if not better than, I would treat my own family. I have been told countless times by patients who sat in my chair for the first time that they hate it here, they’d rather go through childbirth, they’d rather be anyplace else doing anything else rather than be in my chair. Once I have finished up with their appointment, they almost always thank me and ask if its ok to schedule with me for next time. I have quite a following at my office.
I know exactly how the dentist feels when he cited each and every reason why he hates “Those” patients. I agree totally with all 10 reasons. I have seen it all. My all-time favorite patients are the moms with toddlers who bring their “little darlings” in with them for us to babysit during their appointments. Come on, get a sitter already!!! Would you bring your cranky child with you to any other hour long important meeting, or appointment? Have you ever tried to work on a live human being with a colicky baby screaming the whole time 2 feet away? I’m trying to take good care of you and your 3 year old keeps asking, “Are you done yet, Mommy?”
If patients would just take a second and use a small fraction of the brain that God gave them they would not behave that way. For some reason dentists and dental offices are like a cosmetic store. “Just do what I want so I look better, as long as my insurance pays 100% for it. NO, I don’t want that if it’s not covered. Why should I have to pay?” They don’t speak to their Medical Doctor like that. They don’t decline to do what the Medical Doctor recommends. “Mrs, Jones, you have and infection in your kidneys we need to do this test and you have to take this prescription.”” “Yes, Dr. Smith.” But at the dental office its: “Mrs. Jones you have a broken tooth, we have to fix it with a crown.” :Will my insurance cover it? Not 100%?! Well it’s not hurting that badly so I’ll think about it.” Three month later Mrs. Jones is back with a toothache and now needs a root canal in ADDITION to the crown.” Oh, but dentisits are “greedy basterds”. I forgot!
Thank you, I just needed to vent.
Love this blog Lolabee. I am a fairly new dentist – D’10, and I work at a community health center. I experience most of the items on your top 10 every day. My addition to your list would be that I hate when patients who are meeting me for the first time start off the conversation by complaining about their previous dentist, or blaming their previous dentist for all of their dental problems. That patient has instantly put themselves on my “Oh geez, this is going to be a difficult patient” radar. I assume that they are also going to complain about me when they leave, and that most of the other items in your top 10 list will apply to them – they don’t take responsibility for the state of their own mouths, and have no appreciation for the work that we do.
I gather from the kind way that you’re responded to a few of the patients who have written, that you are a great dentist. And now that you are moving on, the profession will be losing an asset. 😉
Amanda, almost every patient is a recycled one looking for a place that will provide what they haven’t gotten in the past. If you listen closely, they will tell you how they wish to be treated. It’s how you respond that will make all the difference. If what they are asking for is reasonable, responding with something as simple as “Mrs. Jones, I’m sorry you had that experience. You can be sure that we will do everything we can to make sure that doesn’t happen here” can set you off on the right track. Assumptions can often be your worst enemy.
Your thoughts on this are so funny and you give us all a great reminder of how to behave at the dentist! Love your blog!!! Keep it up!!!
For the lady blaming dentists for causing her “TMJ”: you should blame God, and be very upset, because he didn’t really give you one TMJ, but two.
I am a TMD (temporomandibular DYSFUNCTION) specialist, with a 3 year Masters degree and residency on the topic. I will be brief and just say that unless your dentist punched you on your face it is HIGHLY unlikely he caused your condition. He may have exacerbated or flared the pain in a joint that previously already had a predisposition to the disease. If it wasn’t the mouth opening during the dental procedure, it could had been a yawn, or eating a sandwich, or laughing out loud…
When a dental procedure needs to be done, it needs to be done, right? And your mouth would need to be open, right? With IV sedation or without the mouth needs to be open, and no, to do a root canal or a large filing you CAN’T close your mouth every 5, 10 or even 15 minutes, it is simply not possible, because the procedure requires a dry field. I agree that SOME may not have the patience/care/attention to give a patient a little brake during the procedure, which may cause exacerbation/flare of TMJ pain issues, but MOST TIMES we have NO OTHER OPTION. There are side effects for every single medical/dental procedure out there, you have to assess the cost-benefit ratio and make a decision – an example: should I treat an infection on my tooth in the expense of having a flare of pain in my TMJ???? Well, you have to make this decision, and accept the consequences no matter the choice. Simple like that.
It is easy to blame others for what causes you pain. Difficult it’s to accept that you have a chronic, intermittent condition that requires continuous attention and care.
There are crazy dentists out there, as there are physicians, lawyers, engineers, etc… But they are the EXCEPTION, not the RULE. Stop the generalizations, please.
Have a good night.
Great post!
Thank You.
Reason # 12 your dentist hates you:
You are frustrated, angry, in pain, uncomfortable, and don’t have the knowledge to understand exactly why you feel this way nor are you ready to hear what it will take to make you feel better, but you have made up your mind that your condition is not your fault. You place the blame on me or the last dentist you saw and accuse us of being interested more in our fee than you. The best part is that no one cares about my feelings or frustrations in trying to help you. It’s my job to eat a big ol’ piece of crow listen attentively to your rant and try to get you to let me help you. Even better is I know I will get to enjoy this same experience with another patient this week.
I understand the dentists who prefer to do mission trips out of the country do so again and again because the people there need them and every person is glad to have whatever care the dentist is willing to give.
That said; I always tell people I get to go to work I don’t have to go to work and I can’t imagine wanting to be anything other than a dentist. lolabees, sorry it didn’t work out for you but good on you getting out and being happy.
Next patient please!
My husband hates the dentist, I love him! I love having a beautiful smile, etc.So as soon as our son was born, I really made brushing of the gums and talking about our teeth so much fun, etc. His pediatric dentist is beautiful so my son loves going. I decided to start making my husband go with my son and guess what, my husband is suddenly really taking a little more ownership in his teeth so when he takes my son to the dentist she now compliments him on his teeth. My plan worked and my son’s pediatric dentist was in on it! My son is 7 and has braces and is doing great. It’s all how you introduce things in your house and I appreciate my dentist and his staff, they are always up beat and cheerful. I have never sat down and thought I hate my dentist and I hope they’ve never sat down and thought I hate my patient. Usually he looks at my teeth and says “damn I’m good”
ok…question why are dental assistants so under paid?? I feel that we help the practice run more efficiently and contribute to patient care just as much as the rest of the staff. Maybe it is the area that I am in but I am over it! I have decided to go for dental hygiene, I love being an assistant but I can’t afford it anymore!!
I agree that dental assistants are highly important and contribute a great deal to a practice. I’ve told mine that if she ever talks about the “R” word (retirement), I’m chaining her to a chair in the basement at night to keep her here. But until then, I pay her very well. I don’t know what I’d do without her – she’s always looking for ways we can schedule more efficiently, she knows all our patients, their quirks, their families, jobs, pets, pasts,… She’s great at explaining to patients what we’ll be doing, in layman’s terms if I have to step out of the room for a moment. I seldom have to ask for an instrument – she’s ahead of me. And she’s great with making things fun for a nervous child.
I do think it is appropriate to pay a hygienist more than an assistant, due to their more extensive education and greater ability to produce income for the practice.
Good luck in hygiene school!
So loving this blog post… I’m in dental school, and everyday, I wonder why I’m dealing with my patients moans and groans with their EXTREMELY discounted work that I have spent the night before studying, and probably hours in a lab fabricating (or some other lab that I’ve paid to have it fabricated). Oh, and I find it humorous when someone comes to me, and actually is surprised to have a good experience.
NEWS FLASH: Dentists are here to do good. If you find one that is ripping you off and you feel like isn’t treating you well, you have free will–switch dentists. But the majority of us just want to help you get out of pain and fix that “snaggle” tooth that we stare at while you talk.
too funny!!… how about reason #13 why your dentist hates you:… you show up in a cadillac escalade, with a brand new iPhone and the latest Designer purse. You have several broken teeth (since you claim you “don’t clench/grind my teeth” and ignored my splint recommendation) and now need a few crowns… then you have the audacity to ask me for a discount (!)… because you have six kids (your choice) that you put in expensive private schools (again, your choice) and you ‘really don’t have a lot of money’ !!!!! Guess what? I know your address and you live in the most expensive area of town….seriously?!
good luck with your next endeavor, keep your license current, because, you never know, you may miss all of these wonderful situations we experience in dentistry
I am not a dentist, but I visit mine every six months. There are two dentists in the practice where I go and they are amazing! I couldn’t ask for better dentists! I love the whole staff…such great people. 🙂 Very professional, caring, understanding, SUPER with my girls and always willing to give advice when I ask (and sometimes when I don’t). LOL I show them respect, because they deserve it. I have never had an unpleasant visit. You are still young, hopefully you will mature into just accepting the little bit of discomfort that sometimes comes from a dental visit. Although, it shouldn’t be too uncomfortable…unless you’re having some work done and then, well….have you ever heard the saying “it hurts to be beautiful”? Thank them for taking the time to do their job well. 🙂 Find a good dentist and show him or her respect, because they know more about your teeth than you do. 🙂
Boy lady, you really hated you job right? Forget dentistry, work instead in a complaints department! Your bitchy attitude will come in handy!!
I saw nothing bitchy in Lolabees post – she just stated the facts we all come across, with a bit of humor.
How was she bitchy?
I had more than one patient who are more than 20min late for their 30min appointment. When I explained to them that I could not see them or I’d have to make the other patients wait (unfairly), they got mad at me. Would it be wrong for me to feel upset that they got angry at me for the consequence of their own mistake? Should I have upset the other patients who came on time by treating these tardy ones and making the punctual ones wait?
Another patient broke 4 dentures made by 4 different dentists, and she believed it was all because the 4 previous dentists were bad. Was it wrong of me to decide to not make the 5th denture for her? If she broke one, I’d think ‘perhaps it was the dentist’. Two, ‘maybe she was unlucky’. More than two, ‘no, it was her own fault.’
So so true!!!!
What did I learn from reading this blog and its comments? There are a lot of angry and disgruntled folk out there in need of a release. There are always factors to consider when it comes to people’s actions (but yes, some people do suck). I did get quite a few laughs out of reading some of the comments posted. At the end of the day we should remember its just water under the bridge and there are other more important things to worry about than whether or not someone appreciates us being in their mouth (that sounded unintentionally dirty).
Wow, what an interesting way to finish a tough day at the dental office by reading all of the comments. I guess after 35 years of being a dentist (missing only two sick days and one of those was to bury my son), never having a paid day off or a paid vacation…I feel I have helped my community be healthier. Some patients are scared, some are just mean jerks, but they all want healthy teeth and that is what I was trained to provide. Every profession has its down side. Dentistry can provide fulfillment because people come to us with acute needs and we have the ability to make them smile again.
I have to agree with Amanda Davids. I am also a dental hygienist and all of the top 10 apply, but I would also have to add “the moms with toddlers who bring their “little darlings” in with them for us to babysit during their appointments” to the list. It is very frustrating and difficult to do our job while your child is whining and playing with the light, instruments, suction, etc. I have even had a child lay his head down on my leg and drool all over me, then proceed to put his mouth on anything he could within reach. If you’re kids cannot behave, please leave them home.
I’m a greedy dentist I guess. So when a patient tells me they just made my car payment I tell them “lord no, that was paid off long ago”.
Sad as it is, this top ten resonates with dentists because we have heard everything on the list, all too frequently.
One of the worst parts about being a dentist is having a patient in one room that accepts what is going on, handles the small twinge from the carefully placed injection (and dentists know all too well what this feels like, as we have all had every injection known to man, performed by people with zero experience). I then get to go into the next room and the patient acts like I’m injecting molten hot lava in their face. I especially love the patients that start their pain response prior to me actually inserting the needle.
I do love helping these people though, and I put up with more than I probably should. This Saturday we will be doing a free dental care day in our office. Just trying to help some if the less fortunate out the best way we can. We will probably see about 60 people and two of those people will make me contimplate never doing it again, but I know in the end I will cause this greedy bastard actual must care deep down in my small heart.
Full disclosure – I’m an orofacial pain specialist, which is a dentist who specializes in treating headaches, muscle pain, nerve pain, sleep apnea and TMJ issues. Here are my Top 10 comments to this engaging post. Enjoy.
1. Any dental treatment at any fee is 100% custom for every single procedure.
2. Don’t complain about the fees unless you were not advised prior to treatment what the cost of the procedure was. You accepted the treatment and the fee, and obtained a good service for your money.
3. Pay your bill at the time of service. Dentists aren’t banks and there is no other business that will let you walk out the door without paying for the product/service. I guarantee you Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot, etc. did not let you walk out their doors without paying for your stuff.
4. Most dental offices have an overhead between 60% and 75%. Yes, good dental treatment is expensive but some patients think the fees are 100% profit.
5. If you neglected your teeth, or went to the dentist in pain, don’t blame the dentist, and accept responsibility for your pre-existing condition.
6. What is wrong if a dentist runs a successful practice and makes a good living?
8. Lower your dental expenses by taking better care of your teeth. The more you do, the less we will need to do. Floss and brush at least twice a day, and get your teeth cleaned as often as recommended by your dentist. That is the best insurance you can invest in. It’s your choice.
9. Dentists should give patients a break every few minutes for longer procedures. If a patient is open for too long without a break, it can exacerbate a displaced disc or a closed lock, which are technical terms for what the public refers to as TMJ. Yes, the condition was likely pre-existing but dentists should not make a patient worse, which is when they end up in my office.
10. Almost all TMJ pain can, and should, be treated without touching your teeth. I treat TMJ pain without adjusting any teeth since most issues are related to the muscles and/or the joint itself, and have nothing to do with the teeth. Most TMJ can be treated very conservatively with stretching, nighttime splints, and anti-inflammatory medications. True.
I love you point about paying at the time of service. Funny how patients can’t afford their crown or endo treatment but have no problem at all paying for their brand new 60″ 3D top of the line television!
One of my favorites is the patient with the $3,000 designer purse and the matching designer shoes who complains about dental fees. Priorities, people, priorities.
Great thoughts Orofacial Pain Specialist. If dentists could learn to find gracious ways to express these sentiments, they could have more productive and respectful relationships with their patients. Thanks.
Thumbs up! Nice read. My friends shared this post in Facebook. I agree on 1 – 11. 🙂
I love Reason 8! That so irks me
I work for a dentist that has been practicing for 28 years. I want to say I love the article!! I am an assistant, but that is secondary to my resposibility as office comedian. I feel like the Dr. I work for would love to print the 10 reasons….and spend alot of time coming up with funny comebacks to the rude announcement that “I hate the Dentist” people spew out without thinking:
#1. 99% of people dread coming to the dentist, please come up with an original comment before he gets in here, thanks
#2. Can u imagine what it would feel like if he walked in and said he hated you? Dentists have a high suicide rate, i need job security, so how about you wait to decide if you hate him until after you actually meet…..
#3. I am sure once you have been to our office, you will hate many things, but it wont be our dentist.
#4. Does your hate come from anxiety? Do you want the giant inflatable baby bottle, or the big stuffed chicken to hold on to? It is a visual aid to let him know you arent comfortable……so you dont have to say you hate him 🙂
I could keep going, most people are shocked and quickly realize they are being Rude!! Most people will actually choose the chicken, and i say dont be a chicken, they dont have any teeth!!! I work hard to remove all negativity before he is in the room, and our patients know from that point on that we are truly trying to make them comfortable, and improve their dental health. If you are not comfortable where you are, keep looking….we say it all the time, there are 40 other dentists in this town, surely you can find one if you do not like us……life is too short to even make a rebuttal to the person that was hateful about dentists in her comment…….I bet she has had a bad experience in one office, and has used that to judge us all. She might end up like my stuffed chicken……toothless!
Just an FYI, it is a myth that dentists have high suicide rates. But it doesn’t hurt to be nice to a dentist.
Yes, we had the highest suicide rate for over 30 years, but we have been surpassed by psychiatrists just this year.
I am a dental assistant and I absolutely love this post!! When people automatically say they “hate the dentist” I always let them know they are far from the last person to say those words and ask why. They never have a legitimate reason… usually something sissy like “I hate the sound of the drill”.
YES!!! Finally someone who gets it! When patients make comments like this, don’t assume you know what it’s about. Ask them. Behind the comment lies a whole host of different reasons – some of which the patient wasn’t even aware of until you took the time to ask. Replacing your judgment with curiosity allows you to truly find out what is holding your patients back and starts the process of behavior change through discovery. Now, the answer IS legitimate. For instance, the “sissy” drill thing – if the sound is an issue for them, it’s an issue. Stay in the question – what is it about the sound that bothers them? Are there things we can do to make that less of a problem for them? – you get the idea…keep being curious!!! Bravo.
just explain the consequences and the treatment part , allow the patients to decide what they what.
if we force them for their betterment they will think we are doing this for our sake(our betterment).
so let them go through the consequences(tooth acne is horrible no one willl dare to bare it.) they will understand the need and importance of the treatment.they will cooperate. MAKE THEM FEEL THE NEED,
DO NOT FORCE THE treatment allow them their way .
by doing this both of us can earn respect for each other..
” dentist are greedy basterds that want to work out you as fast as possible not letting you close your jaw for a moment. ”
dentists are in servise industry .it is for ur sake u go to them dear patients so kindly respect them ‘
u have no choice dear patients u have to respect or suffer pain , NO dentist will allow u speak against any dentist in the manner u have done above.
wow, i think its fairly clear to assume that dentists out there definitely know what TMJ stands for. and its apparently very funny.
and by the looks of the subsequent discussion, im assuming they teach best by repetition, because that’s what keeps coming up.
Lolabees,
Great tongue in cheek vent, (excuse the pun). Your 10 Reasons response was very clever and right on the mark. Thank you also for providing the opportunity for so many people to rant. I almost forgot how anal retentive our profession can be. I will forward to all my dental buds as my daughter, also a dentist, did to me.
Guess I should learn how to perform my own dental work, these professionals appear cynical……hateful towards their careers and reimbursements and clients…. shock and awe… to say the least.
Care without judgement…
YES! Learn your own dental work it may take you becoming one of us to understand these frustrations. Enough said.
Just learn to brush and floss. Then, you won’t need our services as frequently and even then probably just basic ones (cleaning and periodic x-rays).Perhaps then you will have plenty of time to pull that stick out that jammed up your butt and get a sense of humor!!
I have been treated by quite a few dentist and
I have to say I never had a dentist I didn’t like
Even the dental surgeons who extracted all of
My wisdom teeth (in 1 day I might add) where
great. Haha the pain after sucked but I never
Laid blame on them. I love going to visit the
dentist and if my insurance would allow it I would
go monthly. I absolutely love that fresh feeling when
I leave their office. My new dentist is a riot. He uses
to much novacain but hey after the first time
I just asked not to be so numb. As for the noise
While sitting in the dental chair my DA just said
Bring in your iPod and listen to your music..
Lol once I told my dentist to put his mask on and
He replied “I read your chart, I know you don’t have
anything”. I said listen doc but I don’t know what
you have … He Laughed it off while pulling up his
mask.. I still remember the look on my surgeons
face when after getting the 4 extractions I
just wanted Motrin… lol I can understand fear my
Sister has only 8 teeth left in her mouth due to
a dependency on prescription medication and
Her lack of going to the dentist because of fear.
We visited the same dentists as children so no I don’t believe
A dentist was to blame.. Some people a just that
way.. Anyway I don’t think of dentists as greedy bastards
I think they have come a long way in the dentistry
feild.
An interesting read, I do have to say I enjoyed it. Something some people don’t seem to understand is that your dentist is trying to do their job. It’s nothing personal, they are trying to pay their bills and feed their family (should they have one). When I go to the dentist, I try to help my dentist make the process as easy, quick, and painless as possible. First and foremost I make the time to brush beforehand, it’s just gross if you don’t, at least chew some gum and try to make your breath not wreak to high hell. Second, I open wide as possible, this falls under easy and quick. Third, I realize as a reasonable and hopefully intelligent person that there is some pain involved. All I can say is shut up, deal with it, and be an adult about it. Get it done and you be ok after a day or two.
Wow, what a bunch of uncouth dentists! A young girl in pain vents and so many of you lash out at her, and how! Sounds like an ocean of frustrated and unhappy dentists and patients. Maybe it is time to do your own root canal. Very disheartening! I didn;t hate them before but now I wonder if I have started to hate dentists!
Great post. Spot on.
Can you guys stop pointing out that TMJ is apart of the human anatomy. I think she saw people make the post a hundred times before you decided too.
Thanks for making my day Lolabees. After reading this, I can also say, “…….ahhhhh, I feel so much better now.” My favorite is Number 5 and 6.
Kudos to you for penning our thoughts in a very humorous and witty manner! Humor is the essence of life… It can change even a dreary moment into something tolerable,if not downright beautiful! And I simply love the way you are taking the time to reply to each comment personally,even the nasty ones!! And that too so pleasantly!! Good luck on your future endeavors!! 🙂
Great! Thanks for this post…at least now patients know how we (dentist) really feel. All the comments here are good benefiting both the dentist and patients. Patients should know that not all of the dentists are alike…if you feel your dentist is a gold digger go find another, ask friends or relatives for referrals. And for the dentist who are doing bad things to their patients, you are losing so much in your practice…you will lose your credibility as a professional and eventually lose patients. God bless you lolabees! please do more post in the future!
“Additionally, I have spent hours literally bending over backwards repairing your teeth.”
Really? How does that work exactly?
This is so funny. I can relate being an ER nurse we see many people with rotten mouths showing up in the middle of the night demanding pain meds, tooth extraction, etc. like this just happened. All I have to say about #2 is thank goodness you weren’t an OB-GYN. It could always be worse 🙂
Gee I’m so sorry some of you chose a profession that is so bad. boo f’ing hoo. Suck it up you are well compensated and don’t get me the crap about your education bills we all have them. Maybe if we weren’t meant to feel like we committed some unspeakable crime for having an issue in an area only seen through an x-ray because the previous hack placed the crown so close to the tooth next to it that every time you floss in that area it breaks. Yeah, that was my fault… My son’s pediatric dentist has the same smug attitude I hated as a kid; a bitchy hygienest who is pissed because my son isn’t a seasoned vet in the torture chair yet and a dentist who comes in as the closer like a 9th inning relief pitcher to tell me my boy needs a little bit of work. cha ching. So, yeah I don’t hate you I just hate going to see you! I am made to feel like crap and get to pay you handsomely for the effort.
I hope you don’t refer to the dental chair as a “torture chair” in your son’s hearing. If so, you may be contributing a lot to your own problems. Even if you don’t specifically say things like that, if you have a bad attitude toward dental appointments, that attitude will communicate itself to your son.
And if you don’t like your son’s dentist, switch.
a drawing pictures a dentist and his friend. friend: “what will you be after you stop being a dentist?”. dentist: “happy”.
I have this drawing in my office
And weirdly enough, a lot of educated people felt the need to act in an immature way (ie two wrongs make a right?) by insulting someone they perceived in insulting them. Further, it seems that either we have a bunch of narcissists here or people just didn’t read the other comments, because I could swear I read the same f***ing comment by most people responding,,,
Was all this necessary? Did it improve dentist/patient relations?
To be fair, the initial post wasn’t kind to people either.
For my part, I’ve been on both sides of the situation. I have worked in offices and know how hard the employees work and that they believe they are doing good things for people, not figuring out ways to steal their money for unnecessary procedures.
I have also been on really hard time for years where I could not afford a dentist. To me, a dentist is a bit of a luxury. To my insurer, my dentistry is a bit of a luxury, too. lol As a result, I am not able to schedule dental work as I would like to have it. Not only that, but I have a family. Sometimes their dentistry needs supersede my own. We do not have an unlimited supply of credit or money. We have to pick and choose. Sometimes, it also means we have to pick and choose even getting a cleaning done in a timely manner. I actually had one dentist suggest I take out a small home equity loan to pay for dental work he thought I needed. I was thinking “Really??????? Compromise the stability of my living place to pay for dental work?” I said, “No, thank you. I am uncomfortable taking out a loan for this.” Assuming I qualified and that a bank would give me a loan for ‘dental work’. So, that ‘nasty mouth’ you might be working on might not have had too many alternatives. Even basic brushing and flossing doesn’t get rid of all plaque. If it did, people wouldn’t need cleanings.
My frustration with many dentists around here is that they contribute to their own bad perception. When I check out of the dentist, I ask for payments and am told, ‘no way’, and not in a nice fashion. The average person cannot afford to just write checks for $3000 or $5000 and that makes them reluctant to make an appointment and keep up with their own care. Dental insurance is mostly crap, which is not good – considering much research now indicates problems like heart disease are exacerbated by inflammation. I think dental insurance is way out of date and doesn’t compensate for procedures on a level that it should. It would be nice for dentists to take some time out of their busy schedules to lobby for improvement on that for their patients’ benefit, or failing that stop refusing insurance because they don’t want to ‘deal with the headache’ of trying to collect. My job is to provide insurance, to pay what they don’t pay, keep my end of the bargain with brushing and flossing, and make my appointments. My job is NOT to make your existence as easy as humanly possible. You make a good living, can afford to hire someone to chase down that insurance, so please do just that. Oh and flexible monthly payments on the balance would also be nice. There’s no need for me to pay you $5000 today. Even the hospital will accept payment arrangements. (PS This is not an isolated case. In my town of 120,000 people with two hospitals and a teaching hospital, I found exactly TWO dentists who will take flex payments and I am seeing one of them…)
Their staff is often gossipy and unprofessional, too. When I am in the chair, I don’t want to hear about your fight with your girlfriend, boyfriend, mother, sister, husband, priest, etc. I don’t want to know where you think you might want to go for lunch. I don’t want to overhear your cell phone conversation, or bickering with other employees. Those things detract from my ability to relax and focus on the situation at hand. I am already laying down in a fairly strange place, often in pain or discomfort, with bright lights and bad music all around me, being told I’m going to need $5000 work of root canals and crowns. The rest is insult to injury.
Anyway, I hope that my comment has been more constructive. I wish that a dialogue had been opened here instead of a dogpile on someone, but that’s just the Internets, or so I hear.
You make some good observations, and I hope you will see my responses as explanations not attacks.
On the topic of payments. When you buy a car, the dealership does not finance the car for you they provide a financing option through a bank. A dentist does not have the financial resources to take on the risk of lending and act like a bank. We run a very high overhead business, and when we accept payments (most of us will on occasion for highly necessary treatment for patient who are truly limited financially – but not for convenience) we put ourselves at huge financial risk because of our costs. We frequently have people chose to finance $5000 worth of work, others choose to have the tooth extracted and buy a deck for their house. The dentist is giving you options, and you have the right to chose to spend the money on something else based on your priorities. The dentists obligation is to tell you what he sees in your mouth and what can be done about it. Don’t be upset with him because he lacks the crystal ball necessary to know you priorities
You said, “I think dental insurance is way out of date and doesn’t compensate for procedures on a level that it should. It would be nice for dentists to take some time out of their busy schedules to lobby for improvement on that for their patients’ benefit, or failing that stop refusing insurance because they don’t want to ‘deal with the headache’ of trying to collect.” Dental insurance is out of date, but as dentists we have very little control over what your insurance pays, so if we are going to lobby for your benefit that sometimes means not letting them control our fees. Maybe the reason you think all dentistry is crap is because you keep going to dentists who try to treat your dental problems with such low compensation they cannot possibly do a good job. We sometimes get proposals from insurance companies where the reimbursement for a crown is 20% less then my actual costs. to afford it I would have to spend half the time doing the work, send the crown to China to be made, and hire staff that lacks the professionalism to know when it is appropriate to talk about their drinking escapades.
I hope you can take my comments in the constructive manner they were meant.
We offer a dental insurance alternative in our office called quality dental plan. You can find an office near you or recommend an office at http://www.qualitydentalplan.com
We are doing our best to help our community. I hope you can find the resources to assist you with you and your family’s dental needs.
Unfortunately the vast vast majority of dentists don’t take in house payment plans because they have tried it, and most of their patients don’t pay them. Not some, MOST. Can’t help people when you are bankrupt.
I feel for your condition. I understand what is happening, and I see it all too often. good luck to you.
Yeah I find this at animal hospitals too, because people won’t pay. It sucks for me because I would feel immensely guilty if I didn’t keep up with a payment plan, but for every one of me there’s ten jerks not paying and they ruin it for everyone.
If dental work is sooo necessary, then how come its not funded like Obama care? If U really need it to be heathy–diabetes and heart problems then why ant that like going to reg Doctor? Its heath!!! plus being able to eat normal?
As the payment plan issue has already been addressed by other posters, I will address the insurance issue. Filing your insurance is done as a COURTESY, it is not required. Some dentists in my area don’t file at all, just give the patient their bill and let them do the work of filing themselves. And yes, I don’t accept insurance who insult my staff, demand from me refunds of money they didn’t pay in the first place or threaten to sue me if I don’t pay, or consistently “lose” claims for which I have electronic evidence of claims submission. Some insurance companies are abusive and dishonest, and I will not work with those companies.
And, if we have a large enough practice to require us to hire another person just to deal with insurance companies, well, who do you think that cost gets passed on to? That’s right – the patient. Filing insurance generates NO income for the practice, but it does cost the practice money. That money has to be recooped somehow.
As far as staff conversations – let your dentist know you’d prefer quiet. Many of us keep up a stream of chatter as a way of putting the patient at ease. If it bothers you, say so. But I wouldn’t characterize all that conversation as gossip – most of us are friendly with our staff, see each other socially, and are involved in each other’s lives. Sometimes, just as with any other coworkers who are also friends, we chat about our personal lives. But we don’t gossip about someone else’s personal life in a malicious way, which is what I consider gossip to be. At least, not in my office.
I Love the chitter chatter!!!–It helps me not concentrait on whats really gonna happen!!!!
Just wondering why this country doesn’t have better dental insurance plans? We have pretty good medical insurance coverage, why is there not good dental insurance? Your teeth can become a medical emergency if not taken care of, so I don’t understand the reasoning behind this. Even with the militaries insurance for dental, I still end up paying a good chunk of cost, and never pay anything for medical. The dentist and oral surgeon informed me that they would really recommend that I get my wisdom teeth out, because they would cause problems in the future. However, it still cost me $600 to get them out. I paid this amount, but what about the individuals that are below the poverty line, that make less than $1000 a month (they can’t afford to shell out $600?) If something is really necessary, then why isn’t it covered by medical? They did tell me it was an elective surgery, but if the wisdom teeth are going to cause me problems, preventative care is important. If we spend more time doing preventative care, then there would be less people having issues later.
That’s a good question Natalie. I hope all the dentists and their financial coordinators respond to you. My perspective is that as employee benefits, dental coverage is considered an “add on” – sort of like an extra bonus over and above medical coverage. Employers negotiate with their insurance providers for the best deal they can get – which ends up being nothing more than a couple of cleanings/exam and a small amount toward treatment per year. Truth is, people don’t die from “bad dental health” and treatment isn’t “necessary” in most cases and that drives how the industry treats dental care. Bottom line is if you value your teeth, want to look good, want to chew and enjoy your food, want to avoid pain and/or want peace of mind, you will have to pay for it yourself – just like car repairs, a new dishwasher, a perm or other things you could live without but prefer to have.
I would love to know exactly what kind of degree you hold Mary Beth Head? Your assertion that ” Truth is, people don’t die from “bad dental health” and treatment isn’t “necessary” in most cases and that drives how the industry treats dental care.” is one of the beliefs that causes so many patients to not understand how their dental health DOES affect their entire body. Dental Insurance company’s get by with treating oral health like a second class citizen because for so long this myth has persisted. I surely hope with the advancements in science and in dentistry that myth is replaced soon with a more educated understanding and that the insurance company’s will finally start to devise plans more in line with what our medical communities have. $1000 – $1500 per year maximum payouts in dentistry is peanut compared with the thousands of dollars your medical insurance company pays for your healthcare.
Melanie, Forgive me. You’ll get no argument from me on anything in your response. I certainly don’t want to perpetuate the perception that oral health is not connected to overall health. My point was that most dental insurance companies justify their benefits on the fact that in many dental situations there is no systemic relationship – sad but true.
No problem Mary Beth 🙂
I just did not want to have someone read misinformation and set back the little bit of advancements we have made in this area.
I think we both agree that it is the insurance companies that need to change their look at dental health so that patients will also start to see how very important their dental health affects their overall health. 🙂
Melanie…and unfortunately Brad’s got it right. the insurance companies hold all the lobbying power. Just look at what’s happening in the state of Washington and you will see how damaging dental “insurance” is becoming. That will increase over time and dentists better get ready and hold on for the ride. The little power dentists hold is the ability to influence their patients to think differently about the role dental insurance plays in their care. It’s like pushing boulders uphill but it’s the most powerful leverage you have.
The reason dental insurance is designed differently than medical is EXACTLY the opposite of the reason you gave here: “treatment isn’t necessary.” The insurance industry is gambling that you DO NOT need medical treatment. There have been studies that show that “check ups” with a GP do not lengthen or enhance your life. There are people that go their whole lives without seeing a medical doctor, but they do need a dentist. Preventive dentistry enhances and sometimes extends your life expectancy. You’re right tin that the industry treats dental insurance differently: It’s more expensive and employers cannot afford it. Actuarial numbers drive the industry.
The simple answer that you probably don’t want to hear is that. Dental care is an expensive quality of life treatment and nobody starves without teeth. True, life threatening dental infections do occur, but are relatively rare, and when they do occur they can be treated in the hospital under medical coverage. Most dental disease is largely preventable with good home care and diet, so it is a good thing for people to have a financial stake in taking care of their teeth. If you stay on top of it and do the preventative things you will rarely have a huge financial obligation.
Like others have said dental “insurance” is an add on and it is only as good as the plan chosen by the employer. Furthermore, it really isn’t insurance at all in the sense that it doesn’t insure you against a catastrophic loss, rather it gives you a benefit to use.
As far as lobbying goes, the insurance companies have all the lobbying power. The Ada is no small group but the insurance companies really don’t have to listen to us, as we don’t buy insurance from them. The only people they will listen to is the employers. On a final note, insurance companies have an unfair exemption to the Sherman anti trust act that allows them to work in tandem against all of us, vs competing against each other like every other business in America. If you want change, lobby against the anti trust exemption–dentists already spend fortunes doing just that.
Natalie,
please be aware insurance companies are in business to make money. They do not provide care. The less treatment they cover and/or more hassles they create, the less money they have to pay out, this equates to the more money they make. The people who lose in this insurance model are the patients and the dental office. Also, please be aware dental insurance and medical insurance are to completely different business models. I mentioned in an earlier post we started to offer an insurance alternative called quality dental plan that gives people without insurance a benefit to visit our office. It still costs money but it is much less than insurance and unlike insurance you can save on all of the dental care at our office. Insurance companies make it extremely difficult to provide quality work at low reimbursements. Patching a hole in a boat with a piece of gum only last so long! Prevention is the best dentistry as it is the best medicine.
Natalie,
You may be surprised to hear that many patients actually lose money by having dental insurance. We are sometimes asked by our patients to analyze whether having insurance is “worth it” for a patient or family, when the patient’s insurance premiums are paid in part by deduction from their payroll. In some cases, patients were paying $1200 per year in premiums, but only using about $250 to $300 per year in benefits, because their oral hygiene was so good. Unlike a severe medical problem, house fire, or car wreck, severe dental problems are seldom unpredictable, and seldom costly enough to lead to bankruptcy. So, we’re not usually insuring against a catastrophic loss here. And unlike those other types of insurances, dental insurance has a very low maximum benefit – usually around $1500. So, people were paying $1200 in premiums to receive a maximum benefit of $1500, of which we could fairly predictably say they were unlikely to use more than $300. Those patients were losing a lot of money over the years – and insurance companies were profiting handsomely. Once they saw the numbers, many chose to drop their insurance and pay out of pocket.
Indeed!!!!!!!
So true!!
Talk to me about overfilling…
Before you ridicule a patient for using the term TMJ instead of TMD, consider how often you tell a patient that they need a “root canal” when we really mean endodontic therapy.
Oh, so very true! Haha 😉
As a third year dental student I have already encountered everything you said. Hilarious but also sad. People just don’t understand the difficulties of fixing their teeth, especially when they don’t care enough to maintain them themselves.
Its not that we don”t care!!!! We are dental fobs!!! Sooo much pain at dentist!!!!! Its a heart Attack waiting to happen!!!! U don’t understand I
Us Phobics!!!! Dental ones!!!!
To all the people that are wasting their time blogging, bitching and being passively aggresive on this page. Why don’t you spend your time more valuably…spend it flossing your teeth once a day.
All the studies show that it is better for you mouth and your body.
YOU SAID EXACTLY WHAT I WANT TO SAY!!!! GOD BLESS YOU 😀
I just want to say I love my Dentist! He and his entire staff are the most wonderful people. I had really bad teeth for a long time and when I went to him he came up with a great plan of action to help me. I can now smile and show my teeth with pride. He not only helped my teeth he helped my self esteem. Thank you all the dentists here for all you do for us 🙂
true
Awesome, everything you said is so true.
AWW MAN!!!!! SO VERY TRUE AND I WILL LEAVE IT AT THAT
imagine that we have to deal with all of these 10 problems in egypt while the crown fees cannot pay for a good shirt. looooooooooooooool
Interesting article. Obviously that provider was a little UN-happy with there career choice and made the best possible choice for them. Leave the profession before they hurt someone or better yet get sued. In any career choice you make you must love it not like it. It will show clearly in your work. Money comes and money goes, but if you are good at what you do and love what you do financial reward comes often. I applaud the writer to decide to leave the profession. To many of stay us stay in a profession that they completely dislike and do damaging and create scaring affects in people lives. If you are true to yourself re-evaluate your career choice. It’s never too late to start over. I am a DENTIST and TOTALLY LOVE WHAT I DO….. I can’t think of no other profession I want to be in………
Thank you so much for your comment! I agree with you 100% I loved (almost) all of my patients and always gave them my very best because I care about people and believe in doing what is right. Your patients are very lucky to have you, and I am so happy to hear there are so many dentists who love what they do!
Omg I used to think this every single day I worked on patients! Its so true! another thing I would add is… Every time I went to party or met some relatives, they would tell their little kids that if they didn’t behave, I’d give them an injection! I love little toddlers and it is so depressing when none of them will step 2 meters around you once their parents scare the shit out of them. It is no wonder every child that walked into our clinic was bawling his/her head out so much and for so long, that most of the allotted chair time was spent calming the poor kid. Part of the reason I hate pediatric dentistry. Every word I’ve read here I’ve been nodding my head to. Could I post this to my blog please??
Yes, thanks for asking. Could you just please give me the credit for your post? Glad you liked it!
You’re welcome! I hope this is ok!
http://iliketorantandrave.wordpress.com/2011/12/01/10-reasons-your-dentist-probably-hates-you-too/
Great post! I agree 100%. Most patients are nice but it’s the 10% who give you ulcers.
I will never change dentists because there’s Penthouse magazines in the lobby.
Lolabees,
I have never read your blog before, and I have to admit that after reading all of these responses, I’m apprehensive to comment. There seems to be a great deal of attack by others that I do not wish to be subject to! I do, however, want to say “Thank You!” Thank you for helping me understand what those in your (former) profession go through. As a patient, especially if I were in pain, or fearful, I’m not sure that I have thought beyond myself to the needs of the others in the room. I get that I’m the patient, and I need the care, but that does not excuse a lack of common courtesy. Like most others, I’d rather be doing a lot of things than going to the dentist. However, for whatever the reason is, I am there and need to make the best of it! Thankfully, I love my dentist. I do not envy her job, and this blog helps me not only internally appreciate her more, but will also help me externally show it more. So, again, thanks! Best wishes in your new career!
Thank you so much, Kathy! Most people have never read my blog before!!!! I’m actually quite shocked that it has caused such an uproar. Based on your kind response, I can assure you that no one will attack you here 😉 I just posted (not sure where it ended up in the long list of comments) that I am literally sickened by all of the nasty comments. While I originally wanted everyone to have the chance to speak, I can no longer tolerate it, and am starting to censor. So thank you for all the lovely things you’ve had to say. It’s people like you that make our lives so much easier.
Good thing you can reply to this annonymously! My husband is a dentist and I have been working in the front office for the last 11 years. Most patients make HORRIBLE and INAPPROPRIATE comments about money. Most of them make snotty comments about cars they THINK we own, vacations they THINK we have taken, and assume we just put the money in our pockets and skip away, spending it on trivial things. Did they all forget that we provide JOBS for people in our community? That we pay TAXES: payroll taxes, property taxes, unemployment taxes, INCOME taxes – the list goes on and on! I would LOVE to take the money and run, but it just doesn’t work that way. @lolabees – Thank You! for saying what none of us can say UNTIL we retire. For the rest of you who think that dentists are greedy bastards (spelled correctly) stop going to the dentist!!!!!! When you are in pain, or don’t have teeth to chew your food with, maybe you can look back on your comments and think again. Maybe that dentist – you know, the one you said screwed up your TMJ wasn’t that bad. “Boy! I sure wish I would have been nicer to him/her so that I could go back and have him/her fix my pathetic excuse for a mouth.” How about the comment we LOVE to hear the most: “CANDY! You can’t give my child CANDY! Oh, that’s right you’re just trying to drum up business!” Holy cow, folks, REALLY??? Is that the best you can do??? Hit me with your best shot!!! I have heard EVERYTHING!!! Sadly, most of it is insulting, inappropriate and rude. We are a pathetic society.
FrontOfficeHell you are completely right!!! My fiance is in a private practice and the terrible things that some of his patients tell him that he later comes and tells me are atrocious! Why does everyone think they get to treat a medical professional like this?? Half of these people didn’t even graduate high school and yet they feel they have the right to mouth off and be so rude to someone who busted their ass to be able to provide a much needed service to them. People like suggestsmagic (above) do nothing to help the doctor/patient relationship and yet they feel that just because they exist they have the right to treat another human being like a pile of crap. If that’s how they feel they should just stay home. Don’t even bother making an appointment.
I hate going to the dentist. Every time I go to a new one, I fill out the paperwork and history and I put in big letter, “SPENT 6 YEARS IN BRACES AND HEADGEAR BOTH CAP AND NECK” The hygenist reads the history but the dentist doesn’t and the first thing out of his mouth is “So have you ever thought about braces?” I want to kick him in the shin or a bit higher up. I didn’t miss an appointment, I didn’t break appliances or brackets or bands. I had a messed up mouth. I brush 2x a day with tartar control toothpaste I floss at least 3x a day. My teeth aren’t white, They have a grayish tint to them because of the braces.
Hopefully you can find a different dentist that will take more time to get to know you. I can understand why you feel the way you do.
don’t you think it might be sore for a while? –
No! If it was just a filling, then patients are supposed to feel only slight discomfort in the gum where the injection was done. If you had a filling done (without any root treatment) and the tooth started hurting withing a few days, it is wrong. It means: 1) that there is some infection inside and as there is no way for the infection to come out it gives you pain. And if it happens, it’s your dentist’s mistake, because his job is to identify how deep the cavity is and to resolve the problem asap; 2) the filling is too high and needs correction, which the dentist has to do for free, of cause.
Incorrect.
Every time we touch a bur to a tooth, we risk traumatizing the nerve of that tooth to some degree. For most patients, the tooth can handle the trauma, and the nerve can heal, although some sensitivity for a while is completely normal. If the decay is deep and close to the nerve, the trauma of decay removal close to the nerve can cause irreversible damage, and the nerve can die, causing the tooth to need either a root canal or extraction. Neither of these is the dentist’s fault; it’s just the nature of the beast. And it is frequently difficult to determine, even with x-rays, exactly how deep the decay is until we actually get it all removed.
If the decay is deep, that’s the patient’s fault, not the dentist’s.
And yes, if a filling is high, which sometimes happens and can also cause pain, the dentist should adjust it for free.
And a very small number of cases can lead to peripheral neuropathic or central neuropathic pain. This means that the area around the tooth is painful but the pain is not coming from the tooth. Dentists need to be more aware of these types of pain. We see patients everyday with root canals and extractions but the pain persists since the pain generator is not the tooth. The pain if coming from a trauma to the trigeminal system.
And Miss, if you think you know how this “simple procedure” works, why don’t you just self-operate? I wonder if your dentist enjoys seeing you?
I love this. Read the whole thing.
Here’s my gripe about the great profession. When I schedule an appointment, I’m expected to be there at the appropriate time. When I’m late, you’re upset. When I’m on time and you’re late, oh well. My time isn’t valuable. I believe it’s the same as airlines overbooking. Trying to keep schedules filled with the inevitable no shows. However, if I’m “bumped” on an airline, I am compensated for the inconvenience. Not so at my local dentist. Suck it up, you’re lucky we’re seeing you is the perception I get. I try and practice the 10 minute rule. If my scheduled appointment comes and goes by 10 minutes without being attended to, I leave. Common courtesy goes a long way. My 1/4 of a cent.
You are right. As a profession (m.d.s too) we are very disrespectful about other people’s time. However, many people do try hard to stay on time. It was more the exception than the rule that I was ever more than 10 minutes late. Sometimes a procedure goes long and we need to spend the extra time to help the patient in our chair get the best care that they need. What we can only hope for is that our patients are understanding enough that when they need the extra time from us, they can feel confident that we will give it to them. I know, that case is only some of the time, but many of us do try. Thanks for commenting.
You are right that some offices do not respect peoples times, but most do and there are reasons dentists occasionally run late. People forget that even a simple filling is a surgery, and the unexpected can arise during a surgery, thus causing the procedure to take longer than expected and I would think most patients appreciate that we take the extra time to make sure it is done right. Likewise if you show up in my office late because something truly unexpected happened like a car accident or a flat tire we do not get upset. The problem is that every single day we have people come in late simply because they weren’t paying attention to the time. This also causes us to be late with other patients – I think the blogs top 10 addresses that scenario pretty clearly.
Sadly there are usually patient who are repeat offenders in regards to being late, so I hope you are not one of them, and the offices where low cost is paramount have the worst scheduling problems. It is a proven fact that offices that accept low income insurance where the patient pays very little or nothing have the highest appointment failure rate, and these offices are the ones that double book and schedule in the airline manner you described. They have to because the value of their time is categorically ignored by to many of their customers. If this is your experience and you can afford it I suggest you go somewhere else, if you cant afford it at least now you understand the problem and can work to be part of the solution.
You literally bend over backwards? 🙂 I’m thinking not so much. I do appreciate that it’s hell on the back, but no one is doing backbends. (Or if you are, I’d love to see it!)
I love this article, as I am very polite to my dentist (and waiters, even the people who come to shut off my utilities if I forgot to pay my bill), and I respect them as well. Often, it’s only as bad as you make it, for sure! My goal in life really is to try to put myself in someone elses’ shoes regularly to understand where someone else is coming from, so we can be the best team, or at least have the best experience when put together as possible.
#4, however, doesn’t do this. I know, it sucks. However, considering most dental insurance still leaves hundreds of dollars for a patient to pay, and Medicaid only covers extractions, most people put it off because they have to pay car insurance, buy food, or pay rent. We don’t do it to upset you. The LAST thing we want is having a Saturday night become a painful dental emergency, and have to call you at dinner to complain. We KNOW you’ve been saying it needs to be fixed for awhile. We KNOW it’s been hurting for 2 weeks and that’s bad, but our car needs gas to be able to drive to work… we’re praying that WE can make it until Monday. So when we call you Saturday night, crying we can’t take the pain we’ve been dealing with for two weeks anymore, it’s not to be a jerk — it’s because we finally are in enough pain that we have to pawn something to pay for the dental work, something we’ll have to figure out how to buy back later. We really don’t spend weeks in pain and call you on a weekend to be a jerk.
Thanks again, Christie for your thoughtfulness. I guess a few of these jokes (#4, for example) are kind of “insider” jokes. We understand emergencies. We really do, but there are a lot of people that do not have the attitude that you have regarding this. When I get an email on my blog, please email me because I would really love to give you the scoop on it– if you have any interest.
Ok, so I’m exaggerating a little bit, and maybe I did on a few other things too, but it’s all tongue in cheek. You are right, we don’t bend over backwards, but we do have to contort quite a bit, putting a lot of strain on our bodies. MAybe I should have said I literally bend over forward? 🙂
Oh, and for the record, I actually enjoy the dentist. Call me weird, but I do. I’m actually sad the student I was seeing at the dental college graduated (and I spent months being treated by him, and 10 hours with him so I could be his patient for his board exams). He was a really good guy who does great work and really cares about his patients and the end results. My kids see dentists regularly within 6 months of getting their first tooth or by their first birthday — whichever comes first.
But money is such a big, big issue, and one we’re dealing with in a painful way since my husband was medically discharged from the military, that #4 made me personally sad… seeing as I had my first tooth pulled a few months ago, right after we lost insurance, because I was trying hard to budget to be able to get the crown it needed, but it just got too bad too quickly. I was embarrassed beyond belief to have a tooth get that bad, and now I have to spend my whole life having a (thankfully non-visible) hole in my mouth where a tooth was, all because I had to put it off so I could afford food. So thanks for reading my sob story, but obviously this one point touched me wrong, though the rest of the article is fantastic.
Thanks, Christie. We really are very sympathetic about the situation you describe. My rant on #4 really isn’t about your situation, so I hope you don’t take it to be. I can probably speak for others that it always makes us sad to see people lose teeth. One thing to keep in mind– and maybe you did this already– but if you are ever faced with this again, ask your dentist if there are any options that will hold you over until you can do more definitive treatment. I have extended treatment out for years for people. Thanks for being so kind and understanding, and I wish you lots of luck!
Thanks for the reply! I did have a build up done on one tooth, but we, my dentist and I, had thought the other would be okay until I could afford the crowns for both. I had changed dentists a few times (one was rude and his office lied about finances, and the other was fabulous but did very shoddy work), so that made it that much harder.
I do realize not everyone will have those problems, but I do know for a lot of people, it’s a matter of money, and a source of major embarrassment, unfortunately. I’m so grateful for income tax returns and dental schools, else I’m afraid I’d be missing more teeth by this point. This country really needs to start treating dental health as a more important part of health care, since it really, really is!
Christy,
Your situation is difficult and I think different then what she was referring to in her blog. Most dentists will really help and find hold-over treatment like Lolabees said until you can afford treatment. Sometimes we will even just do treatment for free to buy you time, or accept extended payments outside our normal policies, but the problem is that we simply have too many people asking for these breaks and cant afford to do it for everyone. We really do respect and understand your predicament and would never judge you for your difficult decisions between important priorities
What she is talking about in the blog is the people who can afford it, and simply don’t deal with the problem because of indifference or priority problems that have more to do with self indulgence. We usually know it is a matter of out of wack priorities in these cases because invariably they don’t seem to think twice about talking about their vacation to the Bahamas or their new car while you are there are a Friday night while you should be at home with your family.
This is so funny !!! Great article!
Many thanks, Steven!
You made my day. A friend sent me a link to this and I am dying because it is so true. Thank you for your wit. I absolutely want to post this to my blog. I will credit you. Is that OK?
Absolutely! Thank you so much!
To all of you who think TMD is NOT caused by a faulty filling. YOU ARE WRONG!
If the filling is not anatomically/ morphologically correct, it will in future be the cause of TMJ problems. If the harmony of occlusal contacts is disturbed the load on the Masseter muscle is changed and in the long run might cause the TMJ disc to anteriorly dislocate, causing the patient pain on opening or closing the mouth and alos restricting the movement.
So please before trying to put down the sweet child who named the dysfunction uncorrectly, think if in fact you are right. There were some that weren’t, I suggest they keep up to date with the newest publications, articles and etc. Afterall dentistry is for ever growing science.
This is true. Thanks for keeping us on our toes!
I need to respectfully disagree. Most dentists think TMD is caused by the teeth. Most cases have nothing to do with the teeth. How do I know? I am in a CODA accredited orofacial pain residency and we treat TMD without a high speed handpiece and our patients get better without any irreversible intervention such as occlusal equilibration. Yes, we were taught wrong in dental school when it comes to occlusions role in TMD. Consider that 95% of the population has a bite that could use equilibration. Consider that only about 5% of the population suffers from TMD. If you adjust the teeth, that means you have a 5% chance you are treating disease, which are very poor odds. Occlusion is important but many people with poor occlusion don’t have TMD and many patients with poor occlusion that do have TMD can be treated without touching the teeth. Consider that your teeth should not touch during the day except when swallowing or chewing. A full coverage, hard acrylic splint can be made for sleeping. With this conservative, reversible treatment, you are doing no harm to the patient. Try it. It works.
I think the original post was quite funny in the spirit it was offered! It highlighted that even a career considered desirable and enviable by society at large has some really nasty low points. There’s no such thing as the perfect job anywhere. You have to take the bad with the good, and the emphasis in the post was on the humor of the bad. Even Lolabees, who chose to leave dentistry, could have written a post about good things: the sense of meaning that comes from participating in a profession focused on caring for people; the patients who say “Gee Doc, that’s expensive for me but it’s worth it!”; the patients who cry because they are so moved by how great their smile has become or that they can chew again without pain or discomfort; the patients who thank you for changing their life; the patients who love you so much they absolutely insist all their friends choose you as a dentist. The list goes on.
But, I have to say, the spirit of some of the comments was disturbing. So I offer this …
To those dentists who went into attack-mode on a patient-posted comment that used the wrong clinical terminology, I’m glad you’re not my dentist. To those dentists who held out their DDS’s and DMD’s as proof of being smarter than a non-dentist’s opinion, I’m glad you’re not my dentist. To those dentists who jumped on every little spelling error or typo as a huge character flaw, I’m glad you’re not my dentist. To those dentists who sniffled that patients are rude because they don’t automatically behave in a way that makes your day as easy as possible, I’m glad you’re not my dentist. To those dentists who allowed their staff to schedule a treatment appointment for patients before asking the patient “How will you be paying for that?”, I’m glad you’re not my dentist. To those dentists who complained about how little they get paid on the insurance plans they’ve chosen to participate in, and at the same time gripe about patients who don’t take ownership for their oral health condition, I’m glad you’re not my dentist. To those dentists who whined about not getting a paid vacation as a business owner, I’m glad you’re not my dentist. To those dentists who chose a career with a high education cost and a high start up cost, and then feel that they are entitled to an easy life after that just because they went into debt to get started, I’m glad you’re not my dentist.
I love my dentist. I love that he is profitable. I’d much rather go to a profitable dentist than an unprofitable one, because then I have more confidence that he’s good at what he does. I really can’t judge the quality of what he does inside my mouth because I’m not a dentist. But everything else about him is great: his office, his team, his technology. I know he’s focused on staying on top of his game both clinically and in business. I have no doubt there are challenges to doing that which I am not aware of from my perspective of not being a dentist. That being said though, if he ever once exhibited in front of me some of the immature, defensive, unprofessional, pathetic, finger-pointing attitudes that some doctors have SERIOUSLY shown in this discussion thread to a FUNNY post, I would leave his practice in an instant.
And I suspect that is exactly what is happening to some of you. Attitudes don’t need to be voiced to be heard. It’s one thing to have a laugh over an inside joke, but once you start printing it out, sharing it with your entire team, posting it permanently on the wall in your team area, then you’re really just fostering the understanding in your practice it is OK to demean patients and value them less than you expect them to value you.
If I were a dentist, I would look at my very worst patients and see them as my biggest opportunity — faults and all. If I look in my schedule for today and see a “bad patient” on the roster, the first thing I would do is say to myself and the team, “We are the only people in this patient’s life that have the ability to change their mindset about dentistry and our practice. What can we do today to turn this patient into an amazing patient? What can we do today that will forever change their whole attitude about coming to the dentist? What can we do today to change this person’s life and set them on a path to better health?”
The only way to do this is to be one-on-one with them. Really care for them. Really love them. Really love what you do and how you can help them. They are the ones desperate for your help. When you demean them, dismiss them, joke about them, and behave in front of them like they are a hopeless case, then you are failing the patient more than the patient is failing you.
Thanks you for so eloquently putting all of these things in perspective. You are right! I just hope that besides the anger and nastiness going on here from some of the commenters, you can not think we are too awful for having a laugh with our staff over this post 🙂 Just trying to add some humor– thanks for getting that!
You are awesome.
twonineteentrain,
I agree with a lot of what you’ve said, but, really, not the last two paragraphs. I know it SOUNDS great for us to try to motivate our patients, but the truth is, just as for any change anyone wants to make in their life, the motivation has to come from within. If they don’t care about their dental health, they don’t, and that’s that. We should educate them, definitely, but constantly trying to change the priorities of an indifferent patient is a losing battle, and the path to burn-out. It’s like expecting an alcoholic to give up drinking just because his doctor/wife/friend recommends it – until he WANTS to, for his own reasons, he won’t.
We dentists have several sayings for these patients:
“Teeth weren’t meant for everybody.”
“We can’t care more about their teeth than they do.”
I am not rude or dismissive of them, but I can only control MY behavior, not theirs. I give them the information and advice they need; what they do with it is up to them.
Wow Sandra! I think you’ve really missed my point at the end. I wasn’t suggesting that you engage in a heart-wrenching emotional intervention that leaves everyone in the practice wracked with feelings of despair and self-doubt if the patient doesn’t rise to the challenge. And I wasn’t trying to suggest that there is one thing you can do that will “magically” transform that patient into an overnight super-patient. I know that you probably hear “no” all day long in your profession, and that must be hard to deal with. I think part of your response seems to reflect that: “If they don’t care … they don’t, and that’s that.” You feel the need to detach yourself from disappointment, and thinking that way is one way to do that.
But I really disagree with you that motivation can only come from within. If that were true, we wouldn’t have world leaders, we wouldn’t have salespeople, we wouldn’t have managers or CEOs, we wouldn’t have religious leaders, we wouldn’t have a diet industry, or a fitness industry, or a fashion industry, or even teachers. Motivation surrounds us all the time. People are influenced hugely by external forces and, in particular, by the people that are around them. I’m sure you spend a lot of time thinking about how to motivate your own staff. Sometimes we do it with a smile. Sometimes with a stick. Sometimes with a system. How many of your staff would you describe as “naturally self-motivated”. Few people are. Most people just slide through each day if they are left to their own devices. Powerful people become powerful because they influence a lot of people to think the way they think, or want what they tell them to want. Steve Jobs comes to mind as the most obvious example in recent years. He shifted people’s priorities in a huge way. How many of your patients said “no” to the last treatment you recommended because they maxed out their credit card buying an iPad and upgrading the whole family to the newest iPhones? Would you consider those technology purchases even half as important as your recommended treatment? After all, that technology will all need to be replaced in 2 years, but your treatment is going to benefit them for the rest of their lives.
People’s priorities can be influenced, and any people-driven business should recognize this as the first rule of success. Sometimes that influence occurs in very small ways — a different choice of words, body language, a story, something out of the ordinary. I’ve been to enough dental offices and enough dental appointments in my life that I know the “system.” Most dental appointments are about as routine and familiar as doing the laundry. Nothing new, heard it all before, let’s just get it over with. Five minutes after I’ve left the office, everything that happened is forgotten. No influence happening at all.
Now, a confession: I’ve been a bad flosser most of my life. A great educated dental patient, but a really delinquent hopeless non-flosser. I can’t tell you how many times a hygienist has said the same things to me about flossing. In fact, I got to the point that when I saw a new hygienist, the first thing I would say is: “I don’t floss. Yes I know flossing is important. Yes I know how to floss. Yes I know it only takes a few minutes. Yes I know I can floss watching TV. Yes I know I can get a handle that makes flossing easier. But I don’t floss.” And they’d laugh. And that’s that (to use your language). That’s pretty much how things were for 20 years.
Then one day, my hygienist did something out of the ordinary … in fact, extraordinary. At the end of the appointment, she sat me up in the chair, came around facing me eye-to eye and said: “I want you to know that I really like you. I look forward to seeing you every time you’re in the schedule. But I want to talk to you seriously about your health for a moment, because I’m concerned. We both know that you are a smoker and you’ve been trying to quit for a while. I want you to keep trying. But as a smoker, and not flossing, you’re really putting yourself in an extremely high risk category for periodontal disease. Already there are signs of it in your mouth and its getting worse every time I see you. (She showed me images, gave me numbers). So can I ask a favor? An easy one? (I nodded). When you go home today, can you promise me for the next three weeks that you will floss at least once per day? Just for three weeks. Just to try it. For me. It becomes a habit, just like smoking, but a good habit that soon you’ll be very happy with. Can you try that for me? (I nodded) And, I’d like your permission to call you once a week just to help you keep your promise. Is it OK if I called you? (I nodded). Can you give me your mobile number and I’m going to program it into my phone right now? (I gave it to her and she did.) Now, the first call I’m going to make is tomorrow because that’s going to be the hardest day for you to start your new habit. What is a good time to call you tomorrow? (I gave her a time.)
Well, she called. And she called a week after that. And a week after that. And a week after that. The whole conversation chairside was about 3 minutes. Each of the calls were about 20 seconds. I have flossed everyday of my life since then (“4 years flosser” as an AA person might say.) The point isn’t so much what she said but how she said it. Eye-to-eye. Different language. Personalized. She changed my life, didn’t she?
My next visit was a happy one for that reason, and I thanked her. Then I asked her if she does that for everyone. She said she picks about 10 patients she knows each month that can really be helped by developing better home care habits. So she ends up making about 1 call a day on average. I asked her what the success rate is. “In a good month, about 2 patients will follow through. But that’s a good start!”. God I love her for that.
Anyways, my point is that you may think your job is only to educate and give advice, but really your job is to influence choices (which education and advice are part of), and you should be creative about that and try to find the triggers that work with different types of patients, even the worst. And if you don’t think you are an influencer, then just look at your practice system for hygiene. How many of your “good” patients do you think would, on their own accord, pick up the phone every six months and call to schedule their hygiene visit? Suppose you said to them at the end of today’s visit, “We won’t call you. You should call us to come back in six months.” Some, but really very few would call in six months. Some others might call when they “remembered” 9 months or a year later. Lots would probably just disappear from your practice.
Even “good” people need to be influenced to make the right choices at the right time. That’s why you send those cards and letters and make those phone calls. Because people have a million things competing for priority in their life, and the important things don’t always get noticed even if they are important. You send those cards and letter and make those phone calls to remind them of what’s important. Ultimately, it’s their choice to schedule or not, but you’ve influenced that choice.
Part of your job as a dentist is to continually help the patient prioritize. But if you don’t see it that way, I understand. But Sandra, can I ask a favor? An easy one? One that will make me happy because it will be something out of the ordinary for those indifferent patients, and one that will make you happy because it will remove the stress and potential for burnout in your life?
Take a look at all those patients about whom you think “Teeth weren’t meant for everybody.” when you see them. (Those would be the patients you’ve decided are hopeless, otherwise you wouldn’t say it.) At their next visit to your office for any reason, just do this: Sit down in front of them, eye-to-eye, and say “I’ve given up on you. You show no interest in what I’m trying to do for you, and I can’t do anything more for you. Here are your records. Good luck finding another dentist.” (Remember, keep it personalized … I’VE given up on YOU … looking right into their eyes.)
Now I realize this is called “firing a patient” and there are good reasons to do so sometimes. But really, I think that if you, as the doctor, don’t think that a patient DESERVES TEETH — that your negativity around their past choices so completely obliterates any spark of belief that you could ever find something that would be a first step for the patient toward better future choices — that it’s not even worth making the effort to try to find some new way to connect to them besides telling them the same thing over and over again in the same way — then that must be the all-time highest and most important reason to let a patient go (more than because they’re bad paying their bills or they are late all the time).
Because the truth is, as patients, we know that when we say “no” to recommended treatment, we are not making the “right” choice. It may be a “practical” choice based on current circumstances, but we know we are disappointing you. Dental patients are like school children. They have limited knowledge. They’re easily distracted. They’re fidgety. They’ve got some bad habits. Some have bad attitudes. Some are not too smart. But what is our expectation of school teachers of our children? A child who is troublesome, doesn’t do their homework, has bad study habits, isn’t that smart … is it acceptable for the teacher to say “not worth the effort” and focus their energies on only the brightest and most cooperative students? If that were the case, it’s better for us that they just let us know. We need our teachers or dentists or care providers to be caring, not just to provide care. And really, that would mean they have to care about education, or teeth or whatever more than we care ourselves, doesn’t it?
All right, I’ll bite. Kudos to your hygienist for getting you to floss. But your hygienist’s intervention did seem to me to approach a heart-wrenching emotional intervention. And in my opinion, the time spent on phone calls is a misappropriation of resources which could be better used in providing care to patients who value my services and their teeth.
And I disagree with your examples. Do world leaders really motivate those who don’t already agree with them? Not most of them. Most followers consist of those who already shared their views. Do CEO’s motivate employees, or does the employee’s need for a job and enjoyment of his or her career motivate him or her? Salespeople sell customers things they already need or want. And the diet and fitness industries – well, we have an obesity epidemic, so how is that working out?
I actually only have 2 employees – one at the front desk, and one chairside assistant. And I do very little to motivate them, because I don’t have to. They both have excellent work ethics and are always trying to look for ways to make our practice run more efficiently, better serve our patients, or make the day brighter. I believe I discussed my assistant, in particular, in a past post. I do make sure to tell them how much I value all they do, but, even when I forget, they’re always there, giving their jobs their all.
And frankly, I thing you’re being a bit judgmental in that you seem to think I’m dismissive of patients who have made poor choices. It depends on that patient’s current attitude. I recently treated a woman who was getting out of an abusive relationship, and who admitted to a past drug problem which had wreaked havoc on her teeth. She was ashamed to smile, because she had large, dark cavities in her front teeth. And she was petrified of the dentist. I didn’t judge her for her past decisions; I praised her for working to improve her situation. I worked carefully and slowly with her, trying to make her experience as painless and stress-free as possible, and I restored her teeth so that she could smile with confidence. When we handed her a mirror, she started crying because she was so grateful, and my assistant and I joined in.
So, no, my “negativity” does not obliterate belief in the patient. I’m always glad to help those who help themselves, and to praise progress, which I suppose you could consider to be providing motivation. But the motivation to make that progress has to come from within the patient. By scheduling a consultation or scheduling an appointment to follow my recommended treatment plan, they show me they are motivated.
But I’ve also had a patient tell me, in all seriousness, that he thought everyone’s teeth should be “pulled” when they came in, because they were nothing but trouble, anyway. And when I meet this 60-some-year-old man who doesn’t bother to shower, let alone brush and floss, and thinks teeth are just trouble, I’m being pretty unrealistic to think I’m going to change his attitude.
And yes, I have “fired” patients. I dismiss the chronic no-showers, non-payers (which, when you do this for a living and not as a hobby, is just as valid a reason as noncompliance), and blatant drug-seekers. Verbal abuse of my staff members earns you a one-way ticket out the front door, and a phone call to the police if you don’t comply (see blatant drug-seekers). And I have also told patients who have repeatedly not followed through on treatment or their home care that we are both wasting our time, and there is no reason for them to schedule another exam to reveal problems they’ve known about but not had addressed for years, despite multiple approaches, including education, asking them how I can help them follow through, and calling all around the area to find a sedation dentist they trusted, when fear was the issue. So, as to your advice, been there, done that. And because that has left me with a pool of patients with many more good than bad, you’re right, it has helped me avoid burnout.
I also think it’s my more pragmatic attitude that has kept me from wanting to change careers, like so many others on this forum. I want what’s best for my patients, but I can’t want it more than they do. I see providing care for them as a team effort, with their role being just as important as mine, if not more so. But if THEY don’t see it that way, I don’t stress over it, and I don’t berate or belittle them. I inform them of the possible consequences of their neglect, and let them own their problems. I enjoy my work, and really like and respect the vast majority of my patients, and have no intention of changing careers. I don’t even want to retire early. But I devote the most mental energy to the patients most likely to benefit from my care.
I didn’t mean to imply you were dismissive of any patient who had made past poor choices. I just meant that when you’ve given up on them completely because of your experience with them in the practice, it’s really in your best interest and theirs to tell them so and show them the door. And I’m glad to hear that you do when it is appropriate. Yes, every business has to be pragmatic about the fact that not every client can be accommodated.
I’m really glad that you love your career and want it to continue as long as possible. With two employees and you’re taking home as much as $130k in a year (I believe that’s what you said in a previous comment somewhere), it’s a tremendous business model. I’d be hard pressed to think of more than a handful of other jobs outside the healthcare industry that can achieve that. Most people would give their eye teeth for a chance at that! (just a little joke! … Are two eye teeth worth about the same as dental school tuition? … I’ll ask my insurance broker or perhaps a personal injury attorney!)
As an aside, with respect to your comment about the patient who thought all teeth should just be pulled, I couldn’t help but think about my mother. She’s always had an overwhelming fear of going to the dentist (even though she always made sure my sister and I went for as long as I can remember). In her late 60s, she had a tooth that was causing her a lot of pain. She was actually pretty lucky for her it took that long for a serious problem to occur. She went to our family dentist (who must have been in his mid to late 70s by then) and told him she just wanted all her teeth pulled and to get dentures. You see, my father has had dentures all his adult life — since his early 20s before I was even born and before they were even married. She saw dentures as an obvious and permanent solution to the pain and whatever future pain might come from her teeth. Thank god good old Dr. T absolutely refused. He literally said to my mom, “I won’t do that, and you won’t find another dentist in this town that is going to pull all your teeth and give you dentures based on the condition of your mouth.” (He was fairly confident about the other dentists in town because most of them had started as associates in his practice.) Of course, the tooth just needed root canal therapy and a crown. (Although after the RCT and crown prep, my mom went for 6 months with a temporary before getting up the nerve to go back for the final lab-made crown.)
Thank you Sandra for engaging me in this exchange. I’ve really enjoyed it and learned a lot. You’ve challenged my thinking on some of my really core ideas, and I hope I said a pearl or two that has challenged you too! After getting to know you a bit through these comments, I think your patients are pretty damn lucky.
Thank you, as well. I did learn a bit, or at least acknowledged that I was providing some motivation in the form of praise that I didn’t realize I was providing. I guess it’s just so much part of how I operate, I don’t think about it much. I apologize for being defensive.
I’ve met patients like your mother many times, and almost always convinced them to maintain their natural teeth. Perhaps not the tooth that is hurting, but at least enough to avoid a full denture. And, like your dentist, if they persist in demanding full mouth extractions and dentures, I politely tell them I can’t in good conscience act against their own best interests, and I’m sure no other dentist in town will, either. “First, do no harm.” Yes, I could make a fair bit of money extracting all their teeth and making dentures, but it would leave them with a compromised ability to chew and talk, and I won’t do it.
And as far as the eye teeth, well, they’re the most valuable teeth your mouth, so they might add up to dental school tuition 🙂 . Of course, I don’t know how much that is, now, so maybe not. My business model is actually small potatoes compared to many dental offices – dentistry seems to be trending toward multi-dentist practices with each dentist supervising several hygienists, and more assistants and business staff to keep the practice running smoothly. These folks make a lot more money than I do, but I would (and do) gladly trade their added income for my small, homey practice.
WOW. I took this initial bit of writing a lot more light hearted than a lot of other folks.
Me too 😉
Hey suggestsmagic, if you don’t want people jumping down your throat for making one small mistake then maybe you should think before you post some terribly hurtful and hateful comments about an entire professional community. Don’t get hurt because everyone responded so violently to something that you started. Pull your head out for just a moment the next time you even think of posting something so terribly mean and hurtful. And if at the end of the day you decide the snarky comment is still worth posting then toughen up a bit and suck it up when people respond back with the same amount of violence. Don’t act so shocked! I mean seriously?? Get over yourself!!
Perfection. Just perfection. I adore this perspective. Thank you so much for sharing. I am also a dentist {albeit a new one} and I swear I had every single one of these things happen to me just yesterday alone. Sometimes I wonder why whyyyyy did I WANT to do this job?!
You’re welcome! There are a lot of reasons why. Don’t lose sight of them. And if you do, that’s ok too, maybe then it’s time for a change! Thanks!
I LOVE this post! This is how I feel in my forty-hours-in-four-days workweek. No wonder I write on the weekends!
Seriously, thanks again for the post it made my day, as well as everyone else’s day in the office.
Thank you! It was meant to be FUN!!!!
Ooooooh, thank you so much
I’m a dentist, and I enjoyed reading this!!!!!
It is like I feel better now…
Isn’t it? Glad to hear it helped you too!
Wow. Just because you are “hidden” behind a screenname, you feel ok to use “fuck, piss off” and the like? I suddenly think a lot less of these so called “professionals”. In regards to the original post, I am sure almost every profession can come up with a list of reasons their job stinks from time to time. And while I have 80K in student loans due to higher education, I am thankful to have a paying job that supports my family. Time to sit back and take a look at the bigger picture here, people.
Thanks for weighing in!
Don’t forget “I hate shots”
To be honest, that one doesn’t really bother me. If venting about that particular anxiety helps the patient to deal with it, I can listen and empathize. It also lets me know that I should take particular care with this patient, to give as atraumatic an injection as possible. If I’m pretty sure the procedure I’m doing is going to be painless or nearly so, I offer the option of trying without anesthetic. Frequently, the patient gets along just fine, often says it didn’t hurt a bit, and appreciates avoiding the feared injection and hours of numbness.
Lolabees, I have really enjoyed your post and the responses. Would you allow me to link to your blog and use it as the basis of my next blog?
I love #6!!! It is so in your face!! Everything stated is so true and right on!!! We know these things already, but when you read if from someone else you tend to just appreciat it more!!!
Thanks, Kristen! I don’t even remember what #6 is by now! Haha!
+1 triatheletedentist, Natasha LarsonDMD & JeffBuenoDDS!
Hysterical post!…is that all it takes is some incendiary dental comment to get the peanut gallery lit up?
My dentist used the J & the D–he called it TMJ-Dysfunction. I guess mine was extreme. One morning I yawned, my jaw clicked, & I couldn’t open my mouth for 2 weeks. I ate only soft foods and liquids and couldn’t brush or floss. It took a while to find a dentist that knew what to do. I could make long lists of what I love and don’t love in a dentist.
I had to reply to this — even had to go to the car to get the laptop because I just couldn’t type this out on my phone.
First, I am sorry this whole comment section started off with a bad reply from someone who had certainly learned a lot about dentistry. I am sorry for her remarks as well as many of the responses.
Second, I want to tell all of you who are dentists how much I appreciate you. I am a “difficult” dental case who has been in the chair a LOT as an adult, correcting things that went wrong long ago. In 2003 I finally got a crown on a tooth that had my first root canal — in 1973. Yes, it took 30 years for that tooth to return to being the priority as far as my care plan. I’m one of those patients with a small mouth and boney structures that make front X-rays particularly difficult. I may cry, but I do my very best to accommodate the films so you can get the image.
I found a wonderful dentist in 1979. He worked with me on my dental issues for nearly 30 years before we went different directions, and I am so sorry to have lost him as part of my care team. Through all the root canals, wisdom teeth, crowns, bridge, etc., he was my champion.
Why? First, because he was a good dentist who knew his stuff. Of course. Second (maybe more importantly) he treated me with great respect. He would ALWAYS talk to me about the treatment plan, and he would talk to me while he worked on my teeth. He would always let me know what was going on, even explaining medical terms to me (probably because it can be really boring to just sit in the dentist’s chair endlessly looking in pitiful mouths.) He educated me and we worked hard to improve my dental status. Yes, I have a lot of restorations, and I am so very grateful that when I needed them done, I had a job and dental insurance and a dentist who made it all possible.
I cannot tell you how many times I was under nitrous oxide and I was just in awe of what it takes to be a dentist. In that state I could appreciate not only his chairside manner, his medical knowledge, his dental knowledge, but also the engineering it takes to do good restoration work and the artistry in creating a great smile. It sometimes took us quite a long time to decide which shade would be best for a crown, because he was determined to make it look like a good match.
I loved my dentist. I appreciate all that each of you do. I appreciate that you have spent YEARS learning how to do this, that it takes many more YEARS for you to get established in your practices and it is a bloody expensive profession for you.
I learned a few things: I won’t cut my own hair — how would I dare ever have the audacity to think I know more about dentistry than someone who has given their life to it? Second: I have learned never to look for bargains in brain surgery or dentistry. Just because the guy with the lowest grades in dental school is still called “doctor” doesn’t mean all dentists are created equal.
Thanks again to all of you who care about your patients as much as my dentist did. Excuse me, I need to go floss now.
Beverly, thank you so much for many things. Thank you for caring about your health and for those around you. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with such grace and dignity. Thank you for having faith in your dentist to help you decide what is best for you. There are so many people out there like you, and you are what makes dentists love their profession. And for those of us like me who sometimes doubt what we are doing, you are what makes us smile at the end of a day and feel like we can do it all over again tomorrow– and actually enjoy it. Thank you for going out to get your laptop. Oh, and thank you for flossing!
Beverly, thanks for sharing your experiences and support. You’re the type of patient I love working with. I don’t mind if a patient has challenging needs or is petrified of being in my office, so long as they try to let me do my job, and appreciate my efforts.
In fact, one of my favorite patients, who passed away a few years ago, was also one of my most challenging as far as the work he needed. Every time he showed up, I knew I was going to be wracking my brain trying to figure out how to repair whatever problem he had this time. He had a lot of old dental work that was failing spectacularly faster than we could fix it. We were constantly putting out fires. But, the minute he walked in the door, the office got brighter. He was one of the most positive people I’ve ever met. Even if he was in pain, he dealt with it philosophically, even cracking a bunch of jokes about the mess he was in. He always had a story to share – he had I forget how many degrees, and had travelled all over the world. He was just a gem, and if I had a hundred patients like him, difficult procedures and all, I’d love it.
Lolabees: Did you really leave dentistry? I am a dentist too and really don’t like it but I feel a bit stuck. I would love to talk to you about that if you have time.
I love your list and I am printing it out to bring into my office tomorrow! So are you still a dentist?? I was a bit confused by the beginning statement? If not, what do you do now? Just curious!
Haha, they obviously read the blog and realised it was based on them and took offense so then posted a bad comment. I love this blog and I’m not even a dentist, I’m a dental receptionist.
I guess I’m one of the few people who enjoy going to the dentist. I love the way my teeth feel when the hygienist finishes with them. I’ve had a lot of dentists in my 51 years, and I don’t have any complaints about any of them.
I have been surprised that I had to learn about the impact of healthy (or, rather, unhealthy) teeth and gums from my veterinarian. My veterinarian taught me about the linkage between gum disease and other problems in my pets (I drew the link to humans). I don’t think I’ve ever heard it from anyone on my human medical teams.
This is so true. My whole life I’ve had a bad immune system and only recently did I learn it could very well be because of gum disease and other tooth problems. Your mouth really does impact the rest of your body in amazing ways.
When I was a child I had a horrible dentist. He was just mean. I remember a child in the next room screaming and it scared me. He told me the child was getting his teeth ripped out because he ate candy. Then he put this rubber screen thing in my mouth to stop me from swallowing his tools.
He never believed me when I told him I could still feel it even after he gave me 1 needle of novacaine.
Now I have a great dentist. He is as gentle as he can be, he freezes my mouth with the gel before giving me the min. 3 needles I need to freeze my mouth. Then he waits a couple minuites to make sure I am frozen. He even hides the needle so you can’t see it. My son who is 8 loves going to see him. He is amazing. If you are unhappy with your dentist find a new one,
Yes! What a success story that many of us can learn from. Glad you were able to turn a bad situation into a good one. We dental geeks love to help people do this.
I love your list, I’ve been a dental nurse for 28 years now and I love my job. Its interesting that you have the same comments from patients over there that we have in Ireland. This could have been written by an Irish based dentist . I’ve enjoyed reading the comments on here, I’m sorry that dentistry hasn’t worked out for you, and I hope you have a happier time in whatever you decide to do next. Who knows maybe you’ll come back to dentistry in the future.
Thanks, Carol! I guess people are people, right? Glad you love your job! Who knows, maybe I will be back someday!
The only thing I have to say, I guess, is that sometimes people can’t afford to see you when they need to. I don’t know of anyone who would willingly let a cavity go by untreated – or anything else. I was 16 when a tooth of mine started to go bad but couldn’t get it fixed until I had moved out and got a job on my own that provided enough to pay things like the dentist. Unfortunately for many of us now food and other necessities have to come first.
You are right. Thanks for your addition to the story.
Dentists are trained for many years to provide a healthcare service in which their patients are well looked after, are pain/disease free and can function on a day to day basis. This encompasses chewing function so you can eat, speech function so you can form words and aesthetic functions so you can present yourself in public. All these issues are so important to our day to day lives and nobody would like to live without them. Therefore no-one that has not trained for a number of years to provide these services should be allowed to make rash comments on how the profession is performed. Yes a filling may be expensive from time to time, but it saves you from pain and suffering and provides you with the benefits previously mentioned which significantly increase your quality of life.
Nice posting. Seems like it’s close to going viral 🙂
It was funny as I can relate to all the points. In my opinion, both dentists and patients have valid points but before attacking, accusing and blaming one another, they should take a step back, take a deep breath, calm down and put themselves in the other person’s shoes/situation. They need to understand and respect each other, communicate, educate and be patient, just like a marriage. I’m sure most people would probably call this wishful thinking 🙂
I, also, am not practicing dentistry anymore. I am curious to know why you left the profession.
My thoughts exactly. I’ll have an email soon, and we can connect… would love to hear your story too.
Trop fort!
Haha, I just LOVE reading this!
I’ve never understood why people dreaded going to or even hated their dentist. I really didn’t mind. Probably because most of my uncles/aunts/cousins are dentists and getting my mouth looked at wasn’t such a big deal. And I love my family, so I’m a person who LOVES their dentist.. well, dentists (:
I tell my patients that I don’t like sitting in the “big chair” any more than they do because of my own dental experience as a young man (tauma related dentistry not dental trauma in the chair).Bu I can empathathise with their concrns and we get through the appointments together. I have been practicing for 25+ yaers and while somedays you can have the whole thing for a $1.25 I would not trade it for the world. Hope you have found your true calling I know I have mine. Loved the list!!
Finally somebody says what we all feel. Most if my patients are great, but this small minority ruins it for everybody. People should educate themselves before making comments and assumptions about dentists. I just opened a new practice and at this point it is a labor of love.
I’m not a great writer so I may have grammatical errors or even spell words incorrectly but I do want to share something.
The thing I like about the internet is that it allows us to share ideas and thoughts not only to people we know but also worldwide. However, I “hate” (and i don’t like using the that word) it when people take advantage of it and use it as a shield to say some really nasty things…all behind a computer screen. this applies to everyone!
When I first read this article, I thought it was funny and I thought to myself… “finally!! somebody in the dental profession speaks out.” There’s soooo many articles, rants, youtube videos, movies poking fun at this profession but I have yet to hear someone from our field share our experiences.
Any type of customer service is difficult and that includes being a dentist. I think what makes it worst is when people don’t even like to come see us! We want to help and a lot of us really spend the time to educate and talk to patients and it really sucks when we’re not appreciated for what we do. Medical doctors listen to your heart, breathing patterns, check your eyes, nose etc…ALL without doing anything too invasive. They are there to help you too but how come they are usually viewed as heroes while people hate us.
I know money is a HUGE issue and times are tough. I grew up not having dental AND medical insurance. Needed dental work gets pushed aside when there’s bills, bills and more bills. Bottom line is though.. we didn’t put the decay there. We are here to help and it’s fine when you call in and want some pain meds or antibiotics but please don’t blow us off when we ask for you to come in for a follow up just to get a broken appt (sometimes).
There are some dentists out there who give good ones a bad name just like there are bad patients out there that give good patients a bad name. That’s why people write these lists…to poke fun! If you enjoy reading “why I hate dentists” rants, be open minded to hear it from the other side. it’s only fair!
This post is incredibly arrogant. First of all, when people say, “I hate the dentist,” it is not intended to be personal as in they hate you, but rather going to the dentist. I am pretty sure most people understand that. Dentists cause pain, gouge your bank account, and their clinics have disgusting smells. Who doesn’t hate the dentist? It doesn’t mean we aren’t grateful for dentists who take care of our oral health, or that we hate that individual, it just means we hate going to the dentist.
Point number 4, how it irritates you that people wait months before getting a cavity filled. Did it ever occur to you people have lives and schedules? It doesn’t seem strange to me that people wait a few months between check up and filling, they have to find the time and perhaps save up. Years in between? Maybe they are scared of the dentist, another not so uncommon phenomenon. Maybe they put it off for months and years because the thought of you drilling holes in their teeth or even the needle for the anesthetic frightens them. There are actual phobias for this out there. In your “hundreds of thousands” dollar education did you learn nothing of human compassion, human psychology or fears?
You said, “If it hurts please tell me.” How do you expect people to do this when their wide open mouth is full of tools and your hands? You hate the wincing so much? How else are we supposed to get your attention? And on that note, why does the dentist strike up conversations with us while they have their hands and tools in our mouths? As if you are the hair dresser and you want to chat. We can’t speak with our mouths full.
Anyway, sorry to rant, it is just so arrogant that you hate so many things about the people who allow dentists to live the lavish lifestyles they do. It irritates me that most dentists are dentists simply for the money and then complain like crazy about it. What did you think you were getting into? And what profession/job out there is 100% perfect anyway?
Hi. Sorry, I’m not exactly a dentist, just a dentistry student, so I have not really experienced anything the author have said. However, I’d like to point out that, personal or not, when people say they hate you, that’s just plain rude. So far, I’ve noticed that I get two kinds of reactions from people when I say that I’m taking dentistry. The nice people would laugh/smile and say, “I dislike going to the dentist” or sometimes, “I’m scared of dentists”. Even when they said, “I hate dentists” (which they RARELY do), they’d say it in a way that lets you know that it’s not meant to be hurtful. Just a few days ago, I bumped into an old ‘friend’ and when he learned that I’m a dental student, he said “I hate dentists” in sort of a provoking manner. He went on complaining about the noises and the pain. Seriously, it’s just not nice telling someone in the face that you hate what the person does for a living. And it’s terribly rude to go to a person for his services and then letting him know that you don’t like him. Jokes are ok, but acting all haughty and telling it straight to a person that you hate what he does shows a lack of manners.
About point #4…. It wasn’t the fact that people wait for months to get a filling that’s irritating; It’s the fact that people wait AND THEN call the dentist at an inappropriate time. “Two weeks of pain go by, and you call me on a Saturday night while I am at dinner with friends because your tooth that needed a filling a year ago and that started hurting 2 weeks ago is suddenly an emergency.” You said people have lives, well dentists are people too. My dad, who is also a dentist, had at times, received calls when he is off duty from patients like these. One time, we were out of town when he received a call from a patient, on a weekend family getaway. It’s as if the patient thinks my dad is always available for his beck and call. Now that’s just plain arrogant.
And about not being able to tell the dentist when it hurts? I’ve had dental treatments from dentists other than my dad. When it hurts too much, I’d make a sound. Usually the dentist would get it. And as for the conversation, well, I’ve asked my dad about that once. He said, would you rather have a stifling quiet treatment where you could hear each and every noise the handpieces are making? Usually, the dentists do that to get your mind off what he’s doing. Admittedly, it doesn’t always works. Still, if you’d rather be treated as a dummy and be ignored throughout the whole procedure, you could always request it.
And lastly, I’ve known a lot of dentists. My dad is one, his friends are, and my lecturers are all dentists. Have I heard them complaining? Well, who doesn’t, about anything? But ‘like crazy’? Um… not really. My dad does get annoyed by some patients sometimes, but he was never one to complain like crazy.
Sorry if this seems like a rant. Just wanting to share my views.
Thank you for clarifying with some really great points!
Great post, mel. I tell my patients to raise their hand if anything hurts. We all also try to be sensitive to our patients’ facial expressions and body language as an indicator of pain, which is probably why it stresses us out when you flinch when it doesn’t actually hurt.
My mother raised me in an environment that allowed me to appreciate the dentist. Because when you are sick and go to the doctor, you dont go home feeling better. When you go,to the dentist, you leave with clean, shiny, teeth that feel like polished rubies!
And I love my dentist. We are getting married 😉
Congrats!
First, I just have to express a bit of jealousy as a fellow blogger/dentist – you’ve received more comments on this one post that I have with my last 2.5 years of blogging combined! LOL Oh well, good for you! I’ve shared this on my FB, Twitter, and G+ pages, ’cause I think it’s hilarious.
Good for you to have the strength to walk away from something that wasn’t right any longer. I’ve always loved dentistry, and honestly, I am loving it a lot more now that I actually get paid for it well, instead of just paying all the student and bank loans (not that they’re gone yet, not even after 13 years, but they’re a lot more manageable, and I can feed my family a lot better). But it’s wonderful that you’ve found a new niche where you are happy, and it even seems like you’re inspiring some other dentists who’ve felt the same way! That crazy “Natalie” who posted before, her especially! (BTW – I’ve been friends with her online for about 8 years now, so that’s a friendly poke, not a real insult. LOL)
Definitely looking forward to reading more of your blog posts!
BTW — I’ve been blogging with WordPress for over 2 years now – if you need any help, I’d be glad to help in any way I can – if you’ll just help me figure out how to get so much interaction! ;-))))
found this article on facebook through a dentist i used to work for. couldn’t stop laughing and had to share with all my coworkers/dental friends..
can i add to the list?! my biggest pet peeve ever = when patients TAKE OFF THEIR SHOES.
are you in your house?
are you at the spa?
NO YOU’RE AT THE DENTIST. KEEP YOUR SHOES ON, i don’t want to look at your ugly feet, nor smell them while im working on you!!!
Simple solution: socks or slippers – add it to the bill.
Lolabees, this article has been a joy to read..! And on a completely random note, your new haircut is so chic!
If you haven’t seen this YouTube video yet that describes the typical dental patient, I truly believe you will have a great appreciation for it.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfR0mT2DSDw
I have just recently started to work in private practices after finishing a residency program, and I couldn’t agree more with your list. But what tops my list the most is when I get asked “Are YOU the doctor?” (even AFTER I introduce myself as Dr.____) ARGH, words cannot describe the angst!
I hear the comment “I hate the dentist” so often that I’ve begun to correct patients by saying “You don’t hate the dentist; you hate dental PROCEDURES”. 🙂
I wish you the best of luck with your new career..!
HAHA
Very true, I am one of those people who grew up in a small town, we had a dental nurse in our school, My FEAR came from then. I brush, floss, rinse with mouth wash, in my hopes to avoid going to the dentist…. I am sorry for being afraid, it turns fear into haterd, not for you, but for the experience. I am a massage therapist, I love my job, I hope your new path is enjoyable for you.
To all my past dentists, I’m sorry! I even made the “buy him a car” crack. I will try to behave better in the future. As a little boy my mom and the nurse dragged me kicking and screaming to the chair (might as well have been the electric chair). This may not come as a surprise but as a grown man, that little boy is still alive and well in side of me.
I LOVE YOUR ARTICLE!
Finally someone had the courage to say what we, dentists, have been holding in for years. We have been taking all this BS from our patients but couldn’t say anything back to them. Every item on your list is absolutely true. Those who don’t like your article, are those people who give us the most trouble and think we owe them something. Thanks for speaking out and telling the forbidden truth!
Wow, didn’t know people had so much to say about dentists :D. I don’t hate dentists I actually appreciate the good ones. I will confess that I am scared of dental work because of a really scary tooth extraction I had when I was quiet young. It just stuck to me. And in those days the dentist where more “suck it up” kind. I make it a point to go to the younger generation now, no age discrimination, I just feel that now a days they are more considerate and have better chair side manners :D. I had a wisdom tooth extracted two years ago and the dentist gave me repeated shots because the area was not going numb. He waited 45 min before he could take out the tooth. Some dentists would have just told me to “suck it up”. All dentists like people are not the same. No professional is. So i suggest that people should try a dentist for simpler procedures like cleaning and a filling to see if they like them and should go back if there is any future issues. I read another dentists article and he mentioned that dentist had higher suicidal tendencies because the feeling of causing all that pain lead to depression. I can understand that. I appreciate dentists. They have a hard job, looking into a disgusting mouth for hours is enough for me. And I agree that people do not follow the instructions given to them by dentists or any doctor, and then they complain that they have the same issues again. I am one them I don’t floss as often as I should and end up with scaling appointments (sorry). So thank to all the good dentists and orthodontists out there for making life easier and giving us a great smile.
I loved this article and the comments- both good and bad actually support exactly what you were writing about to begin with. Being a dentist is a great profession and luckily there are great patients who become our family and make us smile:) It’s not always easy but worth taking the unappreciative patients (10 reasons your dentist probably hates you too) for the fabulous ones.
Could not read all the comments . But as in every profession there are the good ones and the bad ones. I have a problem with patients who keep doubting us and questioning every single thing .After having painstakingly explained and worked upon who will only find flaws on our work and send us on a guilt trip at the billing counter ….As far as our work is concerned we r not god and its extremely difficult to simulate nature …we can only try to.
Nevertheless i feel this can be a lot lesser if every patient is given a fair picture about what hes gonna experience . This saves a lot issues later. Like I will make sure ill tell my patients things like hes gonna have gaps i n his teeth after scaling if his gums have already receded …it not me whos making those gaps , they were always there …we are only cleaning the deposits over the teeth…!!! For gods sake no one has such scalers which can actually trin teeth down!!! Or about post operative sensitivity. Post Rc pain for a few days …etc !!
So people have a heart please understand that we are humans trying to help you out.
This is so sad. I never thought that anyone would ever just not brush for days period, let alone before they went to go see the dentist. I really like my dentist. He’s kind of a grandfatherly figure, and shares an office with his son, who is also a dentist. The atmosphere is friendly. I suppose it helps that he complimented me on my clean and well kept teeth. I do brush religiously twice a day.
Ha-ha
Ha-ha, life sucks
haha. i guess this is where all dentists and “dentist lovers” go when they are free
thank you very much.. even i could have never expressed myself as good as you did. here in turkey it never brings a car nowadays, but the rest is totally true :))
My dentist died of cancer. Now I have no dentist to go to 😦
To patients out there, try me, you won’t regret… I am one of the few dentists who work with compassion….
What a cheap advertising ploy!
Love the article, very refreshing, not many of us “un- dentists” view dentists and doctors as being merley human. This list i’m sure could easliy fit into any career field. Thanks for sharing and giving me a different perspective.
Very interesting stuff, but I’m still not sure I understand the difference between TMJ and TMD?
Insightful blog and I found the list of your responses to patient behaviour amusing 🙂
As for the discussion… shame about the multitude of individuals who can’t get off their hobby-horses…
Also, rather ironic that a blog about patient/clinician love/hate relationships has attracted a bunch of egos that seem driven to drill the ‘lay’ person about incorrect terminology or a few spelling errors (sorry about the pun).
I am a dentist. Experienced and well qualified beyond the basic level that a GP has. Gaining the qualification you have is an unrelenting exercise but the concepts of dentistry and medicine you learn are not difficult – so stop looking down your nose at people and lose the arrogant attitudes.
Chances are that some of you aren’t quite as brite as you would like to think. Also likely is the fact that your patients don’t know how good your work is…just that they trust you or don’t trust you. For some of you that will be a benefit….as they won’t know how poor your work may be.
You are priviledged to be able to provide such a role for people. Show some grace, and understand that your patients are not by implication, necessarily priveledged to receive your care.
Love this! Thanks
Hi. Thanks for such an interesting post 🙂
Although I have to say, as a second year dental student, this has made me a little bit apprehensive now, lol. I’ve only worked on extracted teeth so far. Hopefully I’d have a better experience with my patients when the time comes. Have a pleasant day 🙂
EVERY part of this is true! Loved it! Hopefully, pts will see this and think twice before they sit in our chairs!
Wonderful! it is worth framing and putting up in a dentist’s office.
“my tooth didn’t hurt before you worked on it.” <<that's what make me crazy
You have like a hundred million comments here but I just had to get in my two bits worth!
Loved the write up and I shared it with my dentist who loved it.
What a fab insight. I have a lovely dentist and she actually put the fear of dentists out of me and the kids too! We love going to see her. Enough respect to your (sometimes) thankless efforts.
I will never ever ever tell anyone ever again that the fancy car that they drive is because of me….
🙂
Ah When I think about how afraid I get when I think that I’ve stopped visiting the dentist and that I damn need one.I’m a medical student and have nothing against dentistry but definitely have a tooth against my dentists.They definitely solve my troubles but I hat it when they say”Owww u love candies” with a sarcastic grin!
Yes I’m a glutton and I never denied it,but no need to make me further depressed ;So sweet of u to remind me who i am !!!
I have definite grudges with all my dentists(well I only had 2 of them in my 20 yrs of life)
Everyone can say something about this, and certainly there are many money suckers out there.. I’m a 4th year dental student, I know the feeling. We are no god, we simply read a lot, failed a lot, until we are able to do the right thing in one appointment. It’s not easy, we through some hectic years in dental school, things many outsiders can’t imagine. You tell me, 32 teeth is easy, why don’t you whiners try it out? yeah go through those mind blowing years, see if you can still sit in your freaking couch and rant about dentist. Respect, please. I respect you, you should show me some too.
i like u post hahaha
1. All the fillings on my front teeth that my previous dentist did break and come out. It doesn’t matter that I chronically smoke which drys my mouth out and causes decay under fillings. It doesn’t matter that I have huge fillings that my dentist recommended crowns on 5 years ago. It doesn’t matter that I don’t have back teeth to chew on and that I’m putting all the force on my front teeth causing my fillings to break.
2. I hate my previous dentist. He sent me to a specialist to get a root canal, which I got. He told me to crown the tooth so it wouldn’t break, but I waited 5 years and now it’s broken. It’s his fault it broke.
3. I have to pay $25 for not showing up for my appointment? That’s crazy! I never get charged for not showing up to my medical doctor for an appointment. You guys are just trying to make money. I don’t care if your hygienist makes $35-50/hour, I shouldn’t have to pay her for her time if I don’t show up for my appointment. You are so greedy. Oh, and I just paid for your new house.
4. You want to charge my Dad $1000 for a denture? What, you just want to pay off your student loans quick, huh? This is the last time I’ll be coming to you! His last dentist only charged him $500 for his denture in 1970.
5. I’m a Medicaid patient and I’m entitled to free dental work. So what if I drive a BMW, my kids have Air Jordan’s and iPhones, and that all my clothes come from Nordstrom? I’m entitled because the state says I can get free dental care. I know how to work the system. I just keep having kids and don’t work and they state gives me free health and dental care. Isn’t America great?!
6. My family is really getting sick of the progress we’re making. All the work you are doing is failing. So what if I have severe acid reflux, smoke chronically, and spend the night vomiting? It’s your fault and they want results. So what if I only come in for emergency appointments? I can’t afford my dental treatment. Oh, where I have I been? Well, I just got back from a deer hunting trip in Illinois. It wasn’t too expensive, $5000. I can’t spend my money where I want. The real question is why are my teeth failing?
7. You guys are too expensive, I’m leaving your practice. You are so greedy and your quality of work sucks says the patient who never comes to the dentist more than once a year for emergency visits.
Love the snappy remark about the patient paying for a portion of your student loan vs. a brand new car. So, I’m curious, what career did you transition to? You must be thrilled to only be responsible for your own mouth from now on. I’m a massage therapist and experience the flip side of the dental profession. Clients look forward to seeing me for weeks.
Thanks for this article.It has opened my eyes to the “other side” of going to the dentist.It is mostly my anxiety that makes me do some of these things,but with a little nitrous oxide,I am much better and therefore making it easier to let the dentist work on me.
I am a dental assistant and I agree and understand her frustration absolutely
Here’s a real-world example of what we deal with. I had a patient in yesterday, whom I had never seen before, to recement a crown. When I looked at the tooth and crown, he had broken the remaining tooth structure, which was severely decayed, when the crown came off, so all that was left were two decayed roots, well below the gumline. There is no way to fix that.
When my assistant brought him back to the chair, he told her that he hadn’t been to the dentist in years, ever since his last dentist told him he needed a lot of work. He said, “I told him I could have a lot of fun with that money, and I would spend it on that instead of dental work”. Fast forward however many years later, and now I get to tell him he needs three completely nonsalvageable teeth extracted, at least one filling, and periodontal treatment. When he asked how he was going to chew, I explained that his options were implants or a partial denture. When I told him the approximate costs involved with each option, he got upset. He told me he would have to think about it, and even refused a referral to an oral surgeon to have the infected, nonsalvageable teeth extracted.
Now, I feel bad that he can’t afford the treatment he needs. But his own words made it clear that years ago, he COULD have afforded it, but chose not to. I can’t do anything to help the fact that neglecting problems now leads to bigger, tougher-to-solve, more expensive problems down the road. If you decide it’s too expensive to change the oil in your car, don’t get upset with your mechanic when he tells you it’s going to take a lot of money to fix it.
I am a dental assistant and think that this is BRILLIANT! SO true, so funny, and I literally laughed out loud at home by myself 🙂 Well done!
As a dentist, I think we all agree on all points of your post. One thing though, despite everything, I actually still love my job, and I can’t think of another job that would fit me better. Yes, patients can be rude, but they can also be nice and thankful. When my patients tell me I have golden hands, or when they say the anaesthetic didn’t hurt at all, when they give me chocolate/flowers/small gifts, I feel happy. I think that counts too!
xo,
a dentist in the Netherlands.
Absolutely it counts. I have a patient who bakes pies for us, many who bring us chocolates or gift cards. And the vast majority of patients are wonderful people. I like getting to see them – our visits are seldom just exams and fillings. They’re chatting/social time, too, which makes for a pleasant day.
I made something like this for the store I’m working at…while going to dental hygiene school
If you think about how much money us greedy dentists make think of the billiions insurance companies make in profits. These are just three publicly traded companies. Humana 6.1 billion metlife 6.3 billion united health group 23 billion. There are many more.
On this same note…..when a patient complains about the last dentist, and how horrible it was that it made them stay away for many years before going back……use this analogy…”If you went to a bad restaurant and didn’t like the food, would you stay away from ever eating at another restaurant?” Patients do not need to group all dentists together in one pot. Nor, do we as dentists need to group our patients in one pot either. We chose this profession to make a difference in our lives and the lives of our patients. Although, the blog that this started was too funny! And to Ms. Suggestsmagic, I am sorry that you are so unhappy and cynical in life. Some of your negative attitude can definitely be affecting your entire health and wellness. For instance, one of the first part of our bodies to feel stress would be our TM Joint, causing muscle tension headaches and pain. Something to think about. May you lighten up and find happiness in life.
DLB, I suggest a different approach. Almost every patient is a recycled one looking for a place that will provide what they haven’t gotten in the past. If you listen closely, patients will tell you what sent them away and how they wish to be treated. It’s how you respond that will make all the difference. Responding with something as simple as “Mrs. Jones, I’m sorry you had that experience. We will do everything we can to make sure that doesn’t happen here. What would you like to be different this time around?” can start you off on a long and successful relationship.
90% of dentist do are incompetent doing really bad works. I work with them and I see all the days.
they dont want to lissen , so never can learn because they think his work is the best…
the people dont know when is right your work.
I can extend more but is going to be the same because 90% nerver lissen
Im so sorry but is the work that I see every single day
so congratulation for the other 10% of dentist that are really profesional
If we’re that bad, why do you stay in the field? Must be frustrating.
Do you mind revealing what type of “dental professional” you are? Are you in an actual position to judge the dentist’s work? Not all positions in the dental field are clinical in nature. Do you have the training to recognize good vs. bad work? On how many dentist’s are you basing this opinion?
Or are you a troll?
I love my dentist. Not only has he helped me to get over a life-long fear of going to the dentist with his gentle treatment, concise explanations, and pleasant office and staff, but he has personally shown me great generosity and compassion by working with me to get bills paid since I have no dental insurance. I will be grateful forever to this kind and wonderful man. And, to top it off, he does beautiful work!
your car …. of course is for your hard work but the law said you must show to the patient the cost of all the treatment , who do that? :)….
Well, your list has made it to us lowly NHS dentists over the pond.
loved the list but cant put it on my Fb page because I have a few years left before I can bail out.
I admit to being slightly scared about putting any comments on here, in case I have all the grammar fetishists waving their pitchforks and torches at me but hey ho.
Cant say I am happy about the whole TMJ/TMD superiority thing but…
Speaking as a member of the british profession that appeared on The Simpsons as a horror book (‘Bumper book of British Dentristry’anyone?) I sympathise wholeheartedly with all my colleages here. We generally dont have the huge debts that you guys do but #8 is often spouted by the patient who is having the emergency extraction for £17 or the 10 restorations for £47 or even, horror of horrors, the 1 to however many they need crown/dentures for £200.
Aaah 2 hour appointments, 45 minute examinations that sounds loooooovely. *sigh*
Keep smilin and dont let the buggers grind u down
yes I didnt used the the apostrophes , but is just a opinion that you cant respect , probably u are one of them because hurt you.
and I sed that THERE ARE GOOD DENTIST ASWELL.
I have to learn the apostrophes but u habe to learn to respect the people and possibly about u work 😉 Xx
Wow! Interesting rants going on there!!! As a dentist, I understand all the dental angst out there, I’ve been through it. Fortunately, as a military dentist, my patients are generally well behaved, becase you know what? They understand that we are there to help them. They sit down, take their treatment, give a ‘thank you ma’am,’ and of they go. We are mostly unthanked in our profession, but at least the military, who understand we are on THEIR side, thank us. Perhaps the civilian population could take note. When you have bombs and bullets coming your way from the bad guys who actually want to kill you, then a short sharp ouch as an anaesthetic neeedle goes in that ultimately leads to us saving you from further suffering is not actually that bad. GET SOME PERSPECTIVE PEOPLE!!!
Wow Lolabees~ thank you for your interesting article~ you speak out for us.
greetings from Malaysia~：））
Many of the points you made are PART of the reason why I decided to specialize in OMFP… my microscope loves me! Actually, I have plenty of stories from my 3 years as a general dentist of very appreciative, willing, helpful patients… but there were just too many days I had to encounter a patient plunking down in my chair, heaving a big sigh, and saying “I HATE the dentist!” I haven’t practiced clinical dentistry for 9 years now, but funny story from the other day… I got to talking with someone while we were in line waiting for something, she found out I’m a dentist, and said she had horrible experiences as a child. Of course I’m thinking “Well, here we go, I can’t mention that I’m a dentist without hearing all about everyone’s horrible dental experiences…” She proceeds to tell me that “Dentists used to be so horrible, making you wear that awful rubber thing. Thank goodness they don’t do that anymore.” The look of horror on her face when I told her that rubber dams in fact ARE still used, especially for certain technique-sensitive procedures that won’t work without moisture control… the whole explanation was lost on her. I was once again reminded why I love my microscope.
lolabees,
Your blogpost is spot-on. As the husband of a dentist, I get to hear about the god-awful things said to my wonderful dentist everyday. I’d like to think that most people are not malicious (just ignorant…) towards dentistry, but there are days where it is hard to keep that optimistic outlook.
I’ve suggested my wife say the following to her patients – “You know what, caries hurt, drilling makes noise, the pain you feel now is MUCH better than the pain you would have felt had you not sought professional service, and the discomfort you feel afterwards is not nearly the discomfort of gumming your food. You haven’t put my kids through college, paid for my vacation, bought me a new car, or purchased my house. Based upon the choices I’ve made in life, I have – the same as you. I bet you would not say something so rude to your family doctor or any other person who provides professional service to you and your family. If you actually hate me, then I suggest you go elsewhere. Or shut up, open your mouth, and let me do a good job on your rotting, plaque-infested teeth!”
But, she is much too professional and compasionate to say all that directly to her patients. Thank you for saying it for her 🙂
I’d like to know how you got out of the dental profession. It’s not like dental skills crossover into many other kinds of jobs. I enjoy what I do but sometimes I feel like it’s a bit of a dead end.
Do you think that all people only have one set of skills? There are many people who switch careers after many years in another careeer. I know pilots who have become dentists or physicians. I know a pharmacist who became a vet. I know an OB/GYN who became a dentist (yes, he traded one opening for another). I know engineers who became dentists. ETC. ETC. ETC. I am in the middle of my 2nd career (3rd career if you count the 5 years I was a professional snow skier). I started my first 13 years in the military before becoming a dentist.
Before I became a dentist, I did many things: I was a ski lift operator, I was a professional musician (have a B. of Music degree besides all of the science), I taught piano lessons… there are also many, many things I’m interested in as well, that I would like to learn in the future. I am in the military now, but once I retire from the military, I very well may pursue other career paths and challenges besides my dental specialty. If you are a dentist, I hope you have some hobbies at least, but if not, if dentistry is the only thing you have in your life, besides clinical dentistry you could teach, you could go into public health, you could become a healthcare administrator… not a dead end to me.
About the 10 reasons… We have the same problems here in Chile hahaha!!. We understand your issues hahahahaha!
Best Regards from Chile
I love Chile! Thanks!
Some great comments here although I did not have time to read through all of them. Here’s my 2 cents worth. Over the years I have observed dentistry as a profession decline. What was once a highly respected health profession has now become a business more than anything else. So many dentists have reinvented themselves as “Cosmetic Dentists” or “Implant Dentists” or “Children’s Dentists” or “Wholistic Dentists”, and so on, in order to compete with each other or to attract certain types of patients in this modern age where dental needs are decreasing. What used to be termed “patients” are now “clients”, “clinic” or “surgery” is now “centre” or “institute”, and “treatments” are now “services”. Dental clinics now advertise on TV, radio, glossy magazines and have fancy websites with models who have obviously been downloaded from istock. No wonder much of the medical profession and general public do not respect dentists.
Much of what you said is true. Slick advertising and aggressive sales techniques do seem to have increased, and I don’t think they always reflect positively on us.
But offices geared toward a particular group of patients are largely in existence because there is a need or perceived need for them. I don’t know what I’d do without my favorite pediatric dentist to refer to. Some kids are just unable to cooperate with the dentist in a general practice setting, or have such extensive needs that they need specialty treatment, under sedation or general anesthesia. Pediatric dentistry, BTW, is not a marketing ploy, but a legitimate specialty. Cosmetic dentists exist because emphasis on physical perfection is much greater now than it was years ago, and we now have materials and methods to deliver a perfect-looking smile. Many dentists I know, myself included, are not interested in focusing on cosmetic dentistry, and I have no problem with patients going to a dentist who does, if they want cosmetic dentistry. As for holistic dentists, there will always be patients who believe mainstream treatment methods do more harm than good, and they will be more comfortable in a holistic office. Whether the dentists themselves truly believe in their methods, or they’re just using “holistic” labels to gain patients, I don’t know.
“Decline” was not the appropriate word for me to use. I should have used “change” instead. I don’t know whether “specialty” practices exist because of actual need, perceived need, desire, or economy. However I do agree that specialist practices are a necessity. My wife is a specialist pediatric dentist and I don’t know what I would do without her (I am hopeless at treating children). I am not judging what dentists do to satisfy their own or the public’s need/desire. It’s just an observation on where the profession seems to be heading.
Dentistry Forever, just think about the way dentists are reflected in modern culture and movies! Where does that come from? It’s the way some patients are treated. It is my opinion that dentists have the enormous responsibility of changing the public’s perception of the profession. I agree that there is some dental advertising that does not reflect favorably but Dentists, like every “business” must compete in an increasingly difficult economy and part of that is distinguishing themselves apart from their colleagues. One way in which they can change perception is through the external messages they send into the marketplace and their goodwill in the community. It must be authentic and true to the dentist and their beliefs without being manipulative.
This is so true, I’m a hygienist and when people who don’t brush and or floss complain about me “hurting” them, I want to just scream “you came to me for a service, to clean your teeth! If you don’t take care of them its not my fault it hurts! either let me do my job or get out of my chair!” Its like they think we know some super secret way not to hurt them but we are just holding back b/c we like to see people in pain. I have plenty of patients who floss everyday who LOVE coming to get their teeth cleaned!
I love this!!!
this article sure seems like it was written by a cry baby. any dentist who likes this article must know that he/she chose the job and to bitch/whine about the hurdles that come along with that job, is pretty juvenile. in short, if any dentist hates his/ her patients, two suggestion for that: 1- change the job, 2- keep in mind these patients pay you bills!!! without them your nothing!!
First of all, this article is a response to another list of ‘why I hate dentists’. So it’s not exactly whining, it’s sharing perspectives.
Besides, I could say the same about some patients as well: Anyone who visits the dentist must know that he/she chose to go to one and to bitch/whine about the hurdles that comes along with the treatment is pretty juvenile. In short, if any patient hates his/her dentist, two suggestions for that: 1- simply change to another dentist. 2- keep in mind that without those dentists, you’d still have to suffer the pain of your toothache or whatever it is that ails you. Or, if you’re one of those people who had already set in mind that all dentists are evil, the solution is simple – don’t ever visit the dentist.
I don’t hate the dentist, for me its the anticipation. My dentist is a lovely lady who is so calm and reassuring. I’ve realised its not the dentist I dislike, its the drill. As soon as I hear it I tense up. My dentist does a great job of calming me and reassuring me. Abd when she is done I wonder what all the fuss was about. Yes some people have had bad experiences, I have had them with my previous dentist. But ive had bad experiences in the garage, in shops in loads of places. Doesn’t mean I stop going to them all. I’ve very happy with my current dentist, after all, she is providing a service, doing her job. It’s not her fault if I need a filling.
Sooooooooooo true,I stopped working as a dentist after just working for few months for all the reasons above and much more.It is a really stressful job
I actually quite like my dentist. Going to sit in a very fancy surgery, getting my teeth checked out by a lovely, polite and friendly dentist and then being chided if I’ve not been following her advice. At the end I’m given a bill which is pretty reasonable considering the running costs of the surgery, the equipment and the level of training required.
All this and a sticker if I’m brave!
No wonder Dentists have one of the highest suicide rates among professions. FACT!
Well, I have had some terrible dentists but thank you for making me see what it could be like in their shoes. I can’t believe some people don’t brush before going. Also….. It is really hard for me to afford getting work done though a lot of the time, so I do end up waiting.
@suggestsmagic u should physiologically develop a brain before teeth….apparently this was not the case. Thank u 2cents by reinforcing my statement. suggestsmagic you are just another daddy’s issued girl with a lot of free time in hands…try and study to be….i dunno…maybe a dentist ? Idiot remarks make idot responses.
The true!!!!
Great post ! View from the other side of the mouth. Keep sharing!!
right
Thought this would be more funny, less bitchy. I feel more nervous about going to the dentist NOW after reading this wondering how they REALLY think and how disgusted they are about being in my less than perfect mouth.
Hope it was good to get it off your chest… (Now if I could only delete it from my ‘brain’s cache’…)
Nah, don’t sweat it, Tammi. The list is not about most patients. I’m just showing the extreme of what we can see. We really are a very understanding bunch!
Greetings to all and Happy Holidays,
I feel bad for the OP who leaves this wonderful profession as there are thousands of applicants failed to gain dental school admission each year with shattered hopes.
In every field in all walks of life, there are “bad” patients, clients, costumers and the worst thing a person can do is to let this small group of people ruined his/her career. In the majority of the case, these behaviors unfortunately are through ignorance, naive or bad dental experience in the past that somehow became a learned perception and that leads to unhealthy behavior. And this behavior can be changed by the provider willing to take the time to undo this learned process. Taking the effort to advise, inform the patient and not letting your emotion to get the best you, you WILL disrupt the unhealthy destructive thinking and replace it with an informed and healthy one. All the things you had said in the article I have experienced firsthand myself and with very rare exception, I was able to convert from highly misinformed to wonderful and pleasant patients. My motto is “An informed patient is a good patient”. If that person understands why certain procedures are recommended and why such fee is associated with that particular procedure, then he/she likely will not question your assessment. A long time ago when I had my faculty practice, I was once asked on why mine is almost doubling her general dentist’s fee? I sat down at length and discussed on the reasons for her referral and once she understands on how my expertise can give her the best chance of success, she no longer questioned any cost associated with my proposed treatment plan. I did not go into details of my student loans or my overhead cost because these things are irrelevant in patient care. The only thing that matters is what you can do for your patients. And this is where our focus should be as a health care provider. What important in this particular case is what I can do for her and the rest is history.
After amassed huge school student loan and had spent 16 years from my first day in college, I often in the past asked myself if I made the right choice of being the dentist. I must say absolutely that it was the best decision of my life and to let others know the wonderful blessing that I have now, I became an avid mentor for students seeking career in dentistry. You can read more about me on the link below and I will be more than happy to answer any questions anyone may have.
http://studentdoctor.net/2007/08/another-face-of-dentistry-an-interview-with-dr-dai-chinh-phan-dds-ms-maxillofacial-prosthodontics/
I ask the OP to reconsider her departure from dentistry as her skill is too valuable to let it go to waste. If I can be of any help to anyone, please feel free to let me know. Happy Holidays everyone! DP
Tammi… like Lola says we’re really a pretty good bunch of people overall. The only way you’ll run into a hard time is if you manifest your nervousness as rudeness or disrespect. Be honest and humble… and respect the fact that we’re professionals who do this for a living and you’re only the 10,000th person to sit in that chair. That’s the best advice I can give anyone.
And honestly… as long as you pay your bill and don’t give me or my staff a hard time… I could care less how perfect your mouth is. The more imperfect it is the more of a challenge it is to fix. We like that 🙂
Well said, Coach. Thanks!
Tammi,
Most of us don’t have perfect mouths, either. Most dentists have had some cavities, some (like me) have crowns, and some are even missing teeth. Shocked? We’re human, too. I don’t know any dentist who judges a person for not having perfect teeth – it’s the patients who look like they threw away the toothbrush we gave them at their last visit without ever using it that we judge. As long as you’re polite, pay your bill, and don’t rub snuff and leave that for me to pick out (happens more than you’d think), I’ve got no problem with you.
This makes me feel a bit nervous as well, and really horrible for my anxious reactions as a kid. I used to have awful anxiety about going to the dentist. My heart would race, my palms would sweat. I was uncomfortable and scared about having needles and drills poking into my mouth. I was one of the flinchers/tongue pushers mentioned in the list. I’m not anymore, but as a terrified little girl I was. This would only frustrate the dentist, making me more nervous, hence making me more flinchy, and the process would just perpetuate.
Eventually, I grew out of it. None of the dentists I saw really helped. They all became very frustrated with me, sometimes even for just being open about the fact that I was anxious; I suppose I simply grew older and learned not to be so scared.
Anyway, case in point: Not all flinchy patients are “bad”. Some are just very anxious and need some reassurance and patience, especially the younger ones. After all, not everyone’s going to naturally feel a-okay with someone- even a professional someone- drilling off sections of their teeth.
I am quite grateful for dentists, though, don’t get me wrong 🙂
HI Lissa. I’m glad you were able to overcome your childhood dental fears. I wouldn’t worry how you were as a kid. It may have made it harder on your dentist, but you were a kid, and it was his/her job to try their best to help you overcome your fears and anxieties. It doesn’t always work, but often times dentists can show their patients how to be “good” patients. It was always a fun challenge for me to see if I could take a fearful adult patient and teach them how to be “comfortable” in my chair. It always feels like a huge success when you can be a part of that.
Not sure what is more amazing here… The fact this great post got you 778 comments (as I type this one) or that you take the time to respond to most of them. It’s a full-time job.
Anyways, I saw your post on the WordPress “Recently Posted” section, jumped over and read a couple posts. You are a very good writer, and you hair looks better that little bit shorter and “cleaned up”.
Cheers.
Thanks, Urban Daddy! Yeah, I tried, and luckily I wasn’t working for a few days b/c of the career change! Eventually I couldn’t keep up, but was interested in the dialogue (obviously,) so I had to jump in at times. Had to reply to you, though! Thanks for joining in the fun!
OMG! This is sooooooo true! I deal with this everyday! It’s a very good compilation of the dentist’s problems!
Lolabees,
Your story is inspiring! Would you mind telling me what are you doing know, after leaving your career as a dentist? Have you already found an occupation which is right for you?
Good list. I laughed, and I felt bad for all dentists. I try to respect mine often and always thank him after fixing anything that caused me pain. Enjoy not being a dentist…I think.
“Why is this bill so large? do you have to make car payment.” asks patient. I usually answe “no, the car is paid for, it is for my staff to have food on their table.”
May I link your blog to my blog, please?
Absolutely. Thanks for asking!
@ lolabees: The reason you got jumped was because you were insulting and disrepactfull. You do not call an entire profession “greedy bastards”, you stupid bitch (yeah I said it). Do we make good money? Sure we do. However, remember that we spend lot of time in school and have ton load of student loans. I am not saying we deserve the money we make. However, who does? Does the professional players, CEO’s deserve it? Do you call them “greedy bastards”? Now shut up and get a life
DDS MSD– pay a little more attention please. I did not get jumped or say any of the things you are implying. I’m the author of the post and felt nasty comments like this one were ruining the spirit of my post.
Thanks again for having the courage to put this out there AND all the entertaining and valuable comments!
I’ve posted a new writing based on this Blog and discussion thread. It looks at these issues from a behavioral perspective. If you care to read, here’s the link:
http://prosynergyblog.wordpress.com/
Cited from http://www.nidcr.nih.gov/OralHealth/Topics/TMJ/TMJDisorders.htm
“Temporomandibular joint and muscle disorders, commonly called “TMJ,” are a group of conditions that cause pain and dysfunction in the jaw joint and the muscles that control jaw movement.”
As a hygienist of 12 years, this post literally made me laugh out loud! Who doesn’t need that every once in a while? I think I have actually replied to the comment, ” I hate the dentist,” with this, ” I could retire if I had a dollar for every time that I heard that.”
I do believe that most of us in the dental profession went into the profession to help people and because we like people. That being said, it is disheartening when you hear these things on a daily basis. I realize that people have baggage and bad experiences but why do we as dental professionals get called irresponsible when we vent in response to an article that was written.
Respect is a two way street. Unfortunately, In our society today, there are way too many people that do not respect each other which is obvious with all the bantering back and forth. I am amazed at the immaturity of some of the comments not only by lay people but dental professionals as well.
At the end of the day, I really enjoy the patients that I’ve grown to respect and love over the past 12 years. The few, that are grateful and appreciative of what we do to help them, make it all worthwhile. However, it is no secret that these comments are mind numbing and get to most of us in the profession on some days.
I think by making your comments accessible to the public that there will surely be people that learn from this. I hope there will be patients that realize that everyone wants to feel appreciated whether you are a dentist or an employee working at the McDonald’s drive thru.
Good luck and blessings to you all in whatever career you choose. May we all find happiness in our choices.
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. Very well said!
I am a home health aide and the services I provide are as necessary to some as dental care. I can make $20 an hour if I am lucky. I don’t have much sympathy for a dentist who whines about badly behaved patients because I know I put up with as much if not more, for far fewer financial rewards. Everyone needs dental care but in most communities there isn’t a low cost, sliding scale alternative for low income patients. An individual may forgo dental care until they have an emergency, and then be subjected to a humiliating experience because they “didn’t take care of their teeth.” I think that the writer of this blog show a remarkable lack of sensitivity to the realities of life during this economic downturn.
Wow! Talk about someone not being happy in their job!
I don’t understand how so many people cannot get this in the playfulness it was offered?! Lolabees was not “whining” or “complaining”, she was just talking about less than the 1% of patients that are like this and they may not even realize this is how they come across. What s wrong with having a frank discussion about something that can bring about a positive change in this world while at the same time, poking a bit of fun at ourselves?
Not only was she being funny about how we all act at times, she is talking about a career that she thought she would like, but found out it is not a good fit for her and she decided to make a change that makes her happy. If more people had the strength to admit they do not love what they do and make a career change, maybe there would be less unhappy people in the world!
I admire your courage and strength lolabees and I find the humor in your postings~
Melanie, you hit the nail right on the head! Thanks for getting it, and thanks for the positive encouragement! You show a lot of empathy… something the world needs 🙂 Thank you, thank you, thank you! Oh, and you have a great sense of humor, btw 😉
My pleasure!!
I wish you were still practicing and I lived close, I would love to be your assistant!!
You just keep being true to yourself and let the negative comments roll off your back! I look forward to hearing more about what your next adventure is 🙂
Wishing you much success!
I am surprised you call the experience ‘humiliating’. I am certain I just focus on the job of fixing patients’ teeth. Some patients act sheepish for ‘having not seen a dentist for a long time’, but I have never felt it was a matter to judge the patients for, because I realize there are other circumstances in one’s life that need to be prioritized before dental care. Nor do I feel any reason to judge them when they say they are short of money, because my own parents came from poverty-stricken families who could not even afford to buy shoes for the children.
However, I do judge a person who complains that $120 (Australian) for a filling is too expensive and then buy bottles of soft drinks at the supermarket during her weekly grocery shopping. (I work in a small town; often see patients outside surgery). One bottle costs $2. She buys 5 or more bottles each week. How much money does she spend on soft drinks each year? How much healthier would her and her family’s teeth be if they cut out soft drinks. My parents’ families were so poor that they were happy if they just had enough to eat. Before I became a dentist 8 years ago, they had only been to the dentist twice in their lives. Yet the first time I gave them a check-up, I did not find even one carious lesion (decay) and their gum conditions were good.
I also judge parents who have 10 children but have failed to keep the younger ones dentally healthy and yet could not afford the treatments. I saw all 10 children. The oldest 3 had good teeth. The 4th one had 2 carious lesions. The 5th one had 4. The younger the child, the worse its teeth became. Every single tooth of the youngest one (2years old) was grossly carious and needed to be removed. The parents complained that dental treatments were too expensive, when they should have realized before they decided to have so many kids that more children mean more cost, more chaos, and more work. I cannot stop myself from judging the parents. I feel sorry for the children who are neglected due to their own parents’ lacking sense of responsibility.
None of these two examples have anything to do with how much I earn myself. These people complain that their teeth are bad because they cannot afford the expensive dental treatments and they make dentists the scapegoat for their demise simply because we earn more. But the real causes are their skewed priorities, their irresponsibility, and their lack of self-discipline and self-control.
Wow! My receptionist just gave me a copy of this post…let me say, AMEN AMEN AMEN! I felt as if someone had tapped into my everyday thoughts:)
Thanks, doc!
lolabees!!! You sound like a damn child for even making this retarded blog……. Your how old? If you had that many complaints with the people you worked on maybe you should look at yourself and not the other people….. (Just a thought) Maybe with how much you disliked being a dentist you provided bad service and then got offended when people complained…I’m sorry but If I see a dentist who is a complete asshole to me for no reason and is rough on my mouth then no I dont want to pay them I dont feel I should pay someone my hard earned money to fix my tooth and treat me like shit on top of it…. Not saying all dentist are like that but Ive dealt with plenty of them and you lolabees sound just like them. Naive and uncaring of your patients probably a good thing you are getting out of it… We need people in the dentistry who really care about people and what they need…. We pay You to help us not to deal with your anger issues or whatever else you got going on, same concept If i pay someone to cook my food and its not the way I order then they need to fix it, same with getting my hair done if they dont take time to listen and do it wrong why should I pay for that!!! same with alot of things in this world… bottom line we pay you to help not be mean rude and just straight up rough…
This is outrageous. Comparing the medical care you receive from a dentist is NOTHING like ordering a meal or getting your hair cut. Neither of those things affects your health in the same way proper dental care does. When you go to a dentist, it is not a smorgasbord from which you can select. This is a medical professional who will care for you in professional manner, in your best interest.
Would you complain if your hairdresser didn’t cut your hair the way you wanted, if you were moving your head all over the place while she was working? Is a bad result their fault, or yours? That’s what dentists are dealing with, but in a much more confined space, and with sometimes irreversible consequences if the patient bites down on the handpiece while it’s spinning.
Lolabees’ former patients and colleagues have posted on this forum, and they think she’s a great dentist. You’ve never met her, and are assuming that she is uncaring. She’s not asking anyone to fix her anger issues (pot, meet kettle), just asking patients not to make it unnecessarily difficult to fix their dental issues, and to pay their bills the same as they do for any other service they receive.
Wow… You sound like such an arrogant person.
“We pay You to help us not to deal with your anger issues or whatever else you got going on,” Wait, what? Did your dentist ever ask you to deal with his “anger issues”? I doubt it. Dentists are people and people complain. What makes you think that your hairdresser isn’t talking about you behind your back? Just about everyone talks about their work problems to let off the steam. Every cook and salesperson and all have a certain type of customers they dread having. Just because this author made her complaints public doesn’t mean the rest didn’t complain. You just didn’t happen to stumble upon them.
And like Sandra Drake said, if you move your head around when the hairdresser is doing your hair, whose fault is it that the result is less than satisfactory? If you want a good service anywhere, you’d have to cooperate, be it with a dentist, hairdresser, cook, makeup artist etc.
And you know what they say, “treat other people how you want to be treated”. If you treat someone with respect, they’ll respect you back. And if you’re being an asshole, the other person might return the favor.
Get a life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! …and a sense of humor!
Hello Lolabee
Word Press Red Hot issues; Politics, religion and now dentistry! Makes me laugh I would have never guessed dentistry was in the red hot issues. I enjoyed your blog, your authentic, honest and delightfully transparent ahh so refreshing.
GOD bless you and your family two and four-legged!
Two levels of commentary here:
I do see you point on all of those and some of that I can sympathize on. The X-ray thing has gotten worse, though–I never had any trouble biting down with my pre-Katrina dentist. I think it’s something in the way the film is constructed now–it used to hurt when it dug it (and I dealt with it) but now it hurts AND my gag reflex stays in. It literally takes at least three people to do my X-rays now. I wouldn’t hold it against you as a person…exactly. 😉 And in defense of more nervous/anxious patients, 1, 6 and 8 might just be a perversely humorous way to break the tension and try to maintain some inner calm. I always ragged on my two previous dentists for humming while they were seemingly digging for uranium in my mouth. Neither took it personally.
And since I mentioned that….it is SOOOOO NOT. THAT. SERIOUS. Did I really scroll through that many supposed “adults” catfighting and nitpicking over a blog post with shades of truth AND humor in it? I’ve seen kindergarteners argue with more tact. If you disagree, that’s your right, but what good is the verbal attack going to do but make you look more stupider? (And yes, I realize that “stupider” is not a word and if it were, “more stupider” would make it redundant–however, that is the only applicable description for some of the infantile exchanges I read through…and ultimately past, as I heard brain cells committing suicide from the jackassery displayed.)
Anywho, great read, Lolabees….and I applaud your patience.
10 Reasons Your Dentist Probably Hates You Too
1. The first thing you say when you sit down in my chair is, “I hate the dentist.” Really?!? Did your parents teach you any manners? Did they ever teach you that it is impolite to tell someone you hate them the moment you greet them? What I really want to say back is, “aww, I hate you too.”
(Its not like real hating, sometimes it’s just for opening a conversation…would it be better to break ice by using questions like: how’s the teeth market those coupla days? Whats the expected average growth of teeth for 2012? So whats your target for teeth pulling this year? Do you know that we hate hairdressers more, but there’s one good thing about them… THEY TALK so you don’t feel time)
2. You come to your appointment, and it’s obvious you haven’t brushed your teeth in days. I’ve had some people with great hygiene come in and apologize because they’ve just eaten lunch and couldn’t brush. This is not what I’m talking about. I mean food and thick plaque everywhere. After 10 years of seeing blood and rotten teeth and some really nasty things, this is still the 1 thing that makes me dry heave. You know when you come to us that we have to be in your mouth. Would you clean your home before having company? Additionally, I have spent hours literally bending over backwards repairing your teeth. Could you at least pretend that you are caring for the work that I have struggled to complete for you?
(OMG!!!! If a dentist says so, what’s left for the gynecologist or urologist? I hope it’s more personal and confidential…)
3. After we have spent hours of meticulously repairing your teeth, you complain about the bill. Would you walk out of the grocery store with a bag full of groceries and expect not to pay? I’ve just helped you to continue to smile and eat comfortably, two pretty valuable things that help your quality of life.
(Well There gotta be a golden apple somewhere in this grocery bag that I am paying that much for!)
4. I tell you that you have a cavity and you need a filling, and you wait months or even years to get the necessary work done. Eventually the tooth starts hurting. Two weeks of pain go by, and you call me on a Saturday night while I am at dinner with friends because your tooth that needed a filling a year ago and that started hurting 2 weeks ago is suddenly an emergency.
(YESSSS I finally won the Lottery on Saturday…and the first one to share me the prize is you….BE HAPPY !! )
5. You come to me so I can help you, but you make it hard for me to do a good job. You wince and make faces when it’s not hurting. The idea that I’m hurting you makes me just as uncomfortable and stressed as you are. If it hurts, please tell me, and I can help you with that. But if it’s because you don’t like the whole experience, you are only causing me to work in undesirable conditions, making it harder to do my best. And when you push your tongue in the way, or you don’t open wide enough, it makes it physically impossible to get my work done. Don’t you want it to be easy for me to do the best job for you?
(How about if you make sure that your da** mini vacuum cleaner isn’t sucking my tongue out while you think I am complaining for being in pain or frightened by your mean little drilling machine noise?)
6. You call and say, “my tooth didn’t hurt before you worked on it.” You came to me with a cavity. I did not put it there. You did. I am simply fixing a rotten hole that was in your tooth. To do so, I must use a tiny drill to cut the rot out of your tooth. If I took a drill, cut a hole in your femur bone, and then filled it in with a foreign material, don’t you think it might be sore for a while? Same concept.
(I’ll leave that for people who had to cut their same rots more than once because someone thought that he/she removed it perfectly before.)
7. When we try to take an x-ray, you won’t bite down on it. We have to do this to see what is going on with your tooth. Without knowing the problem, we can’t properly treat you. I know, in some cases some people really can’t do it; but some people could and won’t just suck it up for 15 seconds. I’ve had x-rays too, and they hurt and dig into my gums, but I just do it.
(Just stick that useless numbing needle you have in my cheek before dissecting me and I promise I won’t complain)
8. You tell me that you bought my car for me after having a crown done. Contrary to how it seems, you actually didn’t buy me a car. You bought yourself a crown. I have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on an education, and have spent hours making this crown fit precisely in your mouth, so maybe you helped me make a portion of a student loan payment. But you certainly didn’t buy my car.
(Well yeah it’s a valid point, so it’s me and my friends who covered your tuition and a 50% down payment of your car.)
9. You no-show an appointment or cancel last-minute. Some things are unavoidable, but when it’s because your hairdresser got a last-minute cancellation and you had to take that appointment instead, this is just rude. Not only am I unable to fill the 2 hours of my schedule that I reserved specifically for you, but someone else who wanted to get in had to wait 2 weeks for his/her appointment. And on that note, when you have the first appointment of the day, and you show up late for your appointment, I am late for every other patient the rest of the day.
(I mean I am late as well because someone did the same thing to me while I was working through the day to earn enough money to pay your tuition fees and down payment on you car)
10. When I tell you that you grind your teeth, you deny it, as if I am accusing you of having a horrible disease or being a baby murderer. It’s not that bad to be a tooth grinder. I’m just pointing something out and maybe offering a way to prevent more problems in the future. This observation is concluded from signs or symptoms that are based on real science, not myth.
(Sorry about that, I am gonna record my sleep habits and see… Would you like me to video tape it too so we can hear and see whose right ?)
And along those lines… bonus #11. You tell me a diagnosis I make is simply wrong without listening to me. If you know so much, why are you coming to me? You do the filling or root canal yourself. You obviously don’t need me.
(How the hell will I be able to tell you that I hate you if I didn’t come ??!)
Aaahhh… I feel much better now.
If this isn’t you, I am sure your dentist loves you. You are probably the bright spot of his/her day. But it makes you wonder, how do you behave when you go to the dentist? And most importantly, are you making it easy for your dentist to give you the kind of care you want and deserve?
(Love to hate you guys 😛 …Honestly, I love you)
Thanks for having fun with this!
May I have the liberty of adding a few less PC ideas?
1. Would you visit your Proctologist without wiping first?
2. I also like to scrape off the bulk of plaque, put it on a cracker, and then tell the patient to eat the cracker with the plaque spread. When they refuse, they still can’t understand how it’s no different than every meal they eat. REAL thinkers these guys.
3. Why will one ALWAYS clean his exit after use, but rarely his entrance?
4. I have lost all sympathy for pain due to caries and neglect. I truly feel for the trauma case, but brushes, paste, and floss are very, VERY inexpensive.
‘Why will one ALWAYS clean his exit after use, but rarely his entrance?’
LOOOOL!!!
Eww! Thanks for adding. Hope it was fun for you too 😉
Interesting post. How serious were you on this Lolabees?
Maybe you’re just trying write a provocative blog post to get a strong reaction from people. Bulls-eye on that level and congrats on the attention you gathered.
If you were actually serious about your description of dentistry, I would say you totally self-sabotaged your own career.
Like writing a decent blog post, winning at dentistry is very much about communicating effectively. And most dentists suck at it.
I’m guessing that isn’t the case for you. Writing a blog indicates you have some love of words and enjoy connecting with people.
So if you were actually serious in your post, my guess is you bombed out at the business aspect.
You wouldn’t be alone on that. Dentists often stumble along in their businesses with a transactional mindset when it comes to service… Dentistry for dollars.
It’s no wonder that in people’s minds, dentistry is often perceived as a commodity. And here’s the thing: Patients aren’t happy exchanging what they perceive to be a honking big pile of money for an itty bitty pile of dental service.
That’s the basic value equation people have in their heads. On the surface dentistry can feel like a bad deal.
In terms of turning that perspective around, let’s just say that a dentist can’t keep blindly marching to the Dental School drumbeat like they could in the old days. Customers are the kings now, not the doctors. And nowadays, it’s all too easy to go belly up as a dentist. That was unheard of a few years ago.
Those who can master the value equation thrive, and those who can’t starve.
Hi Joe 🙂
Thanks for weighing in. Thanks for asking and trying to clarify intent on my post before making any judgments. I like that!!! Plus, it shows you are probably a good communicator yourself.
I wasn’t trying to do anything with this post, but just have a little fun. In fact, I didn’t think anyone but my mother would read it. If you read my follow-up post, you will get a little more background on my take of the situation. I was playing, making some jokes, and responding to a post titled “10 Reasons I Hate the Dentist.”
As I read your comment, it’s making me laugh– we are some bad communicators 😀 So here goes… I like to think I’m a pretty decent communicator (at times.) I had REALLY good relationships with my patients. The reality is that I didn’t bomb out on any part of it (don’t mean to sound arrogant 🙂 I had a really good future ahead of me and an opportunity to buy out a really wonderful dentist. It was a HUGE shock to a lot of people that I was making this decision. Bottom line is I wasn’t happy, so I had to choose that over “success,” money, prestige, or whatever people think comes along with this job. At the very least I’m hoping to change the perception that a dentist who chooses to leave the career isn’t a failure.
Thanks for your comment! It’s much appreciated– you sound like a good problem solver, something patients need 😉
Thanks for that clarification. I can understand not loving the profession. But hating patients? I couldn’t imagine you would be the type to bite the hand that feeds you.
I can appreciate your decision about leaving dentistry. I’ve known others who made the change and were better for it.
Meanwhile I’ll keep fighting the good fight…
Just to let you know, I’ve written a bunch of stuff on the ‘Hate Dentists’ topic. In fact, an entire blog over at http://www.hatedentists.com
I use “I hate dentists” as a core marketing strategy. People can relate to it and the conversation becomes about them, not me.
Besides, I sure hated dentists when I was young!
Wow! Well done! Your site is great! I’m really impressed. It’s brilliant and has a great message. Keep fighting the good fight– we need dentists like you!
Replace the dentist with a Car mechanic and plaque with the gunk in the carburetor etc. This blog could be for all of us including the dentists hating the Car mechanics. :p
Haha! We could probably say this for a lot of different professions and services!
with the exception we would KNOW we would not have to have our molars chenged…..and that incisor is making a sound…..it wont last.
I am actually an aspiring dentist and my brother, who graduated dental school in 2008, is always telling me to just save myself the stress and debt and do hygiene or (and I have actually heard this suggestion from about 4 different dentists now) pharm. school.
I never got what he was talking about in terms of stress (I totally understand the debt- dental school is obscenely priced, and a lot of informational packets different schools send out don’t even include the out of pocket expenses students have to spend on equipment, supplies and materials), but reading through this article and every single comment has given me a totally different perspective on the dark side of dentistry in terms of stress.
I never realized how much consternation there is as a result of PATIENT negligence and attitude- I had always assumed that a big source of the stress and anxiety that came with being a dentist was the debt, overhead, scheduling and the difficulty of finding a full-time position so many are facing now.
So I’d just like to thank the dentists who commented for giving me more insight into the emotional toll the dental profession can take and the patients for providing both evidence that some patients are good and some patients are ignorant yet eager to make suggestions as if they themselves are a trained professional. You’ve actually given me a lot of things to consider regarding my future (although I’ve been vying for either cardiovascular surgery or maxillofacial surgery since I was like eight years old, so I’m sure I’ll continue on my path to dental or med school regardless), and hearing first hand accounts of what it is like to be a dentist from people other than my brother really helps me be aware of what I need to prepare myself for if I manage to be successful in my career path.
Great perspective– these are the things I didn’t know about either. It’s good for you to know some of the challenges now so you can decide if it’s for you. I would say if dentistry is your passion, then these complaints are not a big deal. If it’s not, then they can be that much bigger. It sounds like it still is what you want to do. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and good luck!
I went to the dentist last week and wrote down your blog for her so she could see this post. I wanted to get a check up before I go travelling for 12 months, next month and I have to have a filling and when I get back, my wisdom teeth extracted, but I am so glad I went. Could have been nasty needing a filling in south america! I don’t know how much dental work costs in the US, but here if you go to an NHS dentist it is only £17 for a check up and £47 for a filling and that includes the wisdom teeth extraction if you get it done in 3 months and the original check up fee. Not too bad is it? Hope you’re well.
Good girl! Yes, best to not have to worry about dental work while on the road and in a different country. Those prices sound pretty good– it can vary a lot here in the US. Happy Holidays to you, cazbag!
so tell me, when I go for my six month cleaning and check up, how come my dentist has new dental assistants all the time. Never the same ones within a six month window. Is he getting rid of them before he needs to pay them a decent wage or what.. Having a relationship with your dental assistant is as important as your dentist. I feel like he discards them, just like the floss they use on our teeth. So give me the goods, why does my Dentist not keep his hygenists for more than six months. ( ps. I heard via gossip that he only keeps them until it costs him more? I do not understand this…)
That’s an interesting perspective, and I agree that the relationship with the whole dental team is important. I guess it’s possible that what you suspect is going on, but I think that is more the exception than the rule. Most dentists want to keep their staff as long as they can. It actually becomes much more of a nuisance and more expensive to hire and train new people all the time. The hygienists and assistants may be choosing to leave on their own. Makes you wonder though…
The dentist is probably a bear to work with, so they quit. To me. that’s a sign of a bad dentist.
Very funny blog lolabees, they are the same reasons that sent me into administration 🙂
I remember a common comment from women was…
“I hate going to the dentist, I would rather have a baby” So many times I felt like responding, “Well make up your mind so I can position the chair correctly!”
cheers to my colleagues from around the world.
Thanks, Aussie! Love your response, would have been great to say that a few times. Hope to make it to your part of the world some day!
i loved it > u said the whole truth . our profession is ahard one but i enjoy it and whatever my patients do and annoying me with their questions and comments>>>>>>i will always love them:)
in sha2 allah
Thanks! We still love them because most are really lovely people, aren’t they?
today I had a patient come in for fillings. She is one of those people who states that they hate the dentist. When she was leaving and paying her co-pay she said, “I am paying you people for torturing me!” I told her, “No, You’re paying for us to fix your cavities, the torture is free.”
Love it! I don’t think I ever had anyone tell me they paid me to torture them– you must be mean! 😉 Just kidding, but really, that is so over the top! Love your response! Thanks for stopping by.
This is hilarious. Of course I haven’t had to live through it…Sometimes I can’t believe the things people say. #8 is so out of line!
Thanks, Clip Snark! Yes, #8 happens all the time. Wait, they all happen all the time! Thanks for stopping by!
This is one of the most accurate and awesome things I’ve read – as a DA who has had a day full of patients telling me they hate us!!
Thanks! Glad you liked it!
I’m really glad I don’t do any of these things! 😀
So is your dentist! 😀 Thanks for stopping by!
Not that I’m a rabid, anti-dentite, but ever since Rick Moranis version of Little Shop of Horrors I’ve never been able to look at dentists the same way. Is there just a little bit of sadism there? I can’t say.
Just a little bit, Ammon. 😉 Steve Martin also played a dentist in another movie called Novocaine. That was a good one that will give you a whole other view!
I absolutely love rants! I love listening to what peeves everybody else. I did a post “Time to Rant” a couple weeks ago and felt so much better afterwards.
I will be honest, I’m not the biggest fan of dentists and I’m sure you probably get that a lot. And now after this post, I understand dentists aren’t the biggest fan of their patients 😉
Very well done, and very funny!
Thanks, Joe! It’s funny how a good rant will get people from all over involved. I’ll have to check out your rant. Glad you liked it despite your feelings about being a dental patient 😉
Wow! Never realized how rude people could be to the dentist. I go regularly and as a result only have 1 cavity at 49 years of age. I am grateful for the hygienists and all that they do. Ironically, I now work for a dental products supply company.
Thanks, K! We are grateful for patients like you! Hope you enjoy your work in the field 🙂
you seem like a pretty cool dentist, too bad a lot of them are douchebags. sometimes, you cant exactly pick your dentist and are stuck with what you got.
Haha! Thanks, Jessica! 😀 You are completely right, except that you can pick your dentist. You should find one you like — there really are some good ones out there, and it makes all the difference in the world.
The Dentist I’m now seeing has dental assistants complete most minor procedures for him . From what I understand In Ca its legal . He will whip in drill your tooth and leaves his flunkey assistant to fill it .
In my experience he prepped my crown left her to cement it in place . The next day I’m looking at my shiny new crown and hey its looks like there’s a small hole in it . Back to his office I go.. the Flunky assistant tells me O yeah I should have told you about that . “The lab made the crown real thin around that area could not be helped” . I guess she took her dental bur and oops slipped while fitting my nice new crown .
She hurried me out of there by telling me its not that big a deal and there’s really nothing that can be done .
Cant wait to show this piece of work to his hygienist who I actually like and respect. I’m sure he will be there will have to wait and see what he has to says about this ….
And by the way I enjoyed reading your article…. yes your right its a two way street in dealing with your dentist …..
Thanks for commenting, Bernard. In Colorado assistants are allowed to do a lot of procedures also. Sometimes it can work out very well, and other times it’s not so good. The bottom line is the dentist is responsible for any work that is done in his/her office. I used to work in an office in which we had a lot of those problems with our crowns. I ultimately switched jobs and never had this problem ever again! In our case, the hole was in the porcelain, and the crown was still intact functionally because there was gold under the porcelain. I always informed my patients of this, giving them the option of having a crown that did not have metal showing through. To me, the big problem here is that they did not inform you. It’s just poor customer service. I’ll also add that this is the responsibility of the dentist to train his assistants properly regarding such a situation. If there is indeed a hole in the entire crown, than it is absolutely not okay, and they should replace it for you. Either way, if you are unhappy with the crown, I would talk to the dentist about it. He may have a good solution for you. If it were me and many other dentists that I know, we would replace it for you. I hope you can get this resolved. Good luck!
Assistants are the salt of the earth. They are not “flunkies”, they are well trained. Talk to the dentist if you want your issues resolved… unless you just want to gossip.
Update! went to the dentist yesterday to have a tooth out. The dentist who did it and I had something in common, we’d both read this post!
Haha! Thanks, Dave! See, I’m bringing dentists and patients together 😉
I am having 33000.00 dolars worth of work for implant supported dentures. My dentist rants on with the assistant having conversations and flirting with her(they are both married.) I finally told him that I do not want to hear anymore of his boring hockey stories or family stories. I think he should just focus on what he is doing talk to me when necessary and otherwise keep his mouth shut the fuck up. He is clueless as to the amount of discomfort he is inflicting and actuall; had the nerve to tell me that I have to work with him when I complained about some pain. (I only do when it is more then I can handle) This guy just gets worse each time I see him and I am too far along to fire his egotistical ass. He has no bed side manners. Geez do they teach you dentist anything about empathy for your patient??? He must have skipped those classes or paid off his teacher to get his passing grade during that part. THIS GUY PUT ON SUCH A GREAT SHOW TO SELL ME AND NOW I am shopping for a good malpractice attorney in case he screws this up. I pray he does not but I will make it a pount to put him out of business permanetly if he does. Boy I feel better already. As for the dentist that started this ranting about his patience. I understand why you hated them but Good God man Why the fuck did you go into dentistry if you hated it so much??? Damn dude!???
John (I’m guessing that’s your name,)
I know with the tone of your comment that you probably expect me to respond back to you with a similar tone, but you didn’t make me angry enough to do that 😉 I am being totally honest and not sarcastic with this response as I was in the original post I wrote. Help me to understand something… I know you said it too late to “fire his egotistical ass,” but how far into it are you? I once had a woman ask me to give her crown to her so she could take it to someone else to cement it. I asked her what I had done to upset her, and she refused to tell me. I thought we had great rapport and that the appointment went really well. What was I missing? So my point is, in most cases, it’s never too late. I don’t understand why you would continue to see a dentist that you hate so much that you are almost hoping will cause damage to YOUR mouth just so you can get revenge and sue him. I know you say you hope for the best results, but already shopping for a malpractice attorney is an action that doesn’t support that statement.
Did you really tell him to “keep his mouth shut the fuck up?” If so, maybe if you politely explained that their discussion makes you nervous or uncomfortable (or whatever it is,) and could they refrain from the chitchat, maybe he would respect your wishes. It’s possible they are just keeping the appointment light in an attempt to make you comfortable.
I don’t know you, and I don’t know this guy. You could be a very easy, friendly guy or you could be a very difficult patient. He might be a great dentist or a complete douche, but I don’t understand why you are trusting someone you hate to do some of the most important work on your body that you might ever have. If you feel stuck with him, why don’t you have an polite discussion with him about how you feel? I do know that implant-supported dentures are great, and hopefully you will love the results.
As for your last comment, if you read my other posts, you will see a very candid answer to “why the fuck did [I] go into dentistry”. And, I’m not a dude, I’m a dudette.
My only complaint with your article is #5. I’m sorry if I make a wincing face when you are drilling and there’s suddenly an odd noise. I’m also sorry if my tongue gets in the way at times. I’m generally a little tense playing the “waiting for pain” game (especially since I tend to have a high tolerance to pain medication so I always seem to feel pain regardless of how much medication is used) so I’m not 100% conscious of where all my body parts are or if they are in the way and/or making you uncomfortable.
And to be fair, if my tongue is in the way or my wincing is causing you stress… guess which one of us can more easily ask the other to change their behavior. Is it A: The person lying down in a chair with tools in their mouth, or B: the person sitting in a chair using said tools.
I know my comment is bitchy, but I genuinely liked reading this post. Although I don’t care for the dentistry process, I know it is a necessary thing I must endure and always try my hardest to be as pleasant as possible even if I’m in pain.
Glad you liked most of the post 😀 It’s okay, some people thought my entire post was bitchy, even though I was just playing. There’s a joke between dentists that you should never ask a patient to do anything with their tongue because they will always do the opposite. It’s not because they do it on purpose, but it’s because they truly have no control over their tongue! And, it’s true. Sometimes my entire body used to hurt because I was using all of my strength to hold a tongue out of the way just so that I could get to the tooth. It’s pretty rare, but happens. Thanks for you comment, Michael!
The truth is the dentist (and his staff) don’t even like some of
their patients. This is what got dentists all over that
post. It’s true! Unprofessional, but hey, that’s human
nature. The real truth is that the dentist should not
treat people he doesn’t like. Jerome Groopman, author of How Doctors Think, tells us that mistakes in diagnosis are more likely to occur when doctors treat
people they don’t like.
Isn’t that true? I think the general public forgets that as much as they have the right to choose their doctors, we have the right to choose our patients. Although, as I’m typing this, I’m realizing that many patients don’t even know that they really have a choice. We always hear how they feel trapped. It really does lead to a negative situation all around. Thanks for the comment!
The only point I question is the wincing when you don’t feel pain thing. I am a very sensitive person physically. This is a thing that applies in many aspects of my existence. I was born premature and I think that has something to do with it, and it comes up in odd ways like when I get a haircut. (I don’t have as much scalp as most people and it’s honestly very painful to get my hair cut with say, a straight razor) Things in my mouth are also very sensitive and often painful when they wouldn’t be for other people, I’m sure. I can bear a lot of pain but generally I can’t do so silently; being able to make a little noise and grimace is just how I deal with it. I want to be a good patient and I do my best but I’ve had a dentist just outright dismiss all of my upset and that made it very hard to trust him enough to get the work done that I needed. The dentist I go to now is the best dentist I’ve ever encountered and the guy could basically get me to put up with anything, because he never dismisses my concerns or tells me I am not feeling pain when I am. Not everyone responds to toughen up style bedside manner. God knows I don’t. But with a little soothing and reassurance I will very quickly come around.
Yours sounds like the perfect patient-dentist success story. I was never much of the “toughen up” type as a dentist. I don’t think it’s the way to get it done either. It’s great that you’ve found a dentist you trust and like, and I’m sure he doesn’t hate you at all because you want to be a good patient. Really– if you love your dentist, they’ll love you right back. Thanks for joining in the discussion!
Some things I agree with, but as a person who has been in complete agony following a root canal in my front lower tooth for 4 days now, I am not very sympathetic towards dentists at the moment. I generally like my dentist – he’s fair with pricing and is skilled and takes care of things that other dentist usually refer to a surgeon. My problem is that he is absolutely unsympathetic to pain.
2 years ago when he extracted one of my wisdom teeth, he told me I should only be a little uncomfortable and to take an OTC pain med if needed. Well, I could not sleep that night from the pain and resorted to using up my last pain med I had hidden away after toe surgery.
This time, as he’s doing my root canal (granted, this tooth had been infected in the root for a while and I waited an extra day following pain before seeing him), he keeps telling me I will feel much better with all the pressure he’s relieving. And again, to take an Ibuprofen if I need it. WRONG! as soon as the shot wore off, I was in agony. I’d take 4 ibuprofen and it would barely take the edge off and only last for an hour.
I called him and he asked if I was taking my antibiotics – yes, of course. He said the pain would get better by the evening and to call him if it didn’t. Well, it didn’t. I was up several times during the night in tears from the pain and popping Tylenol and Ibuprofen like it was candy. After calling, they said “well, that’s the only thing we can give”. Really?!? Everybody else I know gets Vicodin. I can’t believe they’d make me beg for pain meds and not give them to me.
I decided to show up the next day (2 days after the procedure) and he reluctantly took an X-ray and saw that nothing had gone wrong and just told me to suck it up for another 3 days and let the antibiotics work and call him. This is 2012, not 1850. What good comes out of me being in horrific pain? Why can’t he just get his pad out and put me out of my misery??
After this procedure is finalized (I still need to go back for another root cleaning), I’m changing dentists. You’re dealing with people’s bodies not a car.
He will probably be glad to see you go. As I read your post all kinds of “red flags” went up in my mind of someone who seeks prescription drugs as a way to get high in a “legal” way. This dentist probably has gotten the same thing and quite honestly, you probably have done this to yourself if you have gone to him for any length of time. And I can bet that the anger you feel right now at me is that I don’t have any care or feelings, which is 100% incorrect. I have a cousin who is just like you and she is an addict like you are. I bet you need Vicodin for pain if you happen to stub your big toe too.I have sympathy for those that truly have pain. I also have posted several times and anyone who has read them can see that I am a caring person. Sorry, but you scream addict to me.
You say you are a caring person but your comment is judgmental nonsense. I have never in my life been addicted to pain pills but when I have a medical procedure done I need a lot of them. I’m sensitive to pain. But as soon as the recovery is over, I set the Vicodin down and don’t pick it up again until the next serious thing. You don’t know what this guy’s root canal was like or how sensitive he is to pain yet you’re calling him an addict? That’s a brass pair right there and your awful attitude is exactly why I switched dentists; you two would have gotten along famously.
Thankfully I am not a dentist. I am however a dental assistant and have seen many cases of pain. One of the patients that the dentist I worked for had a patient that used the phrase “I have a right to pain meds” only to have the pharmacy call to let us know that she was on an abuse watch. Turns out that yes, she is an addict and the only thing she could then receive for pain meds were Ibuprofen. Jaeme, if that is judgmental and uncaring, then I guess I am. I however see it as telling someone that they need help and not in the pain med kind of way. I for one care enough about a person to tell them honestly that I believe they have a problem, wish more people had that amount of caring in this society. As lolabee’s nicely stated, “a dentist has to be careful about prescribing pain pills” because if they are found to be aiding this person’s addiction, they can have serious ramifications in which not only will this one patient not be able to be free of pain, but the rest of their patients will not have pain control either. They can be ordered to go through additional drug awareness classes, have to pay a higher DEA license fee, higher malpractice fees, and the list goes on and on.
Of course you have to be careful. Addiction is a real thing, and I recognize that. But I still don’t see how you looked at the OP’s story and got drug addict. He’s in horrible pain for days and days and this guy won’t give him a single bottle of vicodin? That’s crazy. You have to be careful yeah but he sounds like a regular at the dentist’s office and suffered for a long time before even asking. It’s not cool to automatically assume everyone who wants pain meds and wants them badly does it because they’re addicts, especially over the Internet.
Melanie, I read a few of your posts here and you sound nice, but not in this post. In fact, I find you a bit self-righteous and naive. Just because you had a cousin with an addiction doesn’t make you an expert. I’m a dentist AND a recovering addict which makes me knowledgeable on the subject. When someone is in pain, it is barbaric to deprive them of the medicine they need. No one will become an addict because of one prescription. Neither one of us knows the whole story, but based on the information provided, I would have prescribed Vicodin and had the patient alternate with Ibuprofen. It is better than having a dead patient because she OD’ed on Ibuprofen and/or Acetaminophen!
Arie, of course this isn’t funny to you– you are in pain! 😉 But seriously everything is worse when you are in pain.
I’ll first start by saying… it sounds like a good thing that you will find a new dentist. Once any trust is lost on both sides, it’s best to move on. Plus, if you don’t feel he is addressing your pain, then something is definitely missing from the picture here. While many of us dental geeks are sympathetic most of the time, some personalities just don’t have that. Maybe your dentist is one of them. I don’t know, but I do know that as a patient I don’t want any doctor or dentist who doesn’t seem to care.
While I can say your 4 days of pain is not the expected outcome, it is also not uncommon. What I mean is, according to the science of what we do, all the stuff he is telling you is supposed to be true. You shouldn’t be in any pain, but since we are dealing with individuals, we can never predict who will have the textbook results, and who will not (one of the reasons I didn’t like dentistry– it tortured me to know people were suffering when I did everything by the book.) These moments are when it’s best to deal with the individual as an individual and not as an expected outcome. There are a lot of dentists out there that do that. It sounds like you didn’t get that unfortunately. Personally, I don’t see why he wouldn’t give you a few pain pills, but I also understand that the challenge for dentists is that they do have to be careful about prescribing pain meds, so I can’t really judge the situation.
You may not want my advice, but if you are still in pain when he tries to finish the root canal, I would consider seeing a specialist instead of having him finish it. In my final years practicing I worked with an AMAZING endodontist who wouldn’t finish a root canal if there were still symptoms. Just my 2 cents. Good luck, and hope your suffering ends.
Great list ! patients are what make this career unbearable… They are big ungrateful whales sitting beached in our chairs demanding our time and best attention but then begrudging payment after we broke our backs, eyes and fingers working in their dark, smelly, wet mouths. Sigh…
Thanks! Haha! Don’t sugar coat it 😉 I love your imagery here. You just about sum it all up.
How rude you should both be struck off!
This was such an awesome article…. and you totally schooled that Redhead Chronicles chick!
Haha! Thanks! I did, didn’t I? Bring it! 😉
I have been a dentist for 5 years and have started to resent my profession. I love what I do and always give my best, but it is not the teeth that bother me. It is what they are attached to- a person.
As a dentist, we are expected to be professional and from start to finish manage the patient well and deliver quality results, but it’s a two way street. I wake up in the morning, get ready, have breakfast, and head out the door to have a good day. Not to go to work and deal with nastiness of patients. People tend to bring their worst sides to the dental appointment. They think as they are afraid of the dentist, its okay to be difficult. What they don’t realize is that one poor soul (the dentist) is dealing with the craziness of patients every hour on the hour. Every human being has a breaking point and I am reaching mine.
The best of all or should I say the worst of all is when a patient is upset as its taking forever to do the dentistry and they go to the front desk and be loud and obnoxious and complain how they were in forever for their appointment ( by forever I mean 2 hours ). Have they ever thought as to why it could be taking this long for the procedure? Could it be that they are difficult to manage?
From being late, to complaining as how they are not looking forward to it, to spitting every two seconds into suction, to not open up wide, to not sit still, and my favorite one- text while having work done or take phone calls. Guys, the TVs are offered in the operatory to watch while waiting on the dentist, not to tilt your head away from the head rest to watch ESPN or local news or Kardashians. Why do I have to ask you to look up every few seconds?
If you can’t open wide enough how do you expect me to see what it is I am doing. You complain not to recline you back far enough as you have a bad back or neck and than you don’t open wide enough or have the usual uncontrolled tongue. To deliver quality results I have to bend over to see my work field. I am 30 years old with a bad back to numbness in arms. I am wondering how long I can last.
Do you ever realize that you are in the chair for a couple hours while I need to keep my posture to avoid repetitive injury to my body? It is always the dentist who has to make things work around unsuitable working conditions while expected to deliver the best results.
Now to the famous say as to how dentists are greedy. It costs a luxury house loan to go through 8 years or grueling studies. Plus government wants to increase the interest rate and make profit of it and tax you insanely. Yes, I am going to charge you $1400 for a crown because once I am done chopping the price down to $700 due to your insurance, pay my front desk, pay my dental assistant, use quality supplies for your tooth, high technology, rent, and lab bills. I may have made $200 of it. That $200 does not make a huge dent in my student loans. You want 100% of my attention; well simply pay 100% of the fees. You want discounted service, than settle for discounted experience- but good work.
Yes, the schedule is over booked and I can’t sit and give you all my attention. And yes, I need to see multiple patients in an hour because your insurance has just made the numbers so low that to keep the doors open I need to work like a machine.
In short, For all the hard work I have put in to becoming a dentist and to deal with difficult patients, day in day out, I deserve what I make. Don’t call dentist greedy till you have lived in their shoes. Believe me you don’t want to- it’s a stressful life. For all this stress, dentist need to be compensated well.
I could go on and on about the life of a dentist. I still enjoy what I do, just not the psyche I need to deal with.
From,
D.D.S.
Hi DDS. Yep. As I am a little more removed from dentistry I am even more aware that the patient management is by far the hardest part. I will admit, it’s nice not to have to deal with it anymore. I still work with people, and it is so much more pleasant now. I hope you sort this out and find a way to find joy in this field or at least elsewhere. Much luck to you. It’s not easy. 🙂
It takes a special person to be in the service industry. You are not one of them. Get out, because it is people like you who give us a bad name.
I get where you’re coming from. It’s tough being judged for being overbooked or not sitting and chatting when you haven’t had a bathroom break since lunch and it’s 5 PM, and your first patient after lunch showed up late and threw your schedule all to hell.
I had one patient walk in without an appointment today who, bless her heart, can’t be quiet for 3 seconds together. Even though we made it clear I had left another patient in the chair to take a quick look-see at her broken tooth, she had to tell me her whole day from breakfast to tooth fracture, and kept on telling a totally unrelated joke as I left the room to return to the patient I left for her. I finally just had to walk away, because it was obvious she just wasn’t going to stop talking on her own. She’s sweet, but just oblivious to the fact that there are other people waiting for me. Fortunately, my other patient was understanding.
I hope things get better for you, and you can come to enjoy your work and patients more.
This was a very freeing thread to read. I left dentistry about a year after earning my DMD (not an easy or inenexpensive degree to earn)! I realized in dental school that i had chosen the wrong profession, but decided to stick it out and earn my DMD. I figured that once I had graduated and was practicing in the “real world,” things would change. Sadly, I was miserable, and mistaken. I felt very badly that many patients greeted me with, “No offense Doc, but i HATE the dentist!” It was very exacting work, always striving to make the perfect restoration under time constraints (esp. with OCD). I began to dread the career I had sacrificed and worked so hard for. When I finally decided to walk away, my dentist friends stopped talking to me, I was called crazy, and my parents were shocked. Here I was, the first one in the whole extended family to earn my Doctorate, and i was leaving it all behind after all of that hard work. All of the torture of dental school (4 years of hell), with none of the benefits! Now i work with animals, making 1/4 of what I made before. I’ll never look back. My family and friends are glad i’m happy, and I’m glad for my friends that practice dentistry and love it. Mentally and physically it was a tough job, and it takes a special, talented person to stick it out as a dentist. To the dental pro’s out there: keep on keeping on! I am aware of what you go through, and i am thankful for your work. (If only i could find a way to pay my student loans back before i turn 75)! — Former dentist
Thanks for your comment, Gina. It’s so interesting to hear from people who had the good sense to make a change when you first knew dentistry was wrong for you. It took me 10 years! I can (obviously) relate to all of the things you experienced right out of school– those things never really changed for me in the 10 years.
I can’t believe your dental school friends turned their backs on you. Luckily for me, I had a lot of support from mine– maybe that’s because 10 years later, they can relate to those feelings even if they like the career.
I also agree that I admire those that can stick with dentistry. I wish I were one of them. My life would have been much easier! Glad you found something you love. I did too, and it makes all the difference in the world, doesn’t it? Glad to hear your perspective. Oh, and good luck paying off your loans 😉
lolabees,
Can you please tell me what your career is now that you have left dentistry? I have been a dentist for 14 years and no matter how I try to change things in my career to make it better I really don’t enjoy doing dentistry anymore. This blog made me laugh and struck a nerve with me because it is exactly how I feel. I am glad to know other dentists feel the same way and that I am not alone. I am disgusted with how SOME people behave and I have bent over backwards for many patients by being kind, giving discounts, calling them to check on them, etc. only to have them leave the practice for some silly reason later on. I feel I give my all but I find that many patients are very fickle. The loyalty there was between doctor and patient does not exist anymore. Patients switch dentists like they switch gas stations these days. I always dreamed of growing old with my patients and having them with me like family taking care of them through many years of their life. Sadly, this does not seem to be the case anymore. Although there are still many good patients out there who are loyal and decent, it seems as though there are less of them and I am finding that most days I leave work very unfulfilled. On the rare occasion when I have a good day it is a great feeling but those are few and far between. I feel very unappreciated most of the time and find most routine dental procedures to be boring. I can’t get excited over doing a class II composite restoration for the umpteenth time in one day and getting a fun case such as doing #6-#11 with crowns or veneers does not come up as often as I would like. It is not for lack of trying and I offer payment plans, care credit, etc. However, the recent economic downturn has affected all of us and people are not doing as much cosmetic dentistry these days. I have often wondered what else I could do besides private practice that would be fulfilling to me? What suggestions do you have for an alternative career in dentistry? How could I use the skills I have now without having to go back to school? Since you left dentistry and found another career would be so kind to give me some advice? I am not sure I can spend the next 20 years doing this.
Hi Blue Heron,
After several years of not knowing what to do, I finally found something that I enjoy. I have started a weight loss business. The company only allows their program to be run in health care offices, and my husband is a chiropractor, so I was able to join his practice. I would bet that as a dentist I could have even started the business myself, but it was easy breezy this way. In the last 4 years of my annual CE I found myself always going to the nutrition courses and getting really interested in it. I never knew that I would end up in that field, so it turned out to be a great fit. It’s great for me because I still get to do the stuff I like: interact with and teach patients. It’s so much less intense than dentistry, which is perfect for me. I find that now I don’t resent the people the way I used to in dentistry. And as I’ve been away from that for 6 months, I’ve concluded that dental patients as a group are just miserable. (Sorry to all the good ones out there for making this generalization.) 🙂 My people interactions are really pleasant now– exactly what I always thought dentistry would be.
I agree with you. I think times have changed, and the relationship between dentist (and probably MD) has changed. It’s not how it used to be. Dentistry has become a business, and the clientele has evolved right along with it. I felt all of the things you’ve described too (except the desire to do cosmetic work– I found that to be the worst,) 😉
I did consider other types of jobs in dentistry, and I found it so hard to come up with other options that sounded good. I thought about teaching, which I actually think would be fun. But when I spoke to a few people about it, they warned me that the politics and BS are worse at the school than in private practice. That ruled that one out for me. Does public health interest you? I wonder if there are any consulting groups you could work your way into? Or maybe positions with certain dental implant or technology companies? Personally, I think that if you are at a crossroads, it’s really worth taking the time to find something that you will be happy doing– whether that’s in or out of dentistry. I don’t think it necessarily has to be a passion, but I think it’s a waste of time to go to something that doesn’t suit you more than what you are currently doing. I also didn’t want to go back to school. I started out by seeing a career coach– and I have written a bunch of posts since this one describing the whole process for me. I guess it’s not necessarily advice, but just my story. It certainly wasn’t easy, but like you, I knew I couldn’t do this another 20 years. I couldn’t stand the thought of waking up at 65 and looking back on my entire life regretting how I lived it.
The biggest thing keeping me stuck was that I didn’t know how my skills as a dentist could transfer to another job/career. That’s why I suggest doing some major soul searching. You might have to reinvent yourself, even if just a little bit. But I think that if you do, you will see it is well worth it. I’ve never been happier.
What things do you love to do? Do you want to stay in dentistry? Keep me posted. I’d love to hear how it all pans out for you. Also feel free to email me on the contact page if you have more questions.
I wish you lots of luck. You can do ti! Get out while you still have time! LOL 😀
Your comments throughout this page and lolabees have really meant a lot to me. I am earlier in my career as a dentist but this page has also struck a nerve with me. Thank you for sharing and just so you know…you are definitely not alone.
Hi Carlos,
Thanks for your input! Thanks so much for your thoughtfulness. I especially liked when you said this, “That’s ok, but I can assure you when you are getting a tooth extracted, you will hope you are with a dentist who cares and not one who will tell you to ‘stop complaining and hold still.'” I know I would rather have a dentist with human emotion that cares then one without any human emotion. 😉
Thank you so much for your response. I admire your courage to make a positive change in your life and for sharing your journey with others. Dentistry is not an easy profession to get out of because many people are saddled with huge students loans (as I was), and we don’t have a lot of options outside of private practice. I stumbled upon your blog because I was googling things about “dentist hates career”. Right now, although I don’t enjoy what I am doing, my situation with my working hours and pay makes it difficult for me to walk away. I am scared of going backwards and don’t want to cause a financial problem for my family. I have to continue to do some soul searching. It is encouraging to me to find that there are others who feel the same way and that there is a way out. I am so glad to have found this blog and I appreciate your willingness to help others.
You’re welcome, and thanks so much for all your kind words! Funny that you decided to do that search. There’s virtually no info out there or even support, but there are a lot of us out there. I always say that getting out of dentistry is like leaving a cult– for many of the reasons you mention. Good luck, feel free to “hang around” this blog, and keep me posted on what you decide to do.
Some really great comments. I have been a dentist for almost 26 years now and worked as a store clerk 16 years before that. The only thing I look forward to now, is that hopefully I can sell my office in another few years and NEVER work with people again. For those of you that don’t like what you are doing, I can tell you dentistry won’t ever get any better. You just learn to live with it. For those of you who love this dental job, bless you, I wish I could have felt the same.
I felt the same way, but now I work with people in a different capacity, and it’s so much easier. Dental patients are just a different breed. Congrats to you for surviving all those years. You’re stronger than I was. 😉 You’ll love the day when you finally get to sell your practice– congrats, you’re almost there!
I paid well over $40,000.00 for a full mouth reconstruction. My dentist told me he guaranteed my recon including crowns & root canal. Due to an improperly placed reconstruction I was unable to eat solid food. Due to improper load force a molar crown broke & he angrily slathered a rough substance over it with visible debris under it.
When I asked questions about my recon my dentist told me to shut up or he would take back his reconstrruction. “You don’t deserve it.” I did not know what he meant.
A newly crowned molar left me with pain & massive swelling from my eye into my neck. My dentist shrugged it off as bruxing. I am not a grinder. My dentist refused to take an x-ray. I had an x-ray taken by his colleague & it was found to need a root canal ASAP.
Though my dentist stated he did not do root canals he said it was too late for an Endo.
My dentist performed 4 unsuccessful root canals. All necrotic. All reeking of decay. All without antibiotics.
I had just recovered from a maxillary sinus abcess & my dentist promised to see to my needs. Now he was telling me antibiotics could make me susceptible to a plague. 2 weeks into reconstruction I had a sinus infection. I suffered from UTI infections. I was bleeding from my kidneys & my physician (also a patient of this dentist with dental failures) asked, “What is your dentist going to do when this infection goes to your heart?” He did nothing & told me to stop whining or he would take back my reconstruction…”You don’t deserve it.” I still did not know what that meant.
I asked about the root canal & crown guarantees I had never heard of before this dentist.
He promised me a free replacement crown.
But I was more worried about my inability to eat solid food, fevers, swelling & mass weight loss.
When I sought another dentists opinion my dentist became enraged. On the day I was to have final impressions for my “FREE” crown replacement my dentist pulled a syringe from behind his back sedating me without my knowledge or consent.
My dentist drilled for 2 hours severing my molar. He said he put in a post but as in the past there was no post, he filled the severed void with silver amalgam like a dog left to die in a laboratory of dental education.
I sought the best of the best of periodontists & prosthodontists for sectioning of one of my last molars. My dentist destroyed everything including his own crown lengthening. My dentist intentionally destroyed everything above the gum leaving sectioning impossible.
My dentist also orally emptied a syringe of a foul smelling liquid. His chair assistant asked, “What was that?” My dentist called it, “Your stinking rotten crotch…do you know what that is? It’s you.” An Illinois 3 panel dentistry board decided a “crotch” is the area of tooth roots coming together. Is that me?
Weeks later I was on life support in septic shock. All my internal organs relocated outside my body. At 5’7″ I weighed 83lbs.
Due to malnutrition all my internal organs relocated outside my body. My organs turned upside down & I was left with strictures, adhesions & vomitting my own feces. 2 years later my incision reopened spewing pus like a hose from intra abdominal abscess. Without repair I was to die & no surgeon could make such a huge repair till Dr Soper, North Western Memorial Hospital Chicago. Dr Soper came to Chicago from the Mayo Clinic to make such huge repairs.
Because my repair is so huge & my patch so big & doubled I will always be in pain.
My dentist covered his walls with dentistry accolades some without even passing a simple written test…WALLPAPER!
Illinois has lost too many children & adults due to sedation & bad dentistry.
I wish you well doctor.
LEFT LIKE DOG TO DIE IN ILLINOIS
Eek! This sounds like a horrific experience. I assume you went for a second opinion? Did this case go to the board? You mentioned a 3 dentist panel?
I forgot to add my reconstruction failed & was found to be either improperly prepped or intentionally left decayed. 3 abscesses were extracted. One with an abscess attached to the root. The staff was asked in the room to see an abscess attached to the root.
We have to keep in mind there are always two sides to every story.
I am wondering why did you select this dentist? Did someone recommend them to you? Did you seek a second opinion before selecting this dentist? How did the medical doctor you mention select this dentist for themself? Was there a dental board case? If there was one, could we read it? Was this printed in any newspaper story? It sounds so out of the world that I am curious.
It is dentists like this that make the rest of us look bad. Hearing of an experience like this makes me cringe as a dentist and I feel horribly for the patient. While this patient has every right to pursue whatever compensation is necessary and cases like this one are rare (thankfully), it is cases like this that make the news media go wild and make all dentists look bad. This only feeds into the mistrust most patients have of doctors nowadays. Not all of us are bad and most of us just want to help others and have pursued this profession because we really do care.
Wouldn’t you like to hear the other side of the story before you make a judgement? I have heard storys about bad dentists my whole career. I have found it best to not make subjective judgements and comment only on my objective observations. Not just my personal opinion , but also something I have heard at most seminars, is that dentists rush to criticize each other more than any other profession.
I’d love to hear the other side of this story, but I’m afraid we probably won’t get to hear if it went to the board or if any action was taken. I guess she felt she just needed to vent certain things. A story certainly holds little to no weight to me when I don’t get to hear all of the facts.
I totally agree that dentists do rush to criticize each other without knowing the other side of the story. You never know the circumstances as to why a restoration may have failed and I don’t ever criticize other dentist’s work to patients in my practice. The point that I was trying to make was that there are some unethical dentists out there that make the rest of us who care look bad. I was also expressing sympathy for this particular person who obviously had a horrific experience. That being said, I would like to hear the other side because this certainly does sound “out of this world” as you previously stated.
totally agree with a few giving many a bad name. In fact, here is a perfect example of what you are saying… http://lolabees.me/2012/04/30/did-you-ever-want-to-rip-someones-teeth-out/
I heard this story ended up being not true. That being said, things like that continue to feed into the mistrust people have with our profession. That story was just outrageous!
Very interesting post. I have guilty of doing one or two of the ten things you mentioned. But I am not too bad. I usually get along well with dentists and doctors. It’s the insurance that usually drives me crazy.
I wish people like you wouldn’t stop providing medical service. But it’s understandable that you have to listen to the call of your heart.
Thanks, Kedar! I appreciate the kind words. I, along with probably every other dentist, also go crazy when dealing with the insurance companies. They have a totally different agenda than we have. I’m sure you do very well with your dentist 😉
Great blog Lolabees. I would just like to say, for the benefit of the haters here.
1. Dental school and med school’s first two years are almost identical. Many colleges have them in the same classes, with the dental students also being responsible for labs. Dentists are in no way med school dropouts. Take a look at admissions criteria – It is almost identical. The only reason dental medicine isnt a medical specialty is tradition.
2. I realize 120k starting salary sounds high to you. Keep in mind this is after 300k in debt, which is an easy 35k a year in student loans payments, as well as 4 years of foregone income Ill never make back. While everyone was partying in their 20’s, getting married, buying trucks and lakehouses etc, we were poor students living on loans and eating raman noodles for the better part of a decade. If you would like to earn this number, you are more than welcome to be in the top 10% of your undergrad and then actually pass D school. Goodluck with that.
3. An accountant earlier talked about the high amounts a dds makes before taxes. He neglected to mention your practice loan payment is taken out of this number, which can be anywhere from 50-100k a year. Post tax. Add to that youre student loan payment, and lets call it 80k a year in bills I have to pay, after tax. Before I can feed myself. And living with the stress of knowing that.
4. Your dentist is a gem of an individual – smart enough to be a doctor, creative/artsy enough to give you a beautiful smile. The vast majority of dentists entered the field to help people in pain and improve your appearance. Some may be out for your money but that is in every profession on the planet. Find a good dentist that cares about you and stick with them.
5. We feel your pain on the deplorable state of dental insurance. We really do. 1200$ for a crown is expensive. However , there simply is no dental insurance on the planet that acts like medical insurance (small copay, ins pays the rest of the bill). Its not anything we have control over. In fact, most dentists do volunteer work on the regular to help the people who are in true need. What other profession does that?
Thanks, Steven. A lot of people would agree with you on those points here. Luckily there aren’t too many haters on my site, though the ones that are made sure to share their views. 😉
Wow – that’s some amount of replying…
I really really really love my dentist and hygenist. Too bad there are a bunch of jerks out there being patients! And like you said – some dentists are jerks too – but you can change your dentist – dentists rarely get to change their patients.
Ha! I know. I wrote this post thinking about 20 people would read it, and it kind of got out of control! You’re right– it’s much easier for the patient to leave the dentist than it is for a dentist to “fire” a patient. Sometimes it’s bad enough that they have to do that though. Glad you like your dental peeps– most of us do really get along with most of our patients 😉
I’m also insanely jealous that you got that many people to read and remark on your blog!
It was a total fluke, but a very welcome one. It was a crazy cool experience– one that only another blogger could understand! Sadly, it was also a bit fleeting! 🙂
I can relate – it’s a roller coaster – jumping for joy at the huge response then crushed when it’s fleeting (for me anyway).
We all do it. I find I’m better off when I try not to pay attention to the activity– good or bad.
Thank you for your visit and especially for appreciating my best ever title!
Your comments are very kind, and your blog is excellent.
I will be back to read more.
Recently did a piece on toothache – it might amuse you:
http://anelephantcant.wordpress.com/2012/07/10/to-a-toothache/
Cheers
Dental school costs taxpayers more than ANY OTHER PROGRAM. Our taxpayer dollars supplement YOUR education. Then you have the gall to write a post like this and whine about the “hundreds of thousands” you spent? You have the gall not to accept MA?
I have severe pain in my tooth right now. It is in a tooth that my dentist filled in March. She used something called “Dycal” which contains SULFAMIDE. A substance I told her, in advance, I am allergic to. Now I am having an adverse reaction (the right side of my head — not just my face, my head — is swollen up like a basketball). The clinic she worked for has since closed. She no longer practices.
A dentist from the small town I used to live in (the only nice, honest dentist I’ve ever met), which is 12 hours away, ordered me Penicillin VK and something for the pain on Monday. I have been calling around since Friday for this tooth and swelling, which is getting worse and worse, and the best I’ve found for a consultation, x-rays and “complex extraction” is a combined $1600. Now, mind you, if you anyone in the Dental industry had a heart and took all forms of insurance, this would be cheaper. But the system is rigged — in your favor. And no exceptions are made, even in the case of an emergency.
I’m tempted to just sterilize a pliers and pull the thing myself.
Imagine if you had chest pain and every place turned you down, saying they don’t have cardiologists, or they need the money upfront (I offered $1000 in cash, upfront, which was rejected — I need to pay in full, in advance). This is the state of the Dental industry. Dentists in the United States are, for the most part, the most entitled, heartless, dishonest, ungrateful bunch of spoiled brats to ever live. Your blog post reeks of entitlement and a superiority complex. I’m sorry, lolabees, just like the majority of your peers, you simply don’t get it.
You’re welcome for the real cash money I contributed to your schooling. Without people like me, your tuition would be 5 times as much. Why don’t you consider giving something back, for a change?
Where are you? I take MA (with certain conditions). You didn’t call me. I realize that people that are in severe pain sometimes say things they wish they hadn’t, and I hope this is one of those incidences. The way you are ranting , I don’t think any dentist would satisfy you at this point.
Do you have MA insurance? In our state, you cannot refuse MA patients if you want to participate in any other government plans. If you accept a pt. with MA, you can NOT ask them to pay for any part of the treatment that is covered by MA. It sounds like the dental offices you called may have refused to see you, first of all, because they can. Secondly, if you sounded demanding and resentful on the phone, who would want you for a patient? One of the conditions I have for MA patients (and all my patients) is that if they are not grateful, or if they don’t show me respect by showing up for appointments on time, I “fire” them. I am a caring professional that gives every one of patients 100% no matter what insurance plan they carry. If they cannot afford the treatment they need, I give it to them, but not if they act like you! Life’s too short to carry such hatred and resentment about anything, but especially when you base your views on such a limited sample of dentists. That’s called prejudice.
I have to admit that I read some of the posts on here and agree that some are into themselves just a little too much. Some are egomaniacs, “know it all”s and some doctors even think their “shit don’t stink,” but that doesn’t mean we are all like that. I am not a martyr, but I did attend to school for 10 years WITH NO INCOME, no food stamps no welfare, paid for my own health insurance, and lived like a pauper eating dented cans of Spaghettios. And I liked it! I worked my way through undergrad, but I did take a graduate school loans guaranteed by the government which I paid back with 9% interest. We did work our asses off, but I really enjoyed it. Starting up a business is expensive and risky, but challenging and exciting. We deserve to be paid for our services and we should not have to defend our fees, but we should also be generous with those who are in need. It is our business who we see, how much we charge, or whether or not we accept insurance plans. We earned that right. HOWEVER, whoever asked you for $1600 was a thief.
Part of being a professional is that we are held up to a higher standard of ethics than the rest of the population. We are to be caring of not just our patients, but the community. That’s part of the whole “doctor” deal. It sounds like you may have had bad experiences with dentists that are unprofessional. It’s also possible that the person answering the phone had a bad day or bad experience with an MA patient and she was taking it out on you. My advice is to be polite, humble, understanding and yes grateful when you call a dental office. You can get much more with honey than vinegar…didn’t your mama teach you that? I have not judged you because I am able to understand what is going on in your life.
I am fortunate to be an American with the opportunities given to me. I feel so grateful that I was able to obtain a student loan, especially since Ronald Reagan was cutting funding at the time and graduate loans was one that was on the chopping block. I am blessed to have attended a state dental school which is subsidized by the government. However, your anger has turned to exaggeration when you said that you paid for my education. Give me a break. Without that loan, I wouldn’t be here serving others and have the best job in the world! I thank God and my country every day.
In Pain,
You may be right about the tax payers supporting dental school more than ANY OTHER program. I don’t know the facts on that statement, nor do I have the time to try to figure it out for myself. However, assuming it’s true, let’s look at this scenario. If it weren’t supplemented by tax dollars, imagine how expensive it would be to attend dental school. The result would be much less access to care, and dentists would be forced to charge even more to cover even higher student loans. Ultimately, it’s not the dentists that benefit from this. It is a public health issue.
You’re in pain, and can’t get anyone to help you. I’m sorry to hear that. I’m actually surprised that you can’t find a dentist that will help you. That sucks. Like Nancy said, sometimes when people are in pain, they say stuff they don’t mean, but that doesn’t mean that other people have to be a doormat and be abused by their rude behavior. I’ll agree with you that there are some jerky dentists out there, but we’re not all “the most entitled, heartless, dishonest, ungrateful bunch of spoiled brats to ever live.” I don’t know the dentists that you’ve known, but the majority that I know care deeply about their patients and what they are doing for their communities. I don’t expect you to believe me or care what I have to say since since you’ve already made a judgement about my/our attitudes, beliefs based on a blog post that was written as a joke, with a lot of sarcasm, and in response to a fellow blogger who wrote a post titled 10 Reasons I Hate the Dentist! You’d probably say I was being overly sensitive and egotistical if I got pissed off by her blog post. But I chose not to. The reality is that the comments on this post are pretty indicative of the dentist/patient relationship. The majority of patients that read this post thought it was funny and mentioned how they loved their dentist and they were MORE understanding of what we went through. There were a few that actually seemed to have hurt feelings, but were totally respectful about this and opened a thoughtful dialogue. Then there were even less that came in screaming, insulting me, other dentists, and the entire profession. It’s apparent that these few took this list very personally. Hmm… now why would that be? Do they fear that there could there be some truth in the words on this page? Believe it or not, most patients don’t act the way I’ve described in my list, which is why most dentists love most of their patients. Let’s not make this so black and white.
I’m not here to try to convince you to change your mind about a belief that I’m a jerk or a belief you have whether us dentists get it or not. I don’t really care what you think of us because it’s really not my problem. You’re the one who gets to carry around those feelings. We all experience different things. I’ve realized it’s hard to understand another person’s views when you are on one side of the fence. I’ve been in the place where I understand how expensive it is to run a dental business, so fees need to be priced in order to stay afloat; and I’ve also been the patient who has been appalled by what seems to me an exorbitant medical fee, but I always try to understand the other side. Because I feel one thing at one time does not make it a truth. I guess I just find it funny how someone can come onto my blog and tell me I don’t get it, when it’s apparent they haven’t for a moment tried to understand the other side.
I really do wish you luck in finding someone to help you with your dental problem.
Haters gonna hate. It’s very difficult to change that mindset.
My gosh. You’re so right! Why do I bother? Haha!
Yes, dental schools are supported by taxpayers. Guess what? Dentists pay taxes. And tuition, too. We didn’t get our education for free.
You are judging all dentists by the few you have seen. Not an intelligent way to reach a conclusion. If you read posts by lolabees’ former patients (you know, people who actually met her), you would be aware that they find her to be a good person as well as a good dentist, and are sorry she left the profession.
As far as insurance – the system is rigged in the insurance companies’ favor, which is why I choose not to participate with any plans. Why would I give another company, whose best interests lie in paying as little as possible, dictate what I’m allowed to charge and what services I’m allowed to render? Do you really think they’re looking out for your best interests? Their best interests dictate that they pay for as little of your care as they can get away with.
We do give back. I often do discounted or free work for those who can’t afford my regular fees. Some patients get discounts they are never aware of, because they would be too proud to accept them. If you’re going to ask for a discount or free care, it behooves you to be polite.
Frankly, I find it a bit rich that the person demanding that we take Medicaid and participate with all insurances, thereby giving discounts or free care to those patients, calls US entitled.
Oh, and you are hereby nominated for a Very Inspiring Blogger Award –
http://anelephantcant.wordpress.com/
Congratulations!
Why, thank you! I feel so honored.
Congrats lolabees!
Aww, thanks, Melanie!
Wow, I’m really glad I’m not your patient. I’ve had my fill of jerk dentists. Ten years ago one of my dentists hit my lingual nerve. I was never told it could happen, ’cause hey, it’s only 1 in 100,000, right? Well that dentist magically disappeared after it happened. He had also knocked off a crown in the process and glued it on backwards, so I was a mess, and he was gone. I had to call everyone I knew looking for someone to help me.
Now, my tongue is still permanently numb. I stayed away from dentists for a long time. Ever think about that? Too many screw-ups in the field make people terrified to ever go to any of them. I finally had to go in because of issues with an old crown. Well, it has been one nightmare after another, and I have seen this dentist a few times a month for three months because he just can’t seem to get it right. By the way, my problems are due to genetic issues. I had baby teeth with no permanent ones under them.
I’m done with dentists, especially when I see posts like this. I’ve been treated very poorly and been mutilated by these highly educated idiots. I’m going to just wait, and when I have an issue, I’m going to the oral surgeon. It is quick, easy, and painless.
Did I see you aren’t in the profession anymore? I hope you aren’t. You just make me even more opposed to dentists and dentistry. People with your attitude make my want to dry heave. Maybe if a dental degree actually equaled competency, you wouldn’t have to deal with all those mean patients, you poor thing.
I’m sorry to hear you had such bad dental experiences. Good luck with your future dental care. And while I say this with no disrespect to you, trust me, I’m really glad I’m not your dentist either.
This is a pretty poor respond to that lady who is a victim of a dental malpractice and nothing else. You are not a people person and you are full of fears yourself. Sorry.
I have often said that people like you are not very bright. Most dental professionals care about their patients and want their patients to have a nice smile and a healthy mouth, but we can only do so much to get you there. People think that by threatening us that they are just going to ” let all their teeth rot out” or “just go have the oral surgeon extract them all” really doesn’t make a huge difference in our lives, you are the ones that have to try and eat,smile, and communicate without said teeth or try to get used to dentures. As much as we care about you, your choices are not going to cause us to lose any sleep. Your choices and your consequences. My teeth feel just fine if you have all yours removed..just saying…
I often wonder if those people simply don’t get it. 🙂
They’re not threatening you; they’re just expressing their anger which usually comes from fear—fear of the cost of treatment, or the treatment itself. They could just be angry at themselves for not taking care of their teeth. You sound judgmental and not entitled to be unless you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.
Sorry if you feel that I am being judgmental, I have taken the hand of many patients that are terrified of the work and by the end of the treatment, they will thank me for my kindness and patience that I have shown them. I have heard too many times the “threat” (by the way I don’t consider it a physical threat to myself) of “with these prices I will just let her teeth rot out of her head” by a parent of a teenager who thought the office was gouging him in prices and then proceeded to say “what do you think about that?!” It is like them saying “Hah! That will fix your little red wagon” when in fact the only one they are hurting is themselves or in this case, the teenage daughter. I personally thought this was close to a child abuse case and was close to reporting him to the proper authorities when the office manager explained to him that he could work out a payment plan, but that it was in his daughters best interest to have her teeth taken care of and proceeded to schedule the rest of the appointments she needed. End of the day…anyone who decides not to care for their teeth out of spite for the dentist and not because they are afraid, unable to afford, or embarrassed do not get my sympathies. I save my sympathy for those who try to conquer their fear, work out some type of payment plan, or who say I am so embarrassed. Those are the people that I take their hand and let them know that there is no reason to be embarrassed or let them know that I will hold their hand during the entire procedure while the dentist does their thing if it will make them feel better. I will talk with them while the dentist is out of them room and tell them to close their eyes and picture they are at the beach with waves lapping at their feet sipping on a fruity beverage with a gentle breeze blowing….. by the time the dentist comes in I usually have even the most nervous of patients relaxing.
Again, you miss my point. Did you walk a mile in that father’s shoes? Perhaps he lost his job a year ago and his self-esteem is in the toilet, his unemployment benefits have run out, he has no savings, his wife is sick in the hospital, his dad’s dying, his son is a drug addict, and his daughter has been giving the family heartache with her behavior problems. Always give people the benefit of the doubt…His words sound like a cry for help to me. I would call and offer a significant discount and easy payment plan so that he was able to take care of his daughter. Then, if he refused, I would call the county child protection agency, as neglect is a form of abuse. I’m not sharing this to be critical; I just thought you are a great assistant and may want to open up your eyes to the opportunity to help the ones that need you the most. It doesn’t come naturally to understand and help those sourpusses, but you’ll be happier for it.
Yes Nancie, I actually have walked a mile or maybe two in someone else’s footprints. I was a teenage mother, had my son just a couple months past my 18th birthday. Part of the time I was pregnant, we were homeless in a Minnesota winter! We still worked and got ourselves an apartment just before he was born. His father and I did not have any form of health insurance and we did not want to go on welfare. We worked hard and paid for all our health and dental care for years without any form of insurance. We did without having cable, telephones, vacations, and ate mac-n-cheese or ramen noodles for many meals. We did make sure to get into the dentist once a year for cleanings and then worked into our tiny budget for any work we needed to have done. We scrimped and saved every penny we could and when our son hit 8 years old, we bought a house, still without any insurance benefits from either of our jobs. Our son got sealants on time, I found a hygiene school that did them for low cost so that I could make sure he was taken care of. I could go on, but I think you get that yes, I do have a clue what people are going through. My point, however, is more that people think that health care professionals are going to hurt if they don’t follow through on what is best for them and I was just trying to point out that we are not the ones who will be having a toothache in the middle of the night by not doing what is recommended because of some idea they have that by “showing us” it will hurt us. I do believe that lolabees “got” what I was trying to say and that you and I may never be able to fully communicate with each other. I also agree with both you and her that helping someone who is fearful or whatever the case may be turn into a model patient is such a great experience that it can make a bad week turn into a great week. I can think of 3 people that still make me smile every time I just think about them and how they can come in and be not afraid without the use of nitrous or meds. It is just about the same feeling you get when a person has a horrible smile or no smile and after some work, they walk out the door with a brand new smile brimming with the most confidence one can have. I worked in a office that dealt 90% Meidcaid patients and the dentist I worked for went above and beyond to make sure each person could have a smile if it was at all possible. We made quite a few polycarbonate resin crowns with posts to help people keep a smile. I have also put my money where my mouth is and paid for a couple people to have some work done, just because I feel so blessed. So you can see that I do have quite a bit of background, I am not naive, nor do I feel I am being judgmental when I don’t take on other people’s manipulations to try and make me feel bad that they are not going to take care of their health, dental or medical, just to try and “spite” the doctors/dentists.
Sorry lolabees if this has gotten a bit long winded, I really didn’t mean to take over your blog.
You still don’t get it. You are comparing your own challenges to his. Not everyone is as strong a person as you. Not everyone has the same values as you. He’s manipulating you? No, you’re not naive, just self-righteous. Maybe you’ll understand when you grow in ethical development. I’m sorry that you felt so defensive as to tell me your life story.
P.S. Nobody can make you feel bad. That’s all your doing.
No worries, Melanie. My comment settings won’t allow me to reply to your latest comment, so I am doing it here. I’d rather watch you 2 go at it than have another person come on here and tell me I’m an insensitive a-hole for saying such horrible things! Haha! Sorry, I often tend to try to lighten things up a bit with my truthful humor. 😉 It’s my tactic to avoid confrontation. If I were a politician, I would probably be labeled as a flip-flopper because I can usually find things I agree with in most comments (except the really nasty ones.)
I did totally “get” what you were saying in your comment. We hear this all the time. I just had one of my very closest friends write a post on FB the other day that said: “every time I go to the dentist, I come home with a toothache I didn’t have before. Just found out my fillings didn’t need to be done,” (my thought: whatever that means??) He continued, “next time I’ll just wait until I have a toothache before I go get any work done.” Now, even though it wasn’t in any way a threat to the dentist, it really does sort of undermine and insult the value of the work his dentist did for him. I commented on his post, and guess what my response was? “That’s good. You show him!” I was just goofing around, but they’re all just words, right? Sometimes I think if patients could be reminded that they are only hurting themselves, they might see things differently– I would never be so sarcastic with a real patient, but I could in that case because it’s my friend, and he will forgive me for being snarky. I think a lot of patients don’t realize that point of view: that they are only hurting themselves. Anyway, rambling… but I do think your story and perseverance is impressive. I find it interesting that some will be in a situation like that and be victims their whole lives, and others will take charge and create the life they want for themselves. I’m sure that sounds totally judgmental! :O But I know I can be judgmental some times. I try not to be, and at other times, I can be really compassionate and understanding. I find that when I’m judgmental, it’s usually a defense mechanism, that I somehow feel the need to protect myself from a perceived threat. Good or bad, it’s just a feeling. It’ll come and go like the tides, so I try to recognize my feelings, but not place too much importance on them. That’s hard sometimes. Even if you have feelings of resentment, or judgment, or whatever it is, your feelings don’t define who you are and that you are still great at caring for patients.
Yes, I also truly believe that helping convert a “bad” patient to a “good” one is the best, however, I don’t think that FOR ME that quest should go hand in hand with having to take verbal abuse from nasty people. That’s just me. Maybe my skin isn’t thick enough, maybe I’m too selfish, but it is what it is. Nancie, you sound like you are great at being patient and understanding with patients. I (obviously) read all of your comments here, and it’s obvious that you not only love, but are passionate about your career, your patients, and serving people. I wish I had more of those qualities– heh, maybe that’s why I had to leave such an intense field. I’ll just blame it on my parents anyway. 😉
At the end of the day, I think as people we all want to feel validated. (I just saw that on an Oprah episode, and it resonated with me.) 😀 Whether it’s crazy things patients say to us or posts on a silly blog. What may be a sensitive issue for 1 person might not be for another. I didn’t care when it was recently pointed out to me that I have some cellulite on my ass (hope no one else is reading this;) but if you condescendingly tell me you’re glad I’m out of dentistry because of a comment I made that you misunderstood instead of asking what I mean by it (this recently happened to me on a forum,) then it might hit me where it hurts. Anyway, rambling, and not sure where this is going, so I better stop…
No need to apologize, your dialogue has gotten me thinking, which is always a good thing, I suppose.
Melanie, I get what you’re saying, and don’t find you to be the least judgmental. A parent who is threatening to neglect a child’s health to “teach the dentist a lesson” – well, that’s just a lousy parent. And Nancie, I doubt Melanie, as a dental assistant, is authorized to offer discounts or payment plans. I certainly don’t authorize my employees to give away my services – that call is up to me. And your final response, that nobody could make her feel bad, proved her point. The patient is TRYING, unsuccessfully, to manipulate her. It’s like the child who can’t have an ice cream cone threatening to run away from home. The wisest parents offer to help pack their bags – the child sees how ridiculous they’re being, that it isn’t working, and becomes more reasonable. Sadly, some (not many) adult patients are still threatening to run away from home.
I am glad that both you and lolabees get what I was trying to point out. I figured that I was not going to reply to Nancie any longer as it is a waste of time to try and explain something to someone who just demands to be obtuse.You also hit the nail on the head that I, being an assistant cannot make the call to offer a discount for the dentists fees. I have a few times helped out a patient financially when I have known there was a need. This has come out of my pocketbook as a form of “paying it forward” from being grateful for all the medical/dental offices that helped me by offering payment plans along the way. I feel blessed to have worked in a service industry that can offer so much to so many. Thank you so much for your kindness and for the response Sandy.
I’m glad you and your son’s dad were able to pull yourselves up by your bootstraps, and it’s awesome that you’re paying that forward to patients in need. Kudos to you!
I found this a bit offensive. Especially the parts about plaque and rotting teeth and not opening your mouth. Untill last week i had not been to a dentist in six years because of fear so bad that im a bit teary right now. I shake through appoints with tears pouring out of my eyes and i usually vomit before i even see the dentist. Part of not going is the shame of having dirty teeth and bad breath and you confirming that a dentist thinks like that makes me feel even more ashamed about having naturally crooked and hard to clean teeth, thus starting the cycle of not going all over again. In the last six years i havepulled out 3 rotten teeth on my own because of fear. If youre annoyed at me not being able to my mouth conside the fact that some of us are so afraid we pass out after extractions and we’re exhausted for days after we have a mere consultation. Its all well and good for you to complain about minor irritations when you still get paid at the end of the day but when im awake at night bawling at the thought of my next appointment which is only a consultation consider that. You might be annoyed but some of us are absolutely terrified
Truly, if you are kind to the dentist and the staff, they will not judge you for those things. If you are (politely) open about your fears (which I suspect you are polite based on your comment here,) your dentist might be able to help suggest ways for you to manage them (like Valium or nitrous oxide.) I hope you don’t let my silly post keep you away. We do understand that people have fears and many dentists are respectful of that.
You’re right. Not every dentist has the patience or the empathy for a fearful patient like you. In fact, Several dentists in my area refer “Aprills” to me because I not only have the patience and empathy, but the desire to convert them into good dental patients. There are few joys greater than helping someone like you. I have sung “You’ve come a long way, baby!” while entering my ops many times (lol)…I love my job. Once a patient “rented” the entire office on my day off, had to be carried in by her beloved husband, and asked that all the lights in the office be turned off. I premedicated her with Ativan and gave her nitrous oxide and she did fine! There were a few tears of relief on the way out, but she returned to complete the reconstruction 2 weeks later. I didn’t win this one though; she may have some great dentistry in her mouth, but she has not been back to maintain it. The kudos make me cry and the joy is worth all the extra time, but I couldn’t make a living if everyone was like you. By the way, lolabees’ post was meant to make us laugh…not to insult you.
I agree, Nancie. Though some reading this post might find it hard to believe (LOL,) some of the greatest moments and feelings for me were when I was able to convert a fearful (or even negative/angry/[fill in the blank]) patient into a comfortable/positive patient experience. That’s when you really feel like you’re doing great things.
Wow! Judging from the number and length of the comments here, I’d guess that this post touched a nerve with many dentists. I just wanted to say it was a funny post and I enjoyed reading it. Thanks.
Right?!?! Thanks, Dave. Glad you thought it was funny, as it was meant to be. It also struck a chord with many patients, and maybe not in a good way. 😉
I am a high maintenance patient. I feel embarrassed by it, and I also know that I have come by it honestly. I happen to have had a combination of problems, some congenital, that have made going to the dentist about as pleasant to me as…..well, as a root canal 🙂 . I was born with very little enamel, had 2 pregnancies during which I threw up sometimes over 30 times per day and was bedridden with an IV and therefore had very poor oral hygiene as well as developing severe sensitivity in every tooth because of all of the stomach acid wear and tear. . I breast fed and as a result, my already failing teeth suffered tremendously. I had severe TMJD. When I was 17 I had surgery to correct it. During the surgery the surgeon relocated a nerve and in doing so, made it almost impossible for me to become numb on the entire bottom left side of my jaw. Unless the dentist/oral surgeon does a specific diagnostic imaging technique, he or she will never find the right spot to inject the anesthetic. All of these problems make a trip to the dentist so much more complicated than for the average person, and I have developed quite an unhealthy fear of the dentist and I avoid it at all costs until the pain is so bad that I just can\’t stand it. I am an educated person, and I know how stupid this is. And it just is what it is.
What has contributed the most to this fear is the insensitivity of almost every single dentist I have seen. The worst of all of it is being accused of being a drug addict. On my most recent visit to the dentist – 2 years ago – I was seeing a new dentist, and like clockwork, my worst fear was realized. I was visiting because I had an abscessed tooth. After looking at my X-Rays he sat shaking his head judgmentally at me and said \”take your pick, it could be any one of these teeth that could be the culprit. Exactly how long have you been a meth user?\”. I teared up and told him I was not a meth user and went through my long diatribe of dental issues and when I was all done he said, \”I have never in 27 years of dentistry seen teeth this bad in anyone who wasn\’t a meth abuser\”. Well, I thanked him for his time and grabbed the prescription for pain killers and antibiotics that were sitting on the counter and walked out of his office. I thought he probably thought I was a pain killer addict too, and that bothered me a bit, but not enough to not get the prescription filled! I was in a lot of pain. This is just one example. I have been accused of being a drug addict by at least 4 dentists. I explain away, and some probably believed me, and some probably didn\’t. I don\’t get my teeth cleaned regularly due to the pain involved to get them cleaned because of severe sensitivity. The topical anesthetic that they use doesn\’t do a thing for me, and it embarrasses me that it doesn\’t work and that I have to asked to be numbed just to get my teeth cleaned. I have had more than one hygienist tell me to basically \”buck up\” and deal with it. While that may be something I should do, my thoughts are that I am the patient and I am paying for all of this, and if I\’m asking to be numbed, then numb me and be done with it, and keep your comments to yourself. It would make things so much easier if a note could be made in my chart and I didn\’t have to explain myself every single time I walked in the door. I\’m not rude when I ask to be numbed. I don\’t argue with anyone. I just want to experience a pain free cleaning, and is that too much to ask? I have endured many that were so painful that I left in tears and sore for a week because I didn\’t feel like trying to convince anyone yet again that the topical didn\’t work. I have endured pain so bad that I passed out because the dentist didn\’t believe me that my tooth wasn\’t numb, even after I explained that I had a hard time getting numb because of my nerve relocation. He had given me the maximum amount of anesthetic possible and said that there was no way that I couldn\’t be numb and that he had never heard of such a thing as having a nerve relocated due to TMJD surgery. I didn\’t go back to him. I have had 3 or 4 dentists not believe me that I wasn\’t numb, but they were kind enough not to drill. I ask for nitrous oxide each visit and that helps, but again, if I don\’t remind them each time I go, then it doesn\’t happen. That thought then again occurs to me that a simple note in my chart would make things so much easier and go more efficiently. When I meet with clients, it is my responsibility to familiarize myself with them and any unique circumstances and/or requests before they come in. This helps me help them and it also shows them that I am a professional. I would lose a lot of clients if I didn\’t do this, and it is what I consider to be part of my job. I expect that same thing when I am paying for a service – be it dental, medical, mechanical, or whatever. I understand that there are lots of patients to be seen, and it doesn\’t take but a minute or two to look at a chart and note any special requests that are made particular to that patient. It can be done while I\’m sitting down in the chair and getting myself situated. And I know that the dentist has paid a lot of money and taken a lot of time to go to school. So did I. And I get that they are the experts, and I treat them as such. None of this means that his or her time is any more valuable than mine. If I have an emergency and have to cancel my appointment at the last minute, I am charged for an office visit, and I completely understand this. What I don\’t understand is that when I am made to wait for an hour or more because of an emergency in the dentists office, why am I not compensated for my time? It\’s not just patients that are so much trouble.
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Hi Lackiss,
You might be surprised to hear this, but I agree with you on a lot of what you say here. I am not going to address your personal dental history (other than I’m sorry it’s been difficult for you) because, well, I don’t have to do that anymore now that I’m retired! 😉 Let’s talk about what you have experienced from dentists. Being accused of being a meth addict when you are not would be an extremely insulting experience. The situation you describe is a very judgmental and rude way to handle things. Gives us caretakers a bad name by making us look insensitive. However, in a way I think it’s cool that he could be so transparent in trying to so candidly confront an issue he thought to be a problem. Too many of us are too afraid of insulting patients that we avoid uncomfortable issues that in the long run could benefit a patient. (I’d say obesity is a great example of that– doctors and dentists are afraid to tell someone they think part of their health problem is their weight. Myself included.) That said, I understand how hurtful and insulting that would be.
While it is part of our responsibility as health care providers to address these types of things, as “service providers” we have to be really careful about how we say things– because you’re right. We are in the service industry, and insulting customers isn’t the way to have your business thrive. I don’t know why so many dentists have accused you of being a drug addict. What I do know is that we could lose our licenses if we abuse the prescription process. If you were to ask any dentist, every single one would tell you that they’ve had drug seekers try to (and probably succeed) abuse the system and manipulate them to get drugs. As a whole, we are super sensitive about it and vigilant because it is illegal. I’m not implying you are an addict, just explaining why dentists are on the defensive about that. I used to have patients with sinus infections ask me for antibiotics so they didn’t have to see their doc. That’s not in the scope of conditions I can prescribe for.
As far as notes in charts and personalizing your experience. I absolutely agree with you on that– it should most definitely be a part of the service they provide to you. They’re just plain dumb or lazy if they don’t try. Except for the high volume practices– it’s not a model I like, but some of those guys don’t have time to do those things, but their fees are also much lower. (Sometimes a little friendly reminder from the patient is always much appreciated too.) 🙂
Now for the time thing… you are right that everyone’s time is valuable. One of the things that infuriates me the most is when patients have to wait a long time for a visit. It’s totally disrespectful and hypocritical. However, dentistry is the only medical field I know of that when a patient calls with a toothache or a true emergency, all dentists insist on having a policy that they will get them in on that day. They will work into their lunch hour or after hours to at least be sure the patient is seen for a diagnosis. If I have a full schedule and a patient calls in with an emergency, I’ll have to squeeze them in. I do my best to make sure no one waits, but if someone has to, it’s not going to be the patient who scheduled their appointment 3 months ago and has been waiting months for their appointment. If I am helping a patient in pain by getting them in that day, I hope they would be understanding that I am doing my best to keep all of my patients happy. When I am late for a scheduled patient because of an emergency, I hope they will understand with the realization that if they ever have an emergency, I will do the same for them.
I used to have 1 patient come in 30 minutes before her cleaning so I could numb her whole mouth. She wasn’t even my patient, but she always came on days her dentist wasn’t there. It was no big deal for me, but she did have to pay for the added service, and she was thrilled to do it. I assume there are dentists out there that can be kind and help you meet your dental needs. You sound like you would meet them halfway and be kind in return. Check out this blog to read the words from a standup doc that is the kind of dentist you need to find. http://taoofdentistry.com/blog/ Good luck! I hope you can turn things around for yourself and find the right dentist for you. Thanks for the comment. I appreciate hearing your side. (Especially since you didn’t call me a whiny bitch! LOL 😉
I wouldn’t call you a whiny bitch on my worst day – well, maybe on my worst day lol! :). Who am I to judge you when I have no idea what you’ve gone through on any given day or for any length of time? Everyone has his or her own issues, and I personally believe that everyone is doing the best he or she can at that moment in time. Just because I don’t like what is said or done, doesn’t mean my opinion is any better or more “right”. And besides, calling someone with a drill in her hand a whiny bitch is baaaaaad mojo! 🙂
Ha! Yeah, that’s exactly what I was joking about. It’s amazing how readers will come on here and get offended by what I’ve said, (making it about them,) and call me names. Who does that? As you know, that behavior says much more about them than me. Again, I agree with what you’ve said. Especially the part about bad mojo– not a smart move 😉
My last comment, I promise! My guess as to why they keep accusing me of being a drug addict – and it’s specifically meth, is because I have had a ton of work done on my teeth, and it has not been cheap. And because of all the acid wear and tear and breast feeding, the decay has been fast and severe. Evidently, this is akin to “meth mouth”, as well as bulimia. I have been accused of being bulimic as well. * Sigh*. I worked as a Risk Manager in the healthcare field for almost 10 years, and am very familiar with drug seeking behavior. Malpractice rates in Florida have skyrocketed because of prescription drug abuse. I stay away from narcotics typically, but there are times when they are legitimately needed, such as a when you have an abscessed tooth! Aside from child birth, I have known no pain more severe. And it is so irritating and maddening when you are already in so much pain that your BP is 220/110 and the Dentist is afraid to give you pain meds because he or she assumes you’re a drug addict because your teeth are bad! Ibuprofen just doesn’t cut it. I am a very average person. When I am at the Dentist, it’s typically a work day for me, and I am dressed professionally, have my own transportation, and speak in complete sentences. If you don’t look too closely at my teeth, there’s not a thing about me that would for one minute indicate drug use. I wish that the Dentist would take the time to get to know me (or any other patient for that matter), and circumstances that are unique to me, before he or she makes just plain outright wrong assumptions based on ignorance. And my last rant……when I’m sitting in that chair with my little bib on and Nitrous Oxide billowing into my nostrils, I’m a captive audience. It’s not fair to sit and talk about all kinds of juicy topics among each other when I don’t get to participate because I have to keep my mouth open!!! 😉
Nope, you’ve earned the right to comment as much as you want! (Remember, you didn’t call me a whiny bitch?) 😉 I see what you mean. It’s sad that they would make assumptions without getting to know you. You sound like a very reasonable person, and I bet you could find a dentist that would take the time to know you. If you are in Florida you should check out http://www.pankey.org They teach that principle of getting to know your patients, and since it’s in Florida, there should be a bunch of dentists that follow that practice philosophy there. It will cost a little more, but you know what they say… you get what you pay for (usually!) That is, if you haven’t given up on the profession by now. Ha! The gossiping is an interesting phenom– some patients love being “entertained,” and some patients hate it. Imagine if you weren’t getting the nitrous in that moment!
This is definitely a horrible list… and not because you’re the one writing it, but because there are people out there that are like that! I would never say, “I hate the dentist.” I love the dentist; they fix things in my mouth when I am too scared to come in for months (and no, I don’t call on the weekends for emergencies!). My husband is military, so we move a lot, so I have to start over with a new dentist every time we go somewhere new. The first thing I say when I do meet the dentist, is, “I have a fear of dental work, and of physically being in a dentist office.” I would never say I hate them, that is ridiculous.
I’m sorry you encountered so many rude people during your years as a dentist!
Thanks, Rachel. I was amazed when I experienced this kind of stuff after I got into the field. When I was a patient, I was always agreeable/friendly/polite even if I didn’t particularly want to be there. I thought everyone else was too. As you can see from the list, that definitely was not the case. The good news is most patients are like you and appreciate the care they receive from their dentists even if they fear being in the dental office. That must be hard to switch dentists so often! I think it’s great what you say to your new dentists– they should know how you feel, and I bet they appreciate you and you get better care as a result!
People wince when in pain or in anticipation of pain. It is an automatic response. They may even appear rude or unappreciative as a result of stress. So as a professional, if you cant deal with that occasionally happening, then dentistry may be a poor career choice.
Many people have indeed received sub par work from dentists. At the end of the day dentistry is more art than science. An individual who is not very academically minded but has hand skills like Michelangelo would probably make a fantastic dentist but without ”book smarts” will never have the opportunity to show it. Unfortunately some dentists are very intelligent but have hand skills like an arthritic bear.
There are not many professions where one can do a botched job, still expect to be paid, and then charge again to rectify what was caused by a lack of skill or care. How would a dentist react if his or her Lamborghini was damaged during its servicing, and the mechanic just said ”sorry sometimes things like that just happen” Then was given a bill for the work done and a quote to remedy the situation? Good luck on that one Mr. mechanic. And yes, I do know that a human body is far more dynamic and unpredictable that an engineered auto-mobile, but too many dentists use the ”act of nature” clause as a get out of jail free card, for what was, in reality, incompetence.
You lament having to look into unhygienic mouths? Your a dentist for gods sake! Try something which really takes skill and smarts like thoracic surgery, gynaecology, neurosurgery, proctocology or a host of other medical fields that utilise invasive treatment. Ever experienced the smell of exposed intestines? Had to amputate a gangrenous leg lately? I’m sure it’s a barrel of laughs for all involved and much better than a stinky mouth.
Any person that deals with the public in their job can tell you ”horror stories” about painful, rude and unappreciative customers. From butchers to bakers to the guy that laid your driveway, they all have probably at some time, ”hated” their client. Some of those clients indeed shockingly may have been dentists
So as a lay person what I would prescribe is, climb down off the pedestal, put your pants on one leg at a time like the rest of us, then take a teaspoon of amalgam and harden up a little.
Have a great day and don’t forget to floss.
This list had me smiling. I’ve never hated my dentists. I’ve had 1 orthodontist, 4 oral surgeons, will have an endodontist soon(unfortunately), and some great dentists! I always brush my teeth before I go into the dentists office; it’s rude if I don’t. I also let my dentist know that I get nervous, may bite, have TMJ and have lots of work done on my jaw. Just recently had x-rays done, the dental assistant said I was a pro. Yep, I’ve had lots of practice; I have plates and screws in my jaw so I know that the bill might be higher. I don’t complain about the bill; I’m so grateful that my dentist took care of my tooth/teeth/mouth. I’ve been guilty of not getting work done on my mouth, but my dentists have been great with me, and are glad that I’m finally getting the work that I needed done on my teeth. Well that’s what the dentist said. :shrug:
Dee, your response had me smiling. These are the moments most dentists live for. 🙂
Dentistry is now a business..as always buyer beware
I am so thoroughly enjoying this thread ! I agree with wealknow that dentistry is business . So why is there such a huge hue and cry about us making money ?? So do builders, lawyers, architects , techies !! In fact from where I see a lot of young people are already making pots of money when we dentists are still in school trying to cope with the fat books wondering weather or not we would make it past the exam . Then, once we are out of school arises the bigger question , How do i make up for the money iv spent on my education ? So just as others make their money arnt we dentists entitled to our share of profits .
Also just as in any profession we too have the better and worse ones . I have seen dentists who painstakingly work all day making sure every case is completed uneventfully no matter how late inb the evening it gets . At the end of the day they might also call some patients to check on them .On the flip side iv seen those ones who might blatantly fill a Class 11 restoration without a separating band !! Its true some dentists do practice like that !!
I am one of the earlier sorts who will answer my patients call at any time of the day (and night for that matter) . Hence it truly only pains me when people typecast us dentists as greedy bastards . Whats greedy about charging a patient for your sincerity and a good job? Lolabees u seem the sort who likes the profession but u don’t like the baggage that comes with it ! I totally understand where you are coming from . I am on sabbatical as of now and am so loving this stress free time no phone calls and no bills to take care of and most importantly no pesky thankless patients !I Can totally relate to you !
Thanks, Sue! That’s a good point– it’s as if dentists are sleazy for running a business and simply wanting to get paid for their hard work. I too have seen the gamut– I knew a dentist who used to fill a large posterior class 2 composite with flowable in 1 layer (among other really shady things!!) It’s quite sad. People deserve much better than that, but it’s people like that who give any profession a bad name. What I think is scary about those people is that they actually are delusional enough to believe that they do great work! I’d say you are right about your assessment of my feelings towards dentistry. There is a lot about it I actually liked, but there was so much that I disliked, that I would spend several months feeling fine, and the several months feeling very unhappy in my career. I’m curious… how are you able to take a sabbatical, and for how long? Sounds absolutely divine… well, other than full out “retirement!” LOL
Yeah its like getting the best of both the worlds isnt it?? I am currently expecting my first baby and hence the sabbatical . I work in a multi speciality hospital and have requested a year long sabbatical whcih is approved ..tho i’m not sure i will join back !
U seem like a sincere dentist . Its sad that committed dentists like you are quitting and the ‘class II in flowable composite’ restoration sorts are sill out there screwing patients teeth up .Hope someday u feel like starting up , after all we need good dentists in majority so that may be someday we could shed the ‘greedy bastard’ tag 😉
LOL If either of you do “come out of retirement”, please let me know…… I would love to be your assistant!
I volunteer Sue! Haha! You rock– I’ll let you know if I do 😉
Congratulations! That is very exciting. Also a great way to get a break– but you’ll still probably work harder on your year off. 😉 I’ve “talked” a lot to a woman on here who left dentistry for 10 years to raise her kids. She was thrilled to get out of it at the time, but has recently returned and seems to be loving it. Sometimes we just need a little time… again, thanks for your kind words!!
I just wanted to comment on this page because I can’t believe people are still commenting on this page! Haha. Anyhow, I hear ya, doc. I try to be the best patient possible and always floss and brush before going to you. I can’t believe people wouldn’t! Gross. I just went to a new dentist today because my old one decided to retire. Was quite scary considering my whole mouth is just one big filling at this point. I had to get a cavity drilled out of my last molar at the top left of my mouth and it feels like he left a hole open or something near the gumline! I am trying to deal with the suttle pain hoping it goes away in time, but not too sure about it all. Good article, quite amusing.
Haha! Thanks for joining the party. I will say a collective thank you from all the dentists in the world for brushing your teeth before you come in. 😉 If that pain doesn’t go away, be sure to check back in with your doc. I always say there is no need to suffer, and if pain continues after a new filling, often times it’s an easy fix. Thanks again, Mayor!
Having just been to the dentist yesterday I shall respond to the whole “bite down for the xray” thing by saying: Yes, it’s obvious to you, the dentist, which bit of the massive multi-pronged object you want me to bite and with which teeth because you have seen one before. Don’t hold up something shaped like a modern art sculpture and say “Bite this” and then get in a funk with me if I am trying to bite the middle bit with my front teeth instead of the outside bit with my back teeth.
Also, I’m deaf. Shining a light in my face then covering your mouth with a mask is soooooo not the best way to get me to do your bidding, I have no clue what you asked me to do. Your improvised sign language is not informative. Again, do not get exasperated with me when it inevitably happens that I guess and do the wrong thing.
This is one of the most boring posts I have ever read! Why did you bother becoming a dentist if you found the most trivial things irritated you so much? And if what you wrote was supposed to contain some humour I didn’t spot it. Yes people relax their mouths after a while that means that they are comfortable rather than anxious surely all it takes is for the dentist to ask the client to open a little wider? Is it really a major pet hate that all dentists can relate to? and say to themselves when they read your post “OMG yeah that happens all the time to me to I really hate it” And as for food in your clients teeth and poor hygiene overall I doubt many people would go to the dentist without brushing their teeth first, it seems like an obvious pet hate to chose as people do eat with their teeth. If people are turning up to appointments with food in their mouths well that’s still like saying “ I wish I wasn’t a Chiropodist because my clients feet stink” you chose to poke around in peoples mouths and drill out the rot from their teeth, and poor oral hygiene = a new car so why complain?
A bag of groceries is far cheaper than a dental bill, a check up costs more than a weeks shopping for one person!
And why would your clients contact your during your evening meal, surely when they called the dental practice their call would have been diverted to a emergency out of hours service?
Anyway you must have done well enough for yourself if you were able to aford to give your job up!
No, Karen, asking the patient to open wider often doesn’t help. A major pet peeve among many dentists is the patient who opens for 2 or 3 seconds at a time, causing us to ask them to open repeatedly over the course of a short appointment. Some close back down the very second I get the mirror in their mouths. Some also tuck their chins to their chests or repeatedly turn toward my assistant (away from me), presenting me with either the tops or backs of their heads to work on. No amount of polite requesting seems to keep these folks still, but they still want quality care.
And yes, many patients do show up with food in their teeth, or worse. I live in an area where smokeless tobacco use is common, and some men show up with snuff stuck in their teeth. It’s disgusting.
Karen and in spite of it .. you have left a big fat reply on this “boring” thread !!
First let me state that I have no one to plaim for the over all conditon of my mouth.Years of odas,candy and 35 years of smoking plus what was called Epilepsey until 1960 and then was found to be a birth defect caused by forcepts after an extensive test by a Nuerologisit. I have worn Dentures for over 20 years and was told I could not have implants because of bone loss, now I could if I had $50.000 Dollars. The cost of the dentures I have had to wear over the years would have paid for implants even at todays cost, but wth bad credit and on Social Security I cannot afford them. So it is either go toothless and lose all self respect o ust gie up period I am in my 70’s and do not have much longer anyway. The first part sodas,candy and smoking are my fault bt cannot control what happened at birth. Al I want is to be able to eat and live out my days that are left. My cousin was a Dentist in Texas and so is his daughter and it is a dirty job day in day out.
I know the hygenisist hates me. she has to schedule two appts, since I go every several years. And oh yeah sorry about that salmon i had a few days ago. I also have an extraordinary small mouth and can’t bite down all the way. why don’t they have smaller things? and the bill, well that will never get paid, but at least they get their $40 up front each time (bastards!) But anyway, I wanted to express my gratitude for the other 6 or 7 ways i hadn’t thought of to be hated my dentist THANK YOU!!
you sound like a mean jerk I’m glad my dentist is nice to me.I may have dental problems but I can’t help my brushing habits because I have cp and it effects the way I’m able to move my hand and my toothbrush but I do brush at least twice a day and if my dentist acted this way around me I would cry.I’m a very tender-hearted person with high functioning aspergers though so that might be just me.I hope you didn’t act so insensitive around your patients.
You guys (dentists) realise that there is a genetic component to tooth decay. Everyone in my family (brothers, sister (MD), parents, uncles, grandparents and so forth) have had partials, dentures or (if they can afford it) implants around 35-45 years of age with proper care. Another point is that some people do become homeless at no fault of their own, some have mental disorders, some have addictions, these may seem easy to taunt and say hey, well you shouldn’t have smoked that crack pipe, but you would be surprised at the people who end up in these situations and how non-black/white they are. The dentist comments in here degrading their patients and types of patients are probably the same type that cause the medical disorder called odontophobia and dental anxiety. Playing devils advocate as well; we unfortunately live in a class based society. So yes, while you had made the decision at an age some have matured enough to no fault of their own to make a better decision for your future it’s not like the work you do is any more or less vigorous then the man who works under raised houses in Florida with snakes, spiders and other nasty things within crawl spaces 2 feet high to install your cable (not that this is my profession)
I suppose my point is that as dentists you should all know that while tooth decay is a horrible thing, the patient suffers as well and stereotyping the patient is the same as the dentist being stereotyped and perhaps it is very likely that there are a lot of dentists out there that do not act like Drs. It is your job and what you attended school for to resolve tooth decay, so why are you complaining of people with severe decay? If everyone brushed their teeth everyday and flossed you would not pay your $2000 a month bills doing minor filling and simple cleanings. Its root canals, plainings, restorative and cosmetic dentistry that fills your pockets and parks my dentists Jag in front of his office. I don’t complain, and I love my dentist and thank her every time, have sent flowers and cards and appreciation. I think some of you need to re-evaluate your profession. Sometimes your job will be difficult, this is why you don’t make min-wage and why you have 200k in student loans like the rest of us who chose higher education.
Thank you.
Absolutely, very well said.
Why does a dentist ask? “Is there any change to your conditon,” each and every 6 month cleaning? It makes me patient feel like a Leper.
Ha! I’ve never asked that specifically. “your condition?” I can see how that would be an odd question.
Having read the entire initial post and every comment that followed. If you were able to get financing to the tune of $400,000 for dental or medical school when basic college is out of reach for the very poor and working classes, and if you were able to spend another half-million to open a practice, you’re extremely fortunate and have far more privileges than most people have. I don’t know any dentists who are unable to afford a car, or who live in impoverished neighborhoods like the ones I’ve always had to live in because of being among the ranks of the poorest of the poor where the abject poverty rates are higher than the rejection rates of student applicants to MIT or CalTech. Kindly leave your personal value judgments in your upscale subdivision. The rest of us who have problems that just may be a lot worse than yours don’t need to be subjected to it — we’ve got enough on our plates, thank you very much.
As I type this response, I sit here in pain unable to eat anything except soup with the entire right side of my face and jaw swelled up like a football, unable to open my mouth, pain shooting down into my jawbone and up to my ear, unable to sleep for three days straight because of a broken abscessed tooth that I have NO way to get treated, praying to God I don’t end up dying from the infection because there is no help out there for the poorest of the poor. At least, not where I live.
I didn’t choose to be poor; to not get a fair fighting chance in life, and to have to suffer serious health problems as a direct result of poverty — poverty due to real, not imagined, inequality.
I started out behind the 8-ball in life when I wasn’t able to get dental care as a kid, and then ended up homeless at age 13, having to resort to strip dancing just to get money to live for lack of any real options for poor girls and women whom nobody in this society ever gave a damn about. I never had access to dental care, other than my toothbrush and floss. But guess what? That alone will not 100% prevent dental caries or strengthen genetically brittle teeth or teeth with weak enamel. The only difference is that the outcomes are a lot different for those of us in poverty than for those who are comfortably off who have resources. Cavities that spiraled out of control for lack of access to care don’t wait to happen until you hopefully luck out and land that good paying job with health and dental benefits.
After a disabling car accident caused by an uninsured driver left me disabled (for which I am STILL not even getting a measley SSI check!) at age 24, I went into unaffordable debt to go back to school as a non-traditional aged student at age 27. I had no money or Medicaid to pay for dental care because of Welfare Reform (only single moms get some limited Medicaid, poor adults with no income and no kids get zilch).. Not only did I have malnourishment/hunger issues due to being poor while trying to concentrate on school work, I also had to suffer teeth rotting out of my head with no way to get any dental care to keep things from going from bad to worse. Try concentrating on school when you have to suffer like that because you can’t get the help you need and then tell me about the virtues of “trying hard enough.” On top of that, I was on the losing side of the digital divide as a poor woman trying to go to college as an older learner. So I didn’t even know how to use a computer — an expectation by professors since college is geared only towards middle class kids right out of high school, not poor, marginalized and extremely disadvantaged women.
After graduating at age 34, I then had to face prospective employers with visibly decayed and missing teeth as a result of poverty and lack of access to dental care all my life — which was NOT my fault — and be further punished for my conditions of poverty by being unable to get a job because of having to look like that, while also unable to get any dental care so I COULD maybe have a chance in life. Try bootstrapping your way out of deep poverty when you have to live like that in a society that loves to blame the victim, a society of “me me me” that beats down poor women with nothing and no chance of every having anything while telling us that we don’t deserve getting even our most basic human needs of health and dental care met because we “didn’t try hard enough” even though many of us made superhuman efforts and had to deal with obstacles that middle class people can’t even imagine having to deal with in their worst nightmares.
All of the dentists here confirmed my own distrust of dentists. You all obviously have contempt for patients with zero pain tolerance, patients who are a lot less fortunate than you are, patients who might have tried the best they could with what cards they were dealt in life. You need to realize that you were just one learning disability, one major illness, one set of bad parents, one job loss, one disabling car accident injury, and one dental genetic misfortune away from ending up with MY lot in life. My guess is that humility and empathy aren’t your strong suits. Nothing is as obtuse as the blindness of privilege. Privilege insulates its beneficiaries from the consequences it poses for others — those without privilege that you wield power-over.
When I finally found ONE dentist who treated the poor who are unable to pay for care: I needed another abscessed tooth either repaired or pulled, and he flat out refused to give me Novacane on the grounds that because I’m poor, that automatically makes me a druggie. His exact words: “The whole problem with YOU people is that you resort to drugs for everything.” And this was after he said “If you got off your lazy ass and got an education like I did, you wouldn’t be poor and have dental problems” — not realizing that this “lazy” poor woman DID struggle to get an education only for it to be for nothing since it failed to open any doors of opportunity for me. He must have studied at the Dr. Mengele Dentistry School.
I don’t deserve to be abused and tortured just because I’m poor. Do any of you honestly believe that people struggling with lifelong poverty problems WANT to have nothing except getting to suffer lots of pain and disfigurement that not only imperil their lives, but also serve to bar them from being employable? So think about THAT the next time you take out your frustration on patients with ‘nasty mouths.’
Jacqueline,
As a dentist who has dedicated her life to working in public health, I find your response offensive and ignorant. I am sorry that your lot in life has resulted in your deplorable dental state. I really hope you seek out a local community health center, like the one I work in, and get the dental care you need. One of the biggest problems I see in patients is their inability to take responsibility for any aspect of their dental care. Toothbrushes and toothpaste are affordable for everyone. The dollar store next to my office sells both for less than a dollar. Giving up on your teeth and letting them deteriorate is not a good idea for anyone–especially those who are unable to afford regular dental treatment. As for the dentist that “refused to give you novacaine” I think we both know that’s a gross exaggeration of the truth. Dentists haven’t used novacaine as a local anesthetic for decades. No sane, licensed dentist world ever attempt an extraction without at least local anesthetic for two reasons : 1. The LA contains ingredients that help control bleeding as well as pain and 2. No dentist wants to perform an extraction while the patient is moving around in agony! I have routinely denied narcotic pain medication because do many people think meds are the answer to all their problems but never local anesthetic.
If you were economically disadvantaged, a trade school program would have been a great alternative to learn a valuable skill, get a job and get the health care you obviously need. Going into debt when you’re already broke is never a great idea. Until you have worked your entire young adult life to have the PRIVILEGE to serve others, you will never realize what it’s like to be a dentist. I love my job and my life, but it is challenging to go onto work battling against patients ignorant preconceived notions and blanket prejudices.
Wow, talk about a bad case of elitist-itis. Just who do you think you are that you’re so much better than someone else to dictate to them that they don’t deserve to go to college (even though they just may be smarter than you by 20 or more IQ points), and COLLEGE is what their disability caseworker at OVR TELLS them to do after suffering a disabling car accident injury that precludes 90% of ALL trade school types of careers and the framework for helping the disabled get educations to re-enter the workforce. Funny how everybody with privilege automatically becomes an expert at things they know nothing about: like dentists who become vocational rehab counselors and accountants when dictating to the “undeserving poor” about what options we should have that are not based on anything except preserving a system of unearned privileges, so long as those options don’t mean competition on your economically protected turf. Funny how you also seem to think that regardless of what options that were (or were not as the case) available to me as a disabled woman, that having to face prospective employers with visibly decayed/missing/broken teeth during what should have been my prime working years (20’s and 30’s) regardless of my education still yields the same result: nobody will hire you. Apparently, it sailed right over your head that I already had irreversible damage due to lack of access to care since childhood, and that brushing and flossing does not make up for lack of access to care, and that by the time I was able to re-enter the workforce after a disabling car accident at 24 after suffering as a homeless and orphaned teen, NO ONE would hire me because of the way I looked with visibly decayed and missing teeth.
I don’t hate dentists. I hate smug selfish, arrogant entitled people of ANY profession who think the less fortunate exist just to be your whipping boy because beating up on the “undeserving poor” is just so much easier than opening a can of whoop-ass on the insurance companies who haggle with you over fees and the for-profit system of protecting dentists’ economic turf (that has served you so well) that actually creates a growing class of dental and medical have-nots and thus results in fewer people able to get care BEFORE most of their teeth are nothing but rotted, broken stubs.
It is Christmas day and I’m sad as I read this posting. Here I am with my family with dozens of presents flowing. I know life can be so cruel without reason.
I understand poverty growing up. With little money my parents gave us rice and kimchi daily for food and I remember feeling hungry as a child. Poor nutrition and lack of dental care resulted in 4 “baby root canals and silver crowns” at the age of 5. My parents took me to a dentist who accepted welfare. I remember it like it was yesterday as I sat in the dental chair unable to speak because I did know how to speak English yet being an immigrant. I was so scared and in so much pain I could only cry. The man dentist was uncaring and frusted by my cries so he slammed his dental drill onto my little chest many times until I stopped crying. I was physically abused by this monster but didn’t know better so I said nothing to my mother who had been in the waiting room. The next day as my mother was dressing me for kindergarten, she saw horrific bruises all over my chest. She cried and asked me who did this……..when I told her it was the dentist…….she was in shock. Without any means my parents did not know what to do and let it go.
I am 45 years old, married, and a mother of 2 little children. I drive a mazda and live in a little but comfortable house. My children want for nothing and I do not feel hungry anymore. I go to work and feel happy that I have a unique gift to heal others. If I could I would work for free I would do it. Many times my hard work goes unrecognized and people tell me they hate me to my face. I don’t care. I just say that I am here for them whenever they need me. When I meet a child or adult in pain, I feel their pain. I want to help them feel and get better. Yes it cost me over 200K in student loans in the 90s. I lived paycheck to paycheck for the first 10 years to pay it off. It was worth every penny!
Jacqueline…do not lose hope for yourself and not all dentists are bad. It is a stressful career that sometimes can transfer unintentionally onto others. I hope you can forgive those who said unkind things or have hurt you. We all have one precious life to live. I wish you blessings and have said a little prayer for you today. Be well my friend.
Sincerely,
Dr. Bender
I wish you were a dentist in Erie County, Pennsylvania. I wish more dentists had your empathy IQ. Most of all, I wish that dentist school was not so prohibitively expensive and that one third of Americans did not have to be walking oral disasters due to lack of access to proper dental care beyond a toothbrush and a prayer. But if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. I guess what really set me off here was I found this blog when searching desperately for dental care help as a poor woman in a really horrible dental/health situation with no real income, NO health and dental insurance, and no resources or assets to sell to pay for care that I would be extremely grateful for. I saw the smug elitism and arrogance oozing all over this blog from the other dentists posting and it made me sick to my stomach, and shredded what little tiny bit of faith I had left in humanity — not to mention my faith and trust in dentists.
Some here, like Lauren, the poster before you, think that the poor do not deserve an equal chance in life to an advanced education and access to care that they all obviously had (assuming equal genetic predispositions to dental caries). And those same rude snobs have the nerve to say how much they “serve others” when it’s easy to serve only those others who have the means to pay for being served and said service means living the American Dream instead of the American Nightmare. But that one-third of Americans who don’t have the luxury of being among the served? Nobody cares about us, and nobody is serving us or wants to because getting to have teeth is a social class privilege in this country. If they really cared, we’d be getting proper dental care too instead of having to wait for Remote Area Medical to come within 500 miles of us.
Now, I know that being a dentist can stress someone out. That it’s work and not fun. That dental school is expensive and so is malpractice insurance. But here’s the thing: other people have problems, too. Hurting and bullying those that one has power over is never an acceptable thing that can be excused by vocational stress. Also, other people also have economic needs and claims that are just as valid as dentists.
My education did not lift me out of poverty because my teeth were too far gone by the time I got my degree. Being 45, long-term unemployed, and having health problems in addition to a disabling car accident injury, I know I’ll never have a chance in life for anything and that I have NO way of being able to repay my college loan debt. But I managed to use my hard-earned education to truly serve others. And I don’t get paid a red cent for it, except for what a few more class-privileged feminists can spare to donate to cover my base costs of doing investigative freelance journalism and other activities connected with rescuing other poor women and children from the global human trafficking sex industry. In my sojourns, I’ve been shot at. My family has received death threats. But not once do I complain about it and take it out on the worse off women I’ve helped to save and expect them to bow down and kiss my feet for saving their lives and their children’s lives — unlike the sort of attitudes I saw on this blog and in the commentaries, which is what really made me angry. You see, even a poor nobody who can’t afford dental care like me (that Lauren feels didn’t deserve a college education and a real chance in life) has value and a life worthy of human dignity.
Be strong and continue to do the good that you do. You are a beautiful soul who deserves your dreams to come true. Don’t pay attention to other’s negativity or it will weigh you down. Continue to search for your dentist. You will find someone who will take care of you and help you smile and feel confident. UPENN is one of the best dental schools in the nation. You can receive great dental care at a reasonable price. Please check it out.
Merry Christmas Jacqueline!
I’m sincerely sorry for your problems, but comparing dentists (of which I am one) to Josef Mengele is a bit much. The man murdered thousands of people personally in the name of ‘science’. The dentist might have been rude, but I feel your hyperbole in this case is just plain as rude as the man you’re describing was to you. If not to all the dentists out there who do treat the “undeserving poor” (like myself, though I personally think everyone deserves treatment), then definitely to the descendants of those who died in the Holocaust.
It’s terrible that you have such little access to care, and as such you have apparently only seen a few dentists in your life, none of whom seem to really help. The dental school in Buffalo is less than two hours away. I personally know dentists who went there and teach there. It is a great program. I hope you get there soon. Good luck.
Today should be a day of joy but I just want Jaqueline to know that after reading her posting I felt and understand her pain. Life can give you challenges but it is possible to overcome with a positive attitude. I pray someone will be able to restore your smile and sense of well being.
I appreciate your kind and heartfelt well wishes. I also know that “positive attitude” stuff doesn’t cure abscessed broken teeth anymore than a positive attitude rescues poor women and girls from the violent clutches of human traffickers. People choosing to actually help someone in need make that difference.
You dont need teeth to be a happy functioning successful person in the community. George Washington had no teeth. So stop whinging and take some responsibility, If you want to keep your teeth, just look after them and let your dental professional help maintain health.
If you are so stupid as to eat and drink cane sugar every day, or smoke constantly
or neglect to floss. THAT IS YOUR OWN FAULT.
Sooner or later, you will have dental disease and need extractions or root canal tx or major expenses. I have not needed to spend ANY significant money on my teeth since 1982.
because I have had no gum disease or tooth decay for 30 y.
why ? > because of home care and diet choices.
I dont drink any soft drink, I dont eat Mcdonalds or fast food. I drink wine coffee ( black no sugar) tea apple juice soda water mineral water beer. I dont eat lollies candies or chocolates.
I dont smoke anything.
Get over this idea that dental disease is invertible. It is up to you!
It certainly isnt up to your dentist or your dentists fault if you need dental rehabilitation.
Suck it up and shut up because ultimately your dental status is your own responsibility.
luckily , the dental profession takes its responsibility on board big time and does everything possible to minimise your pain. But pain is not hurt and no dentist wants to hurt you.
Sometimes the pain and discomfort is the price you have to pay for the neglect and lack of personal care and responsibility.
If this were not true, every dentist would have to come around to your house each night and check your fridge and floss your teeth. Perhaps it is good that the profession treats its patients as having more credibility than that.
Oh shut up. People who don’t care for their teeth actually live with the consequences of their choices you know so why exactly are you upset? It has absolutely nothing to do with you whatsoever. Go bully your children.
Great blog, Lolabees! *sniffle* *gulp* I thought I was alone….lol @Michele “area the size of a duck’s arse” rotfl So true!
My dentist is amazing. I have a bad phobia of needles caused from being held down by four dental assistants and the dentist himself when I was 8 because i said i was not ready for the shot. My dentist that I go to now knows that I had a traumatic experience and is really kind to me. I try really hard to wait until he leaves the room to cry… it’s not painful at all, I just have flashbacks of being violated. He comes back in and hands me a tissue and then we go about our procedure. I’m so embarrassed every time but his demeanor really helps with my anxiety.
Dr. Guthry, if you’re reading this, you’re the best dentist I’ve ever had.
That’s really sweet. I’m sorry to hear you had traumatic dental experiences as a child. Sadly, those bad experiences only lead to fearful adult patients. I’m glad to hear that it didn’t scare you away from the dentist altogether and that you found someone who you trust. I’m sure your dentist doesn’t mind if you cry, and just know that you don’t need to be embarrassed about that. It sounds like you two have a good routine going! I’m sure Dr. Guthry would appreciate hearing your comment, and if he doesn’t get a chance to, I know all the other dentists who read this will appreciate it (even if they are not your dentist.)
Should you really be working in the field of serving people in so close – somewhat intimate – contact, if you are being so easily annoyed by them??? I am sorry if my mouth did not appeal to you by way how it looked, smelled or was taking care of. I did not come to you to be judged by, I came for help. I trusted your expertise, you experience, your humanity. I was sitting with my mouth opened in front of you, being totally vulnerable, in hope of compassion, not judgement. I am glad you feel better now after you let the steam out though.
Anyways, OMG, I had a slight feeling that my dentist disliked me, but now after reading this post I am positive)))))))))))))))) He is probably sure that I hate him back. What a wonderful relationship! Well, I am stuck with him though, money wise. This last May he was paid $9500 in full for removing my old bridge and put in a new one, and he failed doing so. In one month after he was done with the new bridge, it god loose on one side, I went in, he did not see it. I suggested to believe me because it was happening directly in my mouth 24/7. but he sent me home. In one more month it was so loose he admitted that *we* had a problem and offered me to cut bridge to loose the crown, re-cement the crown and glue the bridge together. He also added, that is that wouldn’t work, he ‘d re do the bridge with no additional cost to me. This was done last July. In two month after that cut construction was glued together, the bridge got loose once again, this time on both sides. I went in, he looked , said: don’t see anything wrong, looks good. I said, I feel it, it springy and makes noise when i chew food. Nevertheless, he sent me home saying everything was fine. I started feeling angry and used/abused. But what could I do? So I did exactly what my dentist suggested me – nothing, just lived my everyday life for another 2 months until when I started having a sharp pain in my front tooth, one of those that is holding the bridge. Went in, the xray was taken, the Doc said, well the bridge is loose alright, but here you have a root canal infection, at gives you an illusion of the bridge being loose even more. He sent me to a surgeon * to fix the root canal through the gum*. I said, can you just take this failing construction down, I feel terrible and in pain? He said NO, we do not work like this. Go to the specialist. It was right before xmas. After xmas I went to the specialist, but not the one who he sent me to, for the reason they were WAY to expensive, only the consultation was $300. So I went to another place for the second opinion because I do not trust what my dentist says to me any longer. That person took his own xray, did not find anything wrong with my root canal, found SEVERE gum infection due to quote *POOR bridge work*, he removed two large pieces of cement that were stuck in my gum, gave me prescription of medicated mouth wash and suggested removing the bridge asap, let the gum heal, and then restore the bridge. He also sent my dentist the letter.
It has been three weeks since that. My handicapped bridge is still in my mouth, my gum is swollen and disturbed, and my dentist is playing stubborn. He is saying that the bridge got loose because it is too long and heavy (really, and you did not know that when you installed it???), but the only thing he can do for me – the same bridge, I asked would he guarantee that bridge would stay in? he said, we have better cement now, but I have no guarantee.
I said, o.k. then just do the partial and do the refund for the rest. No, he said, we do not refund money here.
Cost of the partial $1700. Now how I suppose to feel about the entire scenario? After months of aggravation being literally cheated by my dentist, i will end up with the partial that will cost me 8 times more. And yes of course he hates me – for NOTHING i did wrong. he wants me to go away, and never come back. He probably discusses me with his personnel, at least his office manager had a nasty conversation with me trying to convince me that it was ALL MY FAULT?
It is 4 am here, my gum is swollen right under my nose, i have no clue what to do next. My dentist hates me. Thank you.
As far as number 4, I had a cavity and I didn’t have money to have it filled, you probably don’t understand because you more then likely don’t know how it fills to not have money for things like that. So yea my tooth has been killin me for 3 weeks now, and I Don’t care how you felt about it, I give you money to fix it, so you just gotta grin and bare it or there is plenty of dentists out there.
For years my family went to the same Dentist who went out of his way to make the experience for me and my sister as unpleasent as possible. We were only little children, so naturally needles, and drills and pointy things scared the crap out of us, but this asshole took assholishness to whole new heights. He would huff and sigh and berate and lose his temper, he often used jabbed my gums a little too roughly and caused bleeding. I distinctly recall he reduced my little sister tears before. Imagine how you would feel as a five year old if a man with a severus-snape-like personality glowering at you from across a tiny little room with very dangerous looking implements within inches of his hands was the one who would be taking care of those teeth of yours. Would you be in a hurry to go back for another appointment?
Now I was actually very obedient when it came to cleaning my teeth as a child. But then I started to get lazy as the years rolled in, and along came the need for fillings-which meant a visit to the resident douchebag dentist. I stalled and made excuses to my mother until eventually I was threatened to get the necessary work done. Another unpleasant experience where I nearly bit my damn tongue off on the way home (due to the numbing injection of course but a friendly warning to be careful would’ve been nice.) But the work was done and I didn’t have to see him again anytime soon. This guy got more complaints than anyone else in the surgery. So we weren’t alone in our disatisfaction with his work ethics and behaviour.
It was years before I actually went back to a dentist, a new one this time in a completely different surgery, and it was like Night and Day. For the past two years or so I have never felt more relaxed and calm about going to the surgery. Why? Because the new dentist was a lovely young lady who was polite and friendly and made me feel welcome. I didn’t chafe at the requests, or cringe in fear of the implement she was about to use, or get the overwhelming urge to run for my life. Why? Because she was kind and polite and sympathised with her clients anxiety and went out of her way to alleviate those fears.
People are afraid of the dentist for a reason. They do not show up for an appointment with you and act like a complete prat because they want to ruin your day-they are genuinely scared of what you will tell them or what you will have to do to them. The complaining about the cost is exceadingly childish though.
Hi Binku, you might be surprised to hear that I agree with what you have to say. It is unacceptable for a dentist to treat their patients that way. Bad patient management of children is part of what creates fearful, neglectful, angry, or you-name-it adult patients. Abusive or uncaring dentists give other dentists a bad name. It’s good to hear that you were able to escape some of those negative outcomes. There are a lot of people, as you know, who live their entire lives unable to break free from their dental fears, which can be really harmful to their health. I’m sure you recognize that this post is only a snippet of some of the things dentists experience. It portrays 1 of many emotions that we experience on a daily basis. It’s not a black-and-white statement that dentists hate their patients and everything that they do. In fact, most of practice is the complete opposite for many dentists. Kudos to you and your new doc.
If you hate dealing with people, you should be in another profession.
If you’re really a dentist, and agree with this long list of gripes, you’re in the wrong profession.
Dentists – you have no clue how rude and useless your office staff is. When a patient trys to get real numbers so far as what procedures cost, we always get a low number, and have to deal with your bitchy office staff throwing attitude because we need more time to plan for the often HUGE difference. We’re patients, we aren’t your personal rich uncle that gives you whatever you ask. Have a little respect.
Dentists – not being open on Fridays, not being available for dental emergencies, PARTICULARLY when you advertise as being such, makes you less than useless. It makes you a great big fat fraud. You know who you are.
Patients – just because YOU think your dentist is God’s gift to orthodonture doesn’t mean he/she is going to be a great fit for everyone, and that anyone that disagrees with you or has had a markedly different experience is some sort of creep. Your dental needs probably are so relatively minor that just about any mediocre dentist with a moderate spectrum of experience could handle them satisfactorily.
The dentist that wrote this – you sound more like a hygienist to me, not an actual dentist. I’m not saying that nobody ever goes to the dentist after not brushing for days/weeks on end; I’m saying a real dentist knows that people are different and that not everybody with dental issues is necessarily negligent of their teeth. Various medical conditions and medications and life experiences can take a profoundly marked toll on ones teeth.
I’ve gone to 4 different dentists in 3 months and received 4 DRAMATICALLY different treatment plans before. This PROFOUND lack of anything that even remotely resembles standardized care calls into question just how ethical most dentists are, and how credible the profession IS. You think patients can really suck ? Take a cold hard look at your peers.
If your office staff is just plain incompetent your patients probably aren’t going to say a lot about it for fear of retribution. If your new patient is in pain or discomfort and you don’t cut them A LOT of slack for it, you’re just an ass.
In less than two months I’ve had the misfortune of breaking THREE teeth. I haven’t done anything unusual, I have not neglected my teeth, I go to the dentist regularly and get the work done that needs to be done. Let me tell you, when your office staff and your hygienists throw attitude and make little remarks about how most dental work is preventable, you DESERVE to loose a patient.
Humans are going to have personality conflicts, there’s no getting around this, and I rarely take anything personal. But you’re in my mouth, and you’re rapping on my teeth with a stainless steel rod. Seriously, WTF is THAT all about ? I’m ALWAYS early for appointments, have only ever cancelled once (woke up with the flu), pay my bills on a schedule, and do everything I can to not waste your time and my time. I always thank you, and I always keep in mind that hey, you aren’t a machine, you get up and do this every day (or 4 days a week anyway, must be nice), so if you have a bad day I let it slide. But come on. You charge twice what anyone else does for an extraction, you want to do a root canal and put a crown on a broken tooth that you know probably isn’t going to last a year with my night grinding, and oh, why is it that I can’t get in and pick up a night guard from you on a Friday, the only time I CAN – because you’re out playing golf and you know the longer I go without it, the more work you get to bill me for.
So yeah, patients can suck, but they aren’t charging you to do a job. So suck it up and appreciate the patients that come back to you year after year. You don’t have many patients that have stuck with you for over a decade you say ?
Well, I don’t wonder why…
Todd, you are an angry person, it seems from your reply. The one thing that bothered me about your reply is the fact that you hate how dentists only work 4-days a week. You have no idea how mentally & physically taxing it is to be in the dental field. I am a hygieniest and after each work-day, I am in so much pain and my body is so achy, that all I want to do is eat dinner, shower, and go to bed. My bed-time is 8:30pm because if I don’t let my muscles and wrist relax fully after work, I cannot continue to wake up the next day and properly clean teeth for my patients. I am compromising my body for your oral health. I try not to complain because it’s my career, it’s what I’m paid to do. I am happy to help others because I am a healthcare provider. I understand your rants and raves; however, you shouldn’t judge us completely until you’ve practiced dentistry yourself.
Respectfully,
Amy
I am dentist, I thought the article was funny. If you cant laugh about our job, what fun is it. Would love to reprint your article in our Academy dental journal. please email me and let me know
I have been treated badly by dentists. I got out of my way to do what they ask and still the petty stuff that dentists office throw out there and the staff comments throughout my life are just well “novel”. So hearing you complain about some of this stuff is only addressing bad patients. What about all the good patients you have neglected or been rude to or not answered their questions or shoved a wedge in their mouth? Maybe you quit because you just aren’t sadistic enough for the job because most of the people I have met in the last six months are seriously delusionaly sadistic.
That’s a shame to hear that you have been treated poorly by dentists. I guess you could say that just like with patients, there are good dentists and bad dentists. I can only speak for myself, and I like to hope that I didn’t neglect or act rudely to the good patients. (And I might add, even if the bad patients made my life hell, I always tried my best to be polite and treat them with kindness too.) There is a bit of a joke that you have to be sadistic to be a dentist. It’s interesting that you say that because some of the stuff that is in the job description definitely tortured me. Keep looking… there are some really good dentists out there.
Hi Lolabee , this is curently happen to my child , i send her to a dentist, they say she has 3 cavities.She was to scared so they send her to Pediatric Dentistry.Within one month she need it 3 root canal with gab.and 5 cavity!!!!!!!!!!How is that possiable???I requested her x-Tray which they took planty of it and thanks god they took picture with the camera.So i went to 2 different dentist.They told me that she has only 3 cavity.THat Pediatric Dentist punisht me for asking to many question.3 hours she had to waite.I told her not to work on healthy tooth.my impression plus the evidence i thanks have show me that she did wrong to my child.i apology for my english i just moved.i will chance the dentist.for my childs sake.What do you say about that????
Hi Mahalet,
You should be congratulated on your English. There are a lot of people that never learn a second language, and they’ll never understand what it’s like to try to master that skill. (That’s a whole different subject.) If I understand correctly, you went to get several other opinions from a few dentists? Everyone except for the pediatric dentist said she had 3 cavities. Did you go back to the pediatric dentist for your daughter’s work? If so, did he do work on only the 3 teeth you agreed to? I always say that second opinions are a great thing. Good for you for following your instincts. I’m not sure if I’ve answered your question. 🙂 Let me know.
I wholeheartedly agree! I may not like having work done on my teeth or having x-rays (my mouth is so small that they have to use the ones for little kids), but I don’t act like a jerk to the dentist. So there are certain things that are uncomfy in general, like having your mouth propped open for a long time. Deal with it! It’s not as bad as it could be…I mean, at least you get numbed up a little before they do things like fillings. I think a lot of people that have commented with negative opinions about dentists in general are making bullshit generalizations based on their inability to do their homework and find a dentist that suits them. As for myself, I love my dentist! I don’t like getting fillings and stuff, but I swear he gives the gentlest shots, he has me raise my hand if it hurts or is too uncomfortable, and the one time when he gave me two fillings in one sitting, he let me have a break in between. He’s one of the only people that I trust with my mouth. My advice to those who have a hatred for their dentists is this: talk to your friends, family, and coworkers to see who they recommend. Also, you can get reviews of dentists on the internet easily these days, so there’s no excuse for not doing some research to find who you think would be the best dentist for you. If you’re a big baby like me, try to find a dentist that works on people of all ages and who has a reputation for being great with kids – I swear it’s not very intimidating when your dentist tells you that the shot is only going to be a little mosquito bite.
These are sage words! Dentists are so grateful for patients like you that make the job pleasant. Just be leery if your dentist prepares you for the shot by saying, “you’re just going to feel a little prick.” 😉
I trusted my dentist with, I don’t know even my life, I kept asking him how come I never paid anything and he always would assure me, he is taking care of me not to pay of my pocket, been with for 6 years, never complaint of pain while he was working, always followed his instructions until lately he started to post pone my appointments even cancel them, when I got fed up after I lost a tooth because apparently he was out of town for a month and his associate could not possible work on it, I went to a second clinic for a full check up. What I found out was disgusting, not only my mouth had been treated on really bad needed basis, but I had gotten ripped off that my insurance had almost given up on me. He never had finished his job, only treated me with fillings with no crown to hold the tooth, now I have lost 3 more thanks to him, and what can I do, not a damn thing, apparently when confronted he refused to even meet me personally, I had to be escorted out by one of his dental techs. I am not bashing all the dentists, no, for god sake, I am a medical student myself and I know the intensive work dentists and doctors deal with, not to mention the education amount they have to go through, but to mess me up like that, that is way low, and what is worse I can not even fight him legally, and I am not that kind of person to take the law in my hands, but I wish this Dentist looses his licence and maybe one day face charges for messing up patients, I mean isn’t it illegal to rip the insurance making it sound like they are doing you a favor by saving you money? I wish I had known better, I wish I had done my home works, Yes I hate him with all my will, and I hope to God one day tables would turn and he will be sitting in my chair in the future. I will not revenge I will just make him feel miserable emotionally for what he did to me. Asshole .
I’m sure that most of you will take this comment as me not being able to take a joke. Well excuse me. But some people out there are genuinely scared of dentists and don’t just do it for the attention. Take me for example. I am one of those patients you hate, without a doubt one of the worst. I have needed dentistry work for over 2 years now and I still haven’t had it done. The reason? Because just the though of going to the dentist makes me feel sick to my stomach. And that is not because of the dentist but because of my own phobias and fears. So I’m sorry that when I made my appointment to have my tooth out I went in say on the chair had three lots of gel to numb the area for the injection and then ran out crying when I saw the needle. I am petrified. Most of you will see this as me being stupid and
I think you need to suck it up. I’m scared of needles being put into my veins, but guess what? I’m pregnant and have to get blood work done. It’s called being an adult and facing your fears. I’m scared shitless of heights to the point where climbing into the attic for anything terrifies me – I do it anyway because no one else is going to do it for me. The only reason that you let your fears rule you is because it’s easy and because you’re weak-willed.
hahahahahah! I can relate! I was a dental assistant and dental lab tech at one point in my life!
I see you left the field too! LOL. Glad to see you can relate. 😉
I have not been back to the dentist in 1.5, nearly 2 years. The last dentist was retarded and screwed up my bite so bad. I went back and a more experienced dentist tried to shave the teeth/fillings back so I have a normal bite but with no luck, and no compensation for the damage caused. I can no longer use my teeth to grip on bags to open them as I used to, I don’t have a comfortable bite at all and am afraid of going back to ANY dentist. I paid an absolute fortune for this work with little private health rebate. I was never a bad patient by the standards set above. I used to have no problems with dentists but am so paranoid of my bite getting worse by having more work done.
Send me a message on the contact form if you’d like some suggestions about finding a good dentist– especially one that can help you with your bite. There are some good guys out there… I swear. 😉
It’s sad that you spent so much time and money on education to get to do something you do not like.
When you don’t like your job, you don’t do it properly.. Sorry to say this. Have you been a good dentist?
That’s awfully presumptuous. Plenty of people don’t like their jobs, and do them well anyway. And some of Lolabees former patients have commented here, and are sorry she has left dentistry, so it seems she HAS been a good dentist.
I agree with Sandy completely. I am dentist who is no longer happy with the profession but still care about doing a good job. Not liking your job does not automatically equate to doing substandard work. There are plenty of people that work at all different types of careers that don’t like their jobs, yet they perform them properly because it is the right thing to do!! It is sad that dentists spend “so much time and money on education” to do something we don’t like but I didn’t start off hating dentistry. It took about 15 years for me to realize that this isn’t for me anymore but it is not easy to get out. The stress of constantly worrying about doing everything perfect, worrying about my patients and feeling like I have to give everyone the best possible experience every day has worn me down. It is a thankless career 99% of the time because all of these efforts are wasted on patients who hate the dentist anyway. They don’t realize that we are helping them because we are saving their teeth. They take it for granted that they can suck down soda and candy, not brush and floss and we will fix the problem. Then they have the nerve to complain about the fees (or worse not pay) whine in the chair, accuse you of making their tooth hurt after you fix it and disagree with your diagnosis. God forbid I tell someone they need a crown or that they grind their teeth. It wears you down when you are constantly the bearer of bad news and when a patient hears your “bad news” they complain as if it is your fault!! I got into this profession thinking I would make a difference and somehow my practice would be better and my patients would be happier but sadly, that is not the case. I can stand on my head and nothing is going to change and believe me, I have tried!! I have met many perfectly wonderful people outside the office but when they get into the dental chair they turn into a completely different person. It’s like they forget how to behave or something and turn all irrational. I do everything I can to alleviate their anxiety, make the procedure pain free, offer gas etc. but some people still just wear you down. Let me state that I don’t mind dealing with patients who have anxiety (I understood long ago that would be part of my job) and have dealt successfully with many of them but some people are just irrational. They have no idea how the dentist feels who is doing everything they can to help them. Read all the negative comments on here and you will see what I deal with. I am not one of those horrible dentists that are described here and I am tired of being lumped in with them. Yes, there are bad apples out there but please stop letting them spoil the barrel!! Many people hate us and don’t trust us. It’s like I have to start at ground zero to earn the trust of every patient. I know physicians who would never put up with what we have to put up with from people. After awhile, it just wears you down. I think I am worn down because I cared too much only to be let down by thankless patients. I am sure I will hear about it now from all the dentist haters out there, however, I am not one of the bad ones but I am one of the disenchanted ones.
Relax doc, you are not hated.
Actually dentist who hate the job are the ones that are too perfectionist and think that a minor error will damage the patient, so as everything in life is not perfect they end up with a lot of issues in their minds and even patients that they treated years back keep haunting them in their sleep.
I’m an ex dentist who also left the profession, and LOVE how you said EXACTLY how I felt!!!!!
Congrats to you! I hope you are enjoying your new profession.
It sounds like you made a really bad decision for yourself deciding to become a dentist. Then it seems you spent the rest of your time blaming everyone else for choosing unwisely such a “career” the you were sorely unsuited for. It might help to do some research first next time!
Seems none of the unhappy dentist address this statement i made. You should have taken responsibility for the unwise decision you made. Do one of 2 things. Quit your job and find something else to do or 2 stop whining and try to make the most of it and try and be the best you can and appreciate all you have!
Hi Karen,
I’m not sure what kind of response you were looking for. Were you addressing this to me specifically? If so, I’ve spelled it out in the rest of this blog. I’m not sure how to interpret the tone of your comment. Correct me if I’m wrong, but it doesn’t sound like a very friendly tone. That being the case, I’m not sure it’s a discussion anyone wants to engage in. I know in my case, if it feels like you are insulting me and my life decisions, it’s not worth my energy to respond. Please let me know if I have misunderstood your intentions.
Seems you are the only one allowed to have a tone apparently. Reread your post maybe. It sounds like you just do not like people. Did you not realize when deciding to become a dentist that people might be scared or under distress. Did you realize you would be putting your hands in people’s mouths? All kinds of people. Poor people, sick people, happy people, sad people.
This is what I wrote I wanted you to respond to. So think about it!
“It sounds like you made a really bad decision for yourself deciding to become a dentist. Then it seems you spent the rest of your time blaming everyone else for choosing unwisely such a “career” the you were sorely unsuited for. It might help to do some research first next time!”
It’s not insulting. It’s how your story reads. Reread it. Rethink your decision and try and make yourself happy, by either accepting your decision, making the most of it and trying to be a pleasant nice person or… by quitting and finding something more suitable. Instead of being hostile towards your patients and hating them! They & You would be better off without you. Sometimes the truth hurts… And it sounds like a tone! Just sayin’!
Karen,
If you weren’t allowed to have a tone, I would have blocked your message from ever appearing on my blog. I am simply trying to understand what you want from this discussion. You just seem to be looking to bait me or another dentist into having an argument. I’m honestly not sure I get it. You clearly have a spin on what you have read, and you are entitled to that. Since you have clarified that your tone wasn’t insulting, I will take it as that.
It’s way too complicated to answer your questions in full depth in a comment, but dentistry didn’t turn out what I wanted it to be. I was in the field for 10 years. In that time I made amazing patient relationships, was well-liked by patients and colleagues, and spent a lot of time taking continuing education so that I could provide the best care for my patients. I did not “oversell” dentistry. I was ethical. I got to know my patients, and in fact spent any extra time I had getting to know them and having conversations with them. I did not hate them. (Re-read the opening paragraph of this blog, and you will see that this post was in response to a young patient who made a list titled “10 Reasons I Hate the Dentist.” This post is a very real and candid description of things we experience all the time. The post is not titled “Why I Hate Patients.”) Anyway, I would lose sleep at night worrying about the welfare of my patients. I was not at all what you would expect from someone who was unhappy. I was living a lie because the whole time I poured my heart and soul into caring and worrying for others, I was secretly very unhappy in my career. I got out because I was unhappy, and now that has changed. I am not sure this answers your questions/comments or not.
Let me start my response with this famous quote: “Never judge a person until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” Karen- clearly you have no idea what it is like to be a dentist and you have no idea what Lolabees has gone through. You make it sound so simple with your flippant response by saying “It might help to do some research first next time!” Don’t you think Lolabees did her research before becoming a dentist? How can anyone predict exactly how happy or satisfied they will be in their career choice 5, 10 or even 20 years from the time they choose to enter that career? Situations change, people change and there are factors that come into play that one may have never considered. Lolabees is not being hostile towards her patients nor does she hate all of them, this particular post was merely supposed to be a humorous take on the dentist’s perspective when it comes to treating SOME patients. Criticizing someone for making a career choice that did not work for them is pretty insensitive in my opinion since I am sure not every decision you ever made in your life turned out perfectly either. The longer you live the more you realize life does not always turn out as you plan regardless of how much “research” or planning that you may do!! Lolabees should be commended, not criticized because she has been brave enough to speak publicly about her decision and share her journey with all of us.
Thank you for the kind words, Blue Heron. You are right. I did the best research I could, but as you know, it’s not always what it seems. Hope you are well.
Karen, would you care as much if lolabees had worked at IRS (another group that many people dislike) and this blog was about how accountants hate people they audit? I don’t think you would. Also, what type of research should lolabees have done? Is there a learning annex class somewhere that I didn’t know about? “How to Deal with Scumbag Patients 101”? Cause I did research before dental school. I shadowed my dentist for a year. I spoke to my brother who is a dentist. Nothing prepares you for dealing with rude and obnoxious patients when you have your degree, and you are in your own office and it is your responsibility to help this person and remain professional. No amount of ‘research’ prepares you for people who you’ve never met before telling you they hate you and everyone like you. Most people call that prejudice when it happens with other groups of people, but with dentists it’s perfectly alright. Think about it, if someone you didn’t know said “Don’t take this personally, but I hate all Asian people”, you would think that’s really frigging rude and ignorant (at least I hope you would), but dentists should just shrug and say whatever?
People seem to think that dentists are more compassionate than other people, but we’re just like everyone else. The same percentages of antisocial assholes can be found with DDS/DMD after their name as can be found in the general population. Maybe some people went into dentistry to ‘help people’, since that’s what we all said to the interviewers to get into dental school. And honestly, I do love the feelings of getting someone out of pain, or making a denture for someone who had been without teeth for years and they can finally smile again. But it’s all balanced out by the patients on the other side of the spectrum. At the end of the day, at least in my case, the douchebag patients seem to stick out more than those rare warm fuzzy moments.
Funny stuff– we did all say that on our dental school interviews, didn’t we? I guess a few of us meant it. 😉 Anyway, in addition to making me laugh, you make some really good points here that I’ve never articulated. No pun intended. Sorry. I know that was bad dental humor.
FYI.. There are more than one “Karen” here. Seems I am blocked on the thread to respond to the 3 below. There is nothing to get. You put yourself out there and people will respond. They won’t always like what you have to say nor will they always agree with you. Such be the case here!
I am glad for you, Lolabees that you changed jobs. Life is too short. If you’re not happy, change it. Sounds like you were indeed brave. So good for you. You are right, I would not know what it is like to be a dentist, but I know what it is like to work with the public. So maybe on your scale, it’s goes much deeper, requires more respect and trust, going both ways. It would not have been a choice for me. I veered away. I chose another road. Sure we all make bad decisions for ourselves, myself included but I try to remember it was my decision in the first place and not to jade my view of others. I am grateful for the kind, compassionate dentists that are out there, that don’t hate their patients. From what you said, you were one of them but it just got too much for you. I’m sorry but I read your blog and my take was that you did not like your patients and seemed very hostile and angry towards them. Perhaps I was wrong. But that’s how I read it. I obviously struck a nerve with All. I apologize for my part in the misunderstanding. Perhaps that is what it is all about… Communication! Good luck to you in your future endeavors. As for research, research is a good thing! Not to be trivialized! You can never do enough of it!
Good bye & good luck!
This is precisely why I was asking you what you meant by your comment. Tone of voice is so misunderstood in print, that I try to understand before jumping to conclusions. Sometimes that even “sounds” rude or condescending when I try to understand, but as you said, it’s all about communication. This gets lost on the internet. Sometimes I’m shocked at how cruel people can be when they are behind their computer screen. I even wrote a post about it. You are right though– if we put it out there, any reaction is fair game! Some people do jump to conclusions and judge me for this one post I wrote. It bothers me for about 5 minutes, but then I realize that they don’t know the whole story. Thanks for clarifying on your part and for being open-minded enough to try to understand where I’m coming from.
I actually care about conveying that not all dentists are horrible. I think a lot of dentists care about that. Most are really good people, and as Dr M said, many went into the career to help other people. Anyway… good luck to you also. Oh, btw, you weren’t blocked from commenting on those other replies. The settings on my site only allow 2 or 3 replies deep.
This article is very well received by dentists because most of it its true, she doesn’t say she personally hates the patient or people but there are certain situations in every job people hates. And she has revealed her whole story in this blog, so what you say its just ignorant. Dentistry is a career that a lot of people want to get out of but can not, if anything that makes her a hero. A lot of people just choose a career on an early age when they don’t really have idea what it is, and even when they like it, there is a time were people just want out out.
I always feel the hate from dentists,,,,They feel self important
But without them we would all have lost our teeth by age 50. They have to be given credit for making it possible for people to keep their teeth for a lifetime , which means we will live longer with all our teeth. Thank them for that ,
That’s a great perspective to remember. Contrary to what I’ve written here, we don’t really hate patients either. You probably feel the hate because as with any segment of the population, some of us don’t have the best social skills. Myself not included, ahem. 😉
Please add to this list the patients who won’t disclose their various medications and medical conditions until the day they are scheduled for treatment. Just recently in my office these included joint replacements, severe diabetes, and blood thinners like plavix and coumadin. Many people even get offended when you ask about their health conditions. “Why do you need to know about this? You only work on my teeth!” We take blood pressure at every visit. If your blood pressure is 196/124, getting your teeth cleaned TODAY (maybe for the first time in 8 years) is not your biggest priority.
Michael, what happened to simple old humanity?? Why not to approach each patients individually, and ask each and single person * How are you doing today? Are you feeling well enough for today’s procedure?*
But this is not the case in a modern dentist office, unfortunately. You guys are WAY too rushing jumping from patient to patient, don’t have a minute to say Hello (my case with *my* dentist who shoots straight for my opened mouth listening to the commenting assistant at the same time), nevertheless to see a human being in a person who is sitting in front of you.
Guess who is complaining here? poor dentists, who are being offended by horrible imperfect patients. What a joke. If you are being annoyed by people working with people, you should choose to be a truck driver or a veterinarian at least.
irinna, seriously?
Yes, I chat with my patients, but I still need their health information. A patient with high blood pressure could be about ready to have a stroke, and feel perfectly fine. The procedures we perform can be stressful for a patient, causing their blood pressure to go even higher, and that can have consequences. A patient who is on coumadin may be over-anticoagulated, and also feel perfectly fine, until a dentist extracts a tooth and the patient needs a transfusion.
This is for your safety. It’s not your dentist being mean or rude. Don’t you want your treatment to be performed in as safe a manner as possible?
Sandy Drake,
I thought a patient (or a client, ha!) has to fill up a form where s/he lists all the health problems and meds s/he is on? If there is a *problematic* client in the chair, why not to ask her/him how is s/he feeling before the procedure?
I am not speaking about *chat* which might be pretty annoying, I am speaking about hearty approach that this or any other medical field profession naturally is calling for.
But of course most likely you have no clue what I am talking about.
The bottom line is, working WITH people especially when it comes to such vulnerable and intimate if you would matter as dental work, requires more maturity to stay on top and don’t fall into shallow attitude of complaints for…nothing actually. JMO
In your determination to be condescending, you missed the thrust of Michael’s complaint. Patients sometimes don’t want to provide us with that information, or refuse to provide it in advance of their appointments so that accommodations can be made for their condition. I have had patients refuse to fill out a health history form, and they couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t see them. No, I never perform treatment for a patient who just isn’t feeling well that day, but that in itself is not guarantee of safety.
If I have a patient who needs an extraction and is on blood thinners, they may (often DO) need blood work before the extraction can be performed, with adjustments to their meds sometimes being necessary for days in advance of their appointment. The steps necessary to make the procedure as safe as possible cannot be determined by how the patient feels.
Many of the conditions which may cause problems during a procedure do not cause the patient to feel ill. They also may have conditions which they don’t know require us to prescribe antibiotics before being seen, such as prosthetic heart valves. This can’t be determined by just asking them how they feel. We need to know their actual condition, not just how they feel about it.
Do YOU have a clue what you’re talking about?
Thank you for clearing up this for me.
Generally, I am a foreigner here in the States, and I was shocked when I had to go to the dentist. First, the big rush, a dentist running from one chair to another, very stressful for the dentist to keep up such pace.
Second – very impersonal, I literally felt that I was a piece of furniture rather than an individual, part of that chair where I was sitting.
Third – soooo expensive.
Forth – not best quality of work that at all, and I am an experienced patient. The worst job quality I ever experienced I received here, in the States. In fact, I am having a nightmarish experience here, for the $$ $$$ amount of money.
Needed a bridge, first dentist prepared teeth making them too short, the bridge won’t stay in place. Changed the dentist, from a young one to the one with 30 years of work, This month May is exactly one year since he started working on my bridge, it is still not done. It de-cemented in one month after he placed it in a year ago, on one side, he cut the brand new bridge, glued the crown back to the tooth, then glued the bridge together. In two month after that another side started getting loose.
Four months (4) *my* dentist was ignoring my complaints about another end of the bridge is loose. For who-knows-whose-sake he tried to convince me that nothing was wrong with the bridge, and each time I’d come, he’d sent me home, saying it was all in my head. Until I finally developed severe bone infection with pain, of course. They FINALLY! took an x ray, and sent me to *another* specialist, who supposed to heal that infection and re-do the root canal for another big chunk of money of course. BTW, on *my* dentist website there is a full list of his services, where he promises to his patients exactly what he sent me to another dentist for: oral surgery, root canals etc…
I had to come back to him and point this, that I prefer to be taken care by him, not in another office whose only first evaluation appt. was $275, I could imaging how much they’d charge me for everything that was going on in my mouth after *my* dentist was systematically ignoring me…..
Etc.
Much more to tell..but I’ll stop right here, because it makes me completely sick to even think of what I went and still am going through in that fancy dental office. Verbal abuse from the staff incl (It was MY fault that I had all these trouble, because my bridge was falling, I WAS TOLD).
Dear Dentist. It’s not you. Well…..some of the stuff is you. I’ll explain.
That which isn’t you is fear. The drill in our heads (really close to our brain?) It sucks. and it hurts. And you knew that already. You also know when we’re not quite numb yet and you keep going. I can read your face. It’s really close to mine. You know. It’s like having sex with a man who knows more lube is really, really necessary. And I have to bring it up (while my mouth is open and I really can’t talk thru the suction) because you didn’t bother ….because you’re fine…just waiting to know what I’ll put up with…. Yes, We know.
So here’s the “not fear” stuff. You love me. I brush, I floss. (I’m one of the ones who says that she does…and who actually does.) I pop for the “lifetime whitening”. I bite down during x-rays. And the real reason you love me? I refer you. mmmmmm. Past tense. Used to refer you. I referred you right up until I couldn’t get in. I’ve been a good patient. For a damn decade. My bills are paid. My friends are in your chair. I brush, I floss. I do the damn fluoride treatments. Again, for a decade. WHERE IS MY PREFERRED PATIENT SCHEDULING????
Seriously, where is it? If I want first or last on a Tuesday inside of 4 weeks, why can’t I have it? Why does someone you don’t even know yet have my appointment? You have software, you track my teeth. It knows that I’m an A1 and that my gumline on my right canine tooth bears watching. Why does your software not bother to know that I like the 3:45 appointments?
Okay, so I don’t know if you meant to be funny, but your lube analogy is really funny. On a serious note… sorry to hear you can’t get in. Have you tried talking to the dentist that you love and loves you to find out how to get your appointment? They may have a solution for you. You bite down on x-rays? That’s every dentist’s dream!
irinna,
The reason that I find this happens so often is that I do view my patients is people first and seek to treat them as such. I do an extensive interview to find out what is important to them, their fears, anxieties, medical concerns, and what THEY want to do with their teeth. Ie, If they like their smile, I DON’T recommend crowns and veneers for cosmetic purposes, etc. Many people wait to tell of a medical issue on the day of treatment, and we have to cancel the visit, or they get offended just for me asking about their overall health. I always ask how they feel. But if your on the verge of a stroke due to a clotting disease you didn’t tell me about, you may “feel” fine, but it’s not appropriate to treat you today.
Michael, I love everything you’ve just said, you seem to be a very nice caring person that just carries your decent personality through the life, the field of dentistry included.))
love it!
Dentists are people just like everyone else. Some like what they do and some despise it. Some are good communicators are some are not. The truth is patients/clients place their trust in their dentist to make decisions that are seemingly in the patient/client’s best interest. If you share the philosophy of health and treatment planning that your dentist has chances are the relationship will be a good one and you will be satisfied with your experiences in the office. When you select a new dentist you should be interviewing the doctor as he is finding out information about you. it is a two way street.
Dear Dentist. Yep this is cute, but if this is the way you feel your patients behave become proactive and learn how to relate to them. If you cannot, I suggest that you change your job to work in a lab where you don’t have to be around people. Do you expect your patient to read your mind, or do you know that from a statement (that you are very familiar with but your patient is NOT) it takes the listener time to process it? You need a new profession that you enjoy, life is too short to be rich and miserable. You should meet my dentist — he loves it, and his employees love him!
This is true in a way when you are practicing dentistry you get in a understanding mode and patients dont even know you dont like them or you are on a bad day, you still make jokes to them, treat them rigth but when the practice close you just want to scream sometimes, but this is not only a dentistry thing every career has its flaws thats why people pay you for it. I bet a lot of big CEOS love their jobs, but it doesnt mean they are not stressed and that its not a demanding job
My problem with the dentist isn’t that I hate him. I’m scared of him. Horrified even. (medical events on their own are stressful for me I should note, but being at the dentist particularly.) The bright lights, the fear of sharp and intense pain, the sound of the drill reverberating into my mouth. The thought of it brings tears to my eyes, even if I can’t feel it. The worst part, is lying in that chair, feeling like if you move you’re going to cause some horrible laceration. And it wouldn’t be the dentists fault, it would be yours. You can so easily just hurt yourself. Throw into that some extremely terrible problems from my orthodontic days, such as the wires cutting into my cheekbones and causing gauges, and my parents not believing me for some time, at which point they promptly had me open up, stuck a pair of thin pliers in my mouth and cut the excess out. This all brings back memories of the dentist chair. I know they’re two different fields but the application of repair is the same.
You don’t know what to do with your eyes, which is the strangest discomfort on earth, eye contact with the doctor would be unnerving for him I’m sure, close your eyes and your mind wanders on the only thing it can, the hands moving and pushing at your mouth. You can’t see what their doing in there, and with anesthesia you can’t really be sure they’re doing what you think they are. Sure they’re doing their job, but that pressure, is it on the bicuspid or the molar?oh hell I can’t tell. Was there something wrong with that tooth too? I can’t remember, because I can’t think with that light in my face about anything more complicated than, what is going on in there?
Trying not to swallow and when you do to be very careful about it is probably the worst part. Feeling half like your choking if you wiggle the tube wrong accidentally.
I’m honestly, honestly probably a very good patient other than the look of terror and tears, but I fear you Mr. Dentist, and it’s not your fault, it’s the psychological stress that your help puts on me in that moment. I appreciate and thank you for your work afterwards, I apologize profusely with a look of guilt, and then I leave your office walking as quickly as I can to the bathroom where I just sob for about 3 minutes, splash some water on my face, and leave. Hoping that I wasn’t too much of an inconvenience.
Thats the kind of patient dentist pray to god they go to the competition chair and not theirs. Not to be mean but it’s reality and we know it’s not your fault but for your own good we learned how to treat you. This happens with a lot of children and most of the time its parents fault.
I am really glad that you were never my dentist.
Wow “You wince and make faces when it’s not hurting”, okay so you are assuming it’s not hurting me? Are you sitting in the chair with my nerve endings? Yes, the patient should speak up if there is pain, but a provider ASSUMING is never right. Not all of us are assholes, and thank goodness not all dentists are either.
Dentists don’t realize the power they have to cripple people emotionally. I am afraid of going to the dentist because I have had the misfortune of picking out the most horrible individuals with dental licenses working in Austin. I have had such ugly things said to me, it makes it harder and harder to get up the nerve to go to any dentist. I was a sickly kid given lots of drugs and I was abused by my family. I grew up praying I would die in my sleep. My family didn’t go to the dentist and my teeth are in bad shape. Every dentist has made it worse by their attitude and comments. Some examples: calling in co-workers to “Come look at this!” then tsking and commenting as if I wasn’t in the room, sneer “Doesn’t brush” when I **DO** brush twice a day, and even called me a liar when I said I don’t smoke. I have NEVER smoked — my father chain-smoked and I knew what a filthy habit it was. I ask for, but do not get any professional advice. They don’t discuss anything with me about my history, my habits, or the products I use. I told a dentist that my teeth are sensitive. He said, “Hot and cold” and I said, “No. It’s fruit.” He snapped, “Well, stop sucking lemons!” I don’t suck on lemons. I didn’t say I sucked on lemons. It’s apples, grapes, plums…. pretty much any fruit. I used to like apples and now it hurts so much to eat them. Not the hardness– it’s like a chemical reaction causing instant pain when the juice flows over my teeth. But that was his reaction and “advice” about it: stop sucking on lemons. When I asked if he thought an electric toothbrush would be better for me, he said, “You can buy one if you want.” I got his permission on how to spend my money.
The pain of being humiliated is the hardest thing for me to face, and every time it happens, it makes it harder and harder to go again. I am treated as if I’m something gross that slimed it’s way into their office. I haven’t had a professional cleaning since I was a teenager, and that was for the first one in my life. I do see the coffee stains, the cavities, etc. that might lead a dentist to think that I don’t brush. I DO brush my teeth with Sensodyn or Pronamel (I alternate) twice in the morning and twice at night, floss at night (I don’t eat breakfast) and use a rinse at night. My teeth may look bad but they FEEL better than they have felt in years. I have had to experiment on my own with no professional advice, trying different products and combinations of them. Thank God for Pronamel. It has made the biggest difference in my teeth not having painful reactions to food and drink. I WANT a professonal cleaning, but I’m always told that “all of the work has to be done first” and that just isn’t going to happen. It’s hard enough because of the cost and getting permission to leave work, but it’s even harder subjecting myself to their verbal abuse. My teeth would be much, much worse if, indeed, I wasn’t brushing at all — why can’t they see that??!! FYI, my health is much better also. I hardly ever get sick anymore. I just worry what my bad teeth may do to me. That’s why I’m trying to seek help.
I understand some may be tempted to dismiss my comments as just being oversensitive. But my G.P. and his staff have always been kind to me. When I gained a little weight, he just said, “Your weight’s a little higher than last time.” He didn’t say, “You’re FAT! You’re FAT because you’re LAZY! You don’t exercise — DON’T LIE TO ME! You don’t exercise! You’re FAT because you’re LAZY!” He didn’t call in his staff to come look so they could all make comments about me and my fat. I got a tirade similar to that from a dentist insisting I never brushed. I also got chewed out by a dentist who had big hands and I have a small mouth. His ad didn’t say anything about having big hands and people with small mouths shouldn’t make an appointment with him. He just cursed me at me with four-letter words about my small mouth.
I don’t doubt that dentists have nightmare patients, and I guess after all of these years my teeth are the stuff of nightmares, but my teeth aren’t ME. I have a wonderful husband who says I’m beautiful and friends who care about me. They see me as more than my teeth. I have a soul. I have feelings. I am a human being. I keep praying I’ll find a dentist here who will see that…..
I just came from my dentist’s office)
While I have long and somewhat tense relationship with the dentist himself, today I was seeing his assistant, the older experienced lady with mild manners and good hands.
I came about 30 minutes earlier, and was sitting in the hallway reading magazine and …enjoying their chocolate chip cookies and brownies and some decaf…I was just on the middle of another bite of a brownie, when Sharon said, come on back Irina! I asked if I could quickly go to the bathroom to rinse my mouth, she said, Sure, but don’t you worry about it, I;ll take care of it (left over brownies, I assumed).
I thought: wow, she is not going to hate me for my brown mouth, that;s great!)))))))))))
Ha! I love that this has left an impression on you. I say, if your dentist wants to serve brownies before an appointment, that is their problem! 🙂 How very thoughtful of you though, but some hygienists do like cleaning extra goop off of teeth. It reminds me of that fascination some people have with popping zits. They just can’t resist when they see it.
Wow – two years worth of blog posts on the dentist / patient relationship – love it. I have practiced dentistry for 38 years and still loving the work and my patients. Dentistry is not that much different than other business and personal relationships. We all (Dr. and Patient) need to learn to be empathetic and listen. We really have no power over anyone else but ourselves – the one person we can improve. All relationships are based on Trust, Appreciation and Ownership (Polansky). These need to be the focus. I am very honored to care for many kind and loyal patients who have become close friends over the years. Some are late, no shows, difficult, anxious, or down right rude. The vast majority are delightful and appreciative. Looking forward to the next ten years.
Good for you Mickey!))) With the attitude like this you are a blessing to you patients.
Well said Mickey!
I make life so so easy for my dentist. I get knocked out in the chair for a tooth pull, but for anything else, it’s drill it, no anaesthetic. Even for root canals. Just go ahead and do what you gotta do, I manage the pain. I hate needles, not dentists.
I’m always impressed by folks like you. As long as I knew they were happy, these were some of my favorite patients to work on.
looks like lots of annoying retarded patients are here to bitch about their dentist
Oh this is plain funny, and please pardon me, but I can’t help and think if a gynecologist who I am scheduled to see next Monday will hate me for me making a face in the beginning as well as during the process, for any unexpected odor (remember, I will be seeing her long after I take my morning shower)…or if I crack an unexpected Ouch-ouch…I am so much more conscious after lolabees article. Oh well sometimes you can find hatred and irritation in the place where it is most unexpected, by the nature of he field.
Oh, I’d be terrified to here the gyn’s list of patient irritations. Talk about awkward!
Hey thanks for clarifying something, I always thought TMJ stood for Too Many Jerks and it came about from grinding your teeth in frustration and trying to hold your tounge.
Finally… a unique TMJ reply. 😉
Usually when people say “I hate the dentist” it most likely means they hate the process that’s going to be done to them when they go such as (needles, drilling etc). So I don’t think it should be taken so personally.
Been a dentist now for almost 25 years and I hate the profession so much. People hating me all the time, never able to go out in public without running into someone you had to go to battle with about paying their bill, or running into someone who got mad at you because they ended up needing a root canal on a crown you did, etc, etc. The rewards for being a dentist are zero compared to the troubles we have to deal with as we’ve seen already mentioned. YOU CAN’T WIN!! Right when you think things are settling in and going well, a new major catastrophe pops up ruining your life.
I only have maybe one day out of 20 where I’m happy about my day. Really is wearing me down having to return to work to listen to gripes and complaints when you’ve done the best job humanly possible. And when things go well, you rarely get a pat on the back.
I wish i wasn’t financially strapped to this career because I would run in a new direction in a heart beat. Dentistry is the worst profession I could have chosen. Really sad!!!
I am right there with you David!! I have practiced for 15 years and I am in the same situation you are and feel the same exact way. The other day I had a patient become unglued and act like a complete psycho because I told him he needed a root canal on a crown that was recently done. No matter how much I tried to explain things he would not listen. He screamed at myself, the front desk, and slammed the door hard when he left. He told me he was going to force me to refund his money he paid for the crown and that he refused to pay the balance on his bill!! That was Monday morning so it pretty much ruined my day as well as my week. I also have very few rewarding days and patients have no appreciation for what it takes for me to do my job. Everyone thinks that my time has no value and they have no problem taking my time but they sure complain when I charge for it!! The comments on this blog that some patients have made about how much they hate their dentists and how there are very few who compliment their dentist say it all about how we are perceived by the public. Part of the problem is that I think I just care too much. I went into this profession thinking I would make a difference in people’s lives but the only life that has changed is mine. It went from happy with my career to totally unhappy. You are right, you can’t win.
I feel your pain. Patients are so rude and hateful to dentists. We should be allowed to sue them for their ugly behavior as this type of behavior you just described would have caused a judge in a courtroom to have had a person removed from the courtroom for contempt and unruly behavior. And yes, like you, I care too much. My ability to care is diminishing and my thoughts of leaving dentistry are growing, even if I have to file bankruptcy. My emotional health is more important than the slim profits that dentistry can provide.
If anyone is considering becoming a dentist, PLEASE go another direction. It is a horrible career.
Wow – I read a post every day about some disgruntled dentist or patient on this blog. The original post was humorous and so many negative people have used it as a forum to whine. There are a few positive posts and I thank you for those. I believe in surrounding myself with positive people who can do rather than can’t. So I will sign out now and focus my time on self improvement and making the best of an already great profession.
Have you no idea that the guy was complaining about the money? A crown is a lot of $ for us little people today. I am an antique dealer and if I sold you a piece of furniture for the same amount and the leg fell off when you got it home you would expect me to take it back or fix it for free, right? That IS how the public sees it.
I hate it when patients talk when I have my hands and tools in their mouths. It’s like a mechanic trying to change the fan belt and the oil with the motor running.
lisa, the problem wasn’t with the crown. It was with the patient’s tooth. I know it may seem like a small distinction to a patient, but there is a distinction. Sometimes, when we work on teeth, the nerves of those teeth die, become infected, and need a root canal. It’s similar to getting chemo for cancer – there’s a chance, that the treatment is going to cause some harm. It’s unavoidable. Would you blame your oncologist if your chemo made you sick? Would you expect to get chemo for free if it made you sick? I doubt it.
Reblogged this on Oyia Brown.
Maybe if you don’t want the persons tngue in the way tell them where to put it, because it can be hard to tell where the dentist wants you to put your tongue, and after having your mouth open for hours it is kinda hard to tell how far your mouth is open… When I got my braces on Iafter a while I could tell that that my mouth was almost shut and I had to re open my mouth…
I understand a dentist needs to make money, to sustain his/her well-being, pay off loans,the costs of running a practice etc… To any dentists willing to respond, I have a question I hope you can clear up for me. I recently had a check-up with x-rays and an evaluation. The bill was $162. I’m not trying to debate whether the charge was good or bad. The dentist settled for my insurance payment of $96 as payment in full. If they can/will settle for this amount, why can’t this dentist charge everyone this price right up front without insurance? Did this dentist lose money on me? If so, why did he do it? Other than insurance, what could be the difference.? $96 is $96, regardless of where it comes from.
That was my last visit to a dentist with insurance as mine has been discontinued. I’m finding that my insurance wasn’t that great anyhow. I will now have to pay 100% out of pocket. I guess what I’m getting at is I wish dentists would publish a comprehensive list of services with prices to allow patients to make an informed health care decisions, and comparison shop. Maybe I’m naive but I believe dentists would have a back log of patients waiting to see them.
Hi Mike,
Great and very valid question. When you find a dentist that accepts your insurance, they have signed a contract with the insurance company agreeing to decrease their fees in exchange for getting patients in the door. It can be very helpful (if not essential for some) to build and maintain a sustainable practice. In regards to your question about the dentist losing on you, yes they do. In order to compensate for the fee cut, they have to see more patients in a day than an office that doesn’t participate in a plan and is able to charge their full fees.
I can’t speak for other dentists’ experiences, but when I first started in practice, I worked at an office that accepted over 150 different types of insurance plans. And they were all different! Sometimes I did procedures that were only 30% of the usual and customary fee. I was forced to see over 30 patients per day. It was a high volume practice for this reason, and the practice was able to make a lot of money. But I hated it so much because I never felt like I had enough time to give my patients the proper attention and care that I wanted to give them (and that they all deserved.) I’m not saying that every office that takes insurance has to cut corners, but in some cases, the office has to cut corners somewhere in order to run the business. I think all dentists wish it could just be about helping patients, but it’s a business too, as you pointed out.
I eventually changed my practice approach and joined a practice that enabled me to do my very best work, and boy, did we charge for it. The fees were so exorbitant that it even shocked me. I was able to feel good about the way I practiced, but there was that trade off. I wasn’t getting the same “referrals” that I got from the insurance companies. It was too slow. Patients might be surprised to hear that at times I struggled to make ends meet when I was in the full fee practice.
Anyway, dental insurance is a funny beast. In some ways it doesn’t help the patient or the dentist all that much. What I mean is, patients usually only have $1K-2k in benefits each year. This doesn’t cover much for someone who needs more than a few fillings per year. As far as not publishing fees, I don’t know the exact reason why dentists have never done it. I could make an argument as to why, but I don’t know where this policy originated from. I guess doctors, veterinarians, and other health professionals don’t do that either.
Hope that helps!
Lolabees,
It was kind of you to give such a lengthy response. Your feelings on dental insurance is spot on. I only had what I had through my employer. Now that I’m fully retired and have no insurance I’m honestly thinking that it’s not that big of a loss.
As to pricing, I’ve read a lot of articles/blogs the last few days trying to become more informed on pricing for dental services. It has opened my my eyes quite a bit and I’m more sympathetic towards dentists and pricing than before. With that said, I’d feel more comfortable going for treatment knowing a “price range” for services I might be rendered. I’m not an unreasonable person and I know things can change, especially for things not yet known and my hope would be that the dentist would be understanding enough to consult with me before piling up the fees.
Your history with high volume/low volume practices was very informative. I believe the dentist I saw last was probably a high volume dentist. The reason for my visit was tooth pain He didn’t spend more than 5 or 6 minutes total with me once the dental tech was finished and in that time he determined I needed several fillings replaced, which had nothing to do with the pain I was experiencing since they were on the left side of my mouth, and a root canal, and then he was gone. Is needing a root canal so obvious it takes so little time to diagnose? I’m just curious. Since this dentist doesn’t do molar root canals he said I needed to go to an endodontist. Although I didn’t get bad vibes from him, I think I’m going to find another dentist that’s willing to spend a little more time with me and my teeth. I have an appointment with an endodontist next week.
I didn’t know what a discount dental plan was until I recently researched dental insurance. Just for curiosity I checked this practice to see if they accepted any discount dental plans, and according to their website they accept practically everyone of them. Knowing what I know now, and reading other dentists opinions of how they prefer to treat their patients, I might be a little upset if I had paid him full price for his services.
Lolabees, sorry for the rambling. Thank you again for the kind response. May God bless you..
Hi Mike,
Glad I could help. My advice would be to not be afraid to ask for the costs of any recommended treatment when it is proposed to you. It just helps to make sure that the crucial information doesn’t get lost along the way. If you want a referral, I might know someone in your city. If so, use my contact page to let me know. I should also thank you for your very kind response, and much luck to you!
Lolabees
He lost money.
Blue Heron,
Please stay in the profession. I would be honored to be one of your patients. Are you in North Georgia by chance?
Sorry Mike, I am not in your area but that’s for the encouragement. 🙂
I meant to say thanks for the encouragement. Just saw my typo.
You can always move. It’s a little bit of heaven here.
Haha!
What you are complaining about, dear Lolabees, this all comes with the territory working in close contact with all kind of people. Of course the above statement rather means nothing for someone who feels as disgusted, to the point to write a long article and put it out there for people to read, thinking it is totally funny to make fun of others.
You are showing your weakness, not your strength, for which we – your imperfect annoying patients – forgive you.
I think patients should learn how to give themselves their own dental injections and see if they can do it any less painful. Once you have it figured out, share your techniques with us. The lines to enter dental school will be 5 “blocks” long. (no pun intended)
I didnt know that there was so much passion in regards to dentistry
Good article! I enjoy reading all the comments!
Nobody likes to undergo literal torture and shell out a lot of money for it too. Paying a high cost for pain to be inflicted on us, even if it helps us, isn’t something we’re genetically inclined to do, nothing person dentists you’re just like school, its not fun and we have to do it.
I must be in the minority….I love my dentist and my children’s dentsts are great too! Do they sometimes cause pain, yes they do but I allow them to in order to fix our teeth so we all have a great smile and healthy teeth. I have worked at a dental school now for 4 years, I have seen the immense training these folks go through, the patients they have to see who curse at them, belittle them and call them every name in the book. Their training does not come cheap either. You get what you pay for folks. I would gladly pay a bit more to know that my teeth will last a lifetime that have to surrender them to falsies. There are good and bad in every profession but lets not lump all dentists into greedy blood suckers. Most actually care about the work they do and want you to leave happy and healthy.
Thanks for your rational and responsible comment.
I’ve worked in the dental profession for 40 years. I am a hygienist. The article was funny cause I’ve heard it all. My last boss is the kindest, most caring person I know and is so smart. Treat people like you want to be treated goes a long way in ANY business.
I love this post! I work in the dental field and can really relate to this! I’m off to read some more of your blogs!
Wow amazing how one little article goes on and on with comments, well anyway atleast it leaves you something to read in your retirement :), but I have to atleast give my advice to dentists that may be reading.. As a patient, it would be a big help if the dentist would tell me more info what they are doing, what they need me to do, etc… A lot of times one just forgets to open their mouths, move the tongue away from where your working Be more communicating that’s what I would have to say to make the experience more easy. And remember, when were sitting there, we can’t talk.
Wow after reading some of this I just found a reason ( didn’t have one prior) to dislike dentist. A little full of yourselves are you not? Here is a thought…..why would you go into this profession if you hate it so much. I dislike car dealerships, just standing in one makes my stomach flip, therefore I decided not to be a car salesperson….simple enough. Must have been the money….
Hmmmm. Yes , it is the money. It costs NOTHING to walk into a car dealership and find out you wouldn’t like being a car dealer. It costs over $500,000 to walk into dentistry and find out you don’t like it. Learn the difference before making such childish comparisons. It’s immature patients like you that have no clue what gamble it takes to run up an enormous expense to help people with their needs and then hear those same people say, “I hate you!”. And don’t ever tell me “it’s nothing personal”. You indeed hate the actual dentist because you feel it is immoral for a dentist to recoup on his/her invest and that it should be unlawful for a dentist to make a profit.
BTW….I have never done any of the original posts top ten. My MOTHER taught me it was rude. Yours must have skipped a lesson or two… She would turn over in her grave for me saying out loud what I did but I was appalled by your sheer arrogance.
I am married to a dentist, my Brother-in-law is a dentist, father-in-law, and uncle-in-law. My mother-in-law and Step-mother-in-law are both dental assistants. Let me just say, I have been to a “greedy bastard” dentist. He told me that in 1 year I went from 0 to 5 cavities needing fillings and then tried to charge me for whole mouth x-rays after he did bite-wings (because I have a small mouth and he got everything in the bite-wings, um, can you say insurance fraud?). I have since learned (from requesting the x-rays) that there were only a couple watches and no cavities needing fillings. But, just because there are assholes like him does not mean the whole establishment is the same. Nor does it mean they all make a fortune.
To the CPA, remember that dentists today have the same issues as all people graduating today. Their debt is up to their eyeballs. It doesn’t matter if their take-home is 200K if 50K is going straight to the loans but they are taxed in the higher tax bracket. You of all people, should know this. Your clients chose to be general practitioner doctors or dentists, or teachers, entrepreneurs; whatever profession, they chose you to help with their finances not to judge their income.
I found this post hilarious and plan on sharing it with my family. Thanks for the laugh!
Hilarious article – thank you for bringing a smile to my face.
That is true what you said about dentist. I do not like dentist, but I make myself go (and thanks to my grandpa). I am never worry about loosing my tooth, because I see an dentist (only in injury case I will). I had my wisdom teeth extract but an oral surgeron, always nervous to go see him since I though I was not listening to his instruction to recover but I tell him I do listen to his instruction and he believes me (some pills he tells me to take does not help because of my migraines history, so I have ask other people what they should I take instead and I think I should have ask my family doctor to call his office to explain my migraines history) and he always want to make sure that I was fine (making sure another procedure is not necessary). He also did my sister so that’s why my mom trust him for me. Also my family dentist’s first thing is always make sure the teeth is okay and try to save it before it had to be extracted in necessary case (so that’s her last option-even if she refuse to do it for an aldut teeth. Only for baby teeth).
its saturday evening and i have a broken tooth, and in pain…
i have headache and not a happy bunny….
there are no nhs dentists available in the whole of bexley , including hospitals…..
i have phoned nhs direct and everyone i should….
only person i can find is in central london who wants to charge me £ 300
i pay £ 1000 a month in tax and national insurance combined …..
before you say … mmmm well you can afford it.. NO i cant cos i pay through the nose for everything else too !!
i have contemplated self dentistry then came to my senses lol
id willingly pay £ 120 to be sorted out .
Is it the system or just the way things are and should i and we accept being ripped off by government and dare i say dentists ….
that’s what you get for socialized healthcare.
There are sane people in the USA trying hard to not let that happen.
people should not trust government for their healthcare. People should not even trust private insurance companies to help with their healthcare, ESPECIALLY private health insurance companies that are out there to make a profit. They make a profit by collecting your premiums, and by not paying the doctors.
It’s not “insurance”, it’s more like a “benefit plan”, a rather bad one.
People should start by saving for their own rainy day. People should pay their doctors in cash, not some insurance plans. People should not even rely on the government for their own welfare.
this is so funny, I love reading it, The dentist always has to tell me to open my mouth wider because my jaw muscles hurt so bad I felt so bad for him one time he had his fingers in my mouth checking my extraction site and by my mistake I closed my mouth he didn’t anything but I felted because he look at me as if he what are you doing,
Ok, I am paying a few grand to sit in the dentist chair for an hour so I expect a nice experence, nice assistants who know what they are doing (rare.) I do not want to hear about your family vacation in some ungodly pricey place I will never get to visit, while I am trying to ignore your new sports car parked in the first parking space near the door. If all the above mentioned peeves get to you and other dentists and assistants so much perhaps all of you should do us all a favor and get another job were you do not have to work with the public. Stop complaining, you are all paid well for your work and remember, some of us are not.
I’m guilty of making faces when something hurts. I’d love to “tell” my dentist what’s going on but it’s kind of impossible with a load of stuff jammed into my mouth. Faces actually get the point across fairly well. I hope my dentist doesn’t secretly hate me for it. He’s a really nice dude, and he makes an otherwise uncomfortable thing like getting work done in your mouth a rather pleasant experience.
Hi Kate,
Faces are actually really helpful when a patient needs something. I’m sure your dentist loves you, and it’s great to hear that you two seem to have a good thing going!
I have an amazing dentist. He’s an old school, country type doctor that I not only respect, but admire greatly.
Thank you for writing this article. Although I always try to show my appreciation and be as conscientious and cooperative as possible it’s always good to be reminded to do our best and be our best and show our appreciation to those we depend upon.
And NOT to forget our manners.
Which reminds me, I need to schedule an appointment for a checkup.
This is wonderful. I love to hear from people like you! Thank you. 🙂
Okay, you all seem to feel it’s supremely important to correct this young lady on the proper use of an acronym which, I’ll grant you, technically identifies the actual joint where the dysfunction occurs. The truth is, however, that many, many professionals refer to the disorder/dysfunction/disease (pick your D) as TMJ, and they have for many years. We all know (and laugh about it) that “everyone has TMJ,” but again, the disorder is frequently referred to as just that – “TMJ.” Having worked in the dental industry for more than thirty years, I have heard dozens of general dentists, orthodontists, oral surgeons and – name your dental professional – refer to it as TMJ.
Having said that, I think the larger issue here (which has absolutely nothing to do with the witty, tongue-in-cheek article written by our lovely hostess) is that the people on these blogs seem to feel entitled to say anything they want, no matter how rude, using the most disrespectful language, all within the safe, anonymous confines of the innerweb. I doubt that any of you would address our young blogger, or each other for that matter, with such arrogance and hostility in a face-to-face exchange. Nor would “suggestsmagic” be likely to call her dentist a “greedy basterd” were she sitting in his dental chair. My parents taught me to treat everyone with grace and cordiality, especially in a public forum (which this is), and I agree with them. It is possible, in all of your cases, to make your argument without being vulgar or discourteous to each other.
What I’m trying to say is, BE NICE!
….okay, stepping down from the soap box…
Thanks, Lynn. You won me over with witty, lovely, and hostess. Haha! 😉
I have become fascinated (or more accurately saddened) with this type of internet behavior ever since I wrote this blog post. I have come to notice that people will find a way to argue over the most innocuous things such as spices or light bulbs. It’s very strange how negative people can be– I even see it with really positive articles about happiness or living well. I don’t get it. I’d rather have fun and laugh, and if I don’t like something, just move on. Thanks for your thoughts on this. They definitely resonated with me.
Yeah, I’m often guilty of posting really positive, “life is great” comments on facebook, and every once in a while I get slammed for it. Like I’m not allowed to feel that way if everyone else doesn’t also. One person even begged me to “complain already,” so I felt compelled to accommodate her. I posted my complaint – that my goldfish don’t recognize me any more – which was deliberately benign and definitely tongue-in-cheek, and I was slammed HARD for that. Evidently I wasn’t sufficiently unhappy – at least not enough to suit my readers.
And you’re welcome, by the way. 🙂
That’s so funny. I love it when people say happy and positive things on facebook. Why not share the good things with your friends? Isn’t that what friends are for, to celebrate with and support? In fact, I’ve noticed a few of my friends only write negative stuff like “this day just keeps getting worse,” or descriptions of all of their ailments. I understand a negative post here and there, but every post? Hmm… I guess we’re just not wired that way.
I have a terrible dentist… I don’t mind dental work. I’m very compliant, take good care of my teeth and actually brush and floss regularly. My dentist takes her sweet time to do the final exam after the hygienist is done. I actually had to wait a whole hour and a half in the chair before I saw my dentist. Then I went to my TMJ specialist who also does cosmetic dentistry, and he informs me I have two cavities and my teeth look like they haven’t been cleaned in over a year. That is bad service. So luckily he cleaned my teeth and filled my cavities as well as made me a maxillary splint for my TMJ.
Hi Kayli,
I agree with you that dentists should respect their patients’ time. I always did my best, but I did work with a guy who sometimes made patients wait for 2 hours in the chair because he was chatting with other patients. Not only is it disrespectful, but it’s not good for business. 😉 Glad you found another good dentist who was able to help you.
I would like to know why “smart bomb” mouthwash is not available to consumers. I hear it completely prevents cavities if you use it. Probably not ever going to be available. How nice this would be for preserving your natural teeth from a young age instead of needing all crowns on the back teeth by the time you are 40.
you don’t need some smart bombing mouthwash. All you need is a good toothbrush and toothpaste, and brush twice a day. Don’t forget to floss.
Hi Amy,
I wish I could help you, but I’ve never heard of this. I think it was coming out in the news about the time I “retired,” so maybe that’s why.
http://www.webdental.com/profiles/blogs/ucla-developed-mouthwash-a-smart-bomb-against-cavities.
Looks like it’s still in development.
You all sound like idiots. Just stop the nonsense. I love my dentist!! He’s the best!! The rest of you all suck!! LOL
😀
Thank you for your funny article! Humor always takes the awkwardness out of situations! I am a very down to earth Hairdresser with a lot of common sense. Not high maintenance in the least! I can relate to your article so much so, that I actually would like to write one about situations that come up while styling client’s hair! I loved your spot on illustrations of dentist/client relationships! I am printing this article and bringing a copy of it along to my children’s dental exams tomorrow morning. We love our dentists, and respect the good news along with the bad (which we usually created for ourselves)! Take care and whip up some more humorous posts soon!
I have almost always had good, working, relationships with whoever was/is my dentist. I wish I could say the same about my doctors. With my dentist, they have always taken the time to explain to me what they are doing (or about to do) and why. They have always treated me with respect and dignity, and when I have asked questions they have never made me feel denigrated, or if I was a child.
I’m glad to hear this, Steve. Having been behind the scenes in dentistry, I know that kind of care is something that is heavily emphasized in the field. Thanks for your input!
This article is definitely interesting and I sympathize with some of the ways your patients have treated you. I’m not going to lie, I’m not the biggest fan of going to the dentist (but who really is?), and I will admittedly say that I’ve said “I hate the dentist” in general convo, but never did I say it to their face nor did I actually literally mean I hate that person – I just have never had pleasant dental experiences and have always had a “dentist fear.”
I will admit that I probably have seen myself in the #5 category though. I have an incredibly small mouth and huge teeth and this has always been a problem for dentists when they have to work on my back teeth. It has always created an awkward angle for me as well as them. I don’t mean to not “open wide enough” for them – in fact, I open as much as I can w/o ripping my cheeks in half. Sometimes it has been easier for them to not open so much and let my cheeks be relaxed so they have the flexibility to get back in there.
I did enjoy your article though – #5 was the only one that I really had to leave feedback on. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Nik,
Thanks for your feedback. You can say it all you want behind our backs, but just don’t say it to our faces! Haha! 😉 The reality is that if you’re a nice person, your dental team understands. One of my favorite patients ever was one of my most scared, couldn’t open wide, and also pushed her tongue in the way because dental work gave her such anxiety. I didn’t hate her at all, and I still wanted to do my best for her when she needed care. I will tell you, though, that after working on her back molar, I prayed every time she came in that she didn’t need work done on any other back molars. But she felt the same way, and we would always laugh together about it after a good check-up. So don’t worry if you can’t open wide– it’s part of the job. As long as you are patient with your dentist, they’ll give you the same in return.
I hope you find a profession where you don’t have to deal with people. Dentistry is a service-oriented profession. Dealing with different people every day is an important part of such an industry. I can see these as topics between others in your profession, but clearly these things weighed on you so much that it is clearly for the better that you changed professions. Most of these complaints could be eased with effective direct communication skills. And your very 1st comment is a clear misunderstanding of the anxiety many people are trying to express to you (though not the best wording by them), NOT an attack that they don’t “like” you personally. An effective and understanding professional would follow such a comment with an attempt at easing their anxiety with some kind words that show you understand their anxiety and will take good care of them, not get upset inside and think thoughts of “well, I hate you, too!”. Not everything is about you. Good luck in your future endeavors.
Why can’t people simply be polite to one another. The world would be so much nicer.
I’m not comfortable with the sounds of the equipment, and no fan of pain. My dentist is a lovely person, however, and I’m happily driving over an hour to see her.
There are drawbacks to any profession. As a labor/delivery nurse I deal with patients (and more often their families) who can be challenging, Helpful advise to people about being better patients is great. Using the internet to treat people badly (I’m referring to the nasty comments of some rather than the original post) is bad form. Worse, identifying yourself as a dental professional AND behaving unprofessionally is ignorant.
Thank you to all the great dentists and dental professionals out there who do good work and treat their patients with kindness and dignity.
Hi Sheri,
I bet you have some crazy and entertaining stories from your work. I always say that I think being a nurse must be one of the hardest jobs in the world, and thank you for doing what you do. I love what you said about rudeness. When I wrote this post, I was just goofing around, (although I will say that all these things have happened.) Two years ago it went viral, and while that was a lot of fun, I found myself really sad about the sheer nastiness by some people. I’ve come to realize that every comments section I’ve ever read on even the most innocuous of posts always has this element to it, and I don’t get it. In the last to days, I’m excited to see that this post is going viral again, but again it makes me a little sad to see that with the fun of it comes some negativity. Thanks for the reminder and for your thoughtful insights.
I have spent more than the average amount of time in a dental office, my mom is a dental assistant. I have heard plenty of patients behave this way. It makes things much more difficult. It is almost like telling a waitress that you have changed your mind on what you want after you are half done eating. I have been a waitress, that is the only thing that gives me the same teeth clenching frustration as hearing a dentist being treated poorly by a patient.
Just goes to show this is universal behavior, isn’t it? Most people are great and pleasant to deal with, but there is a small minority who just don’t get it. I’m guessing your comparison has actually happened to you at work?? I can’t even imagine thinking that’s okay to do in a restaurant. 🙂
My dentist must love me. I brush and floss before going, don’t complain, joke with him, and pay my bill. However, you sound like a real peach. Most of those complaints you listed are just part of your job. Good thing you quit, I guess. I’d hate to have you as my dentist.
What an awful comment that started out so nice. Its pretty obvious that the author was an excellent practitioner that truly cared for her patients. You would have been very lucky to have her as your dentist. Your confidence might be clouding your judgment here.
I loved going to the dentist when I was a kid. I also had a lot of work done as I had problems with soft enamel. My dentist was really nice as were all the hygienist. While I may not “love” going to the dentist these days I still respect them very much. I cannot believe people do not brush their teeth before going. To me this is the equivalent of not showering before going to the gynecologist.
I would not take the “I hate the dentist” too personally. Those people are more anxious about the procedure and just do not articulate it very well.
Thanks, MTK. Glad to hear you had good experiences despite having to have a lot of work. I’m sure you had some part in those experiences being decent. People forget that the dentist and patient are a team, and patients get to dictate a lot of what goes on in their care. You are right, and luckily we don’t really take it too personally. We actually do understand the “hate” and most of us try our best to take that comment with a grain of salt.
Nice! #12 Only floss the teeth you wish to keep.
I know this post is from two years ago, but oh my goodness, I’m afraid I’m a prime example of #1. Now I feel really bad for being so rude! I’m going to have to apologize the next time I see my dentist. I have huge dental anxiety, but that’s *my* problem, not my dentist’s. My current dentist is actually wonderful and quite patient with me and she is worth every penny I pay. I’d actually pay more. I know that I’m a pain as a patient (though I try to be cool and non-jerky) but she never treats me like I’m a pain. I also never get the impression that she’s in it for the money. She has a full staff of fantastic dental hygienists and they all seem really happy to be there. Heck, even her receptionist has been with her for years. Actually, every time I beat my anxiety and go, I reward myself with a visit to Barnes and Noble, so when I’m there she and her staff always give me good book recommendations. 🙂
Hi Elizabeth,
Don’t feel bad. I’m sure you weren’t rude, and I’m sure your dentist loves you. This list is an compilation of all the things patients do or say that could actually contribute to having a worse experience, but in the end, the reality is that if patients are nice and pleasant to the people who are there to care for them, they can get away with 1 or 2 things on this list and their dentist will still love them. Some of my favorite PEOPLE were some of my most challenging patients because, for example, they were always pleasant even if they said they hated the dentist. I love your reward system. Sounds like a great and constructive way to get yourself back for your visits!
I’ve had great dentists, and I’ve had lousy ones. I just try to be the best patient I can be. I need a lot of work done and am considering sedation. Probably worth it for both the DDS and myself.
Hi RJ,
There’s no doubt you get better care with your positive attitude. Sedation is not a bad idea, or there’s always nitrous oxide if your dentist provides that service. It is really helpful… even for me when I’m the patient! Good luck with your dental work!
um…. for all the dentist commenting/complaining/whatever…. Try becoming a REAL DOCTOR MD. LOL! Working night shifts for 16 hours + with sick patients and demanding/needy patients is much worse. At least dentists get that 9-5 job… haha…
You are not a legit dentist yet! you are someone who got a certified in dental school and practicing something you do not really like. Of course you are going to have a bad relationship with most of them, what did you expect!!?? Each of the ¨10 reason…¨ (I bet you wrote it down with anger rather that objectivity) are EASY to handle with more experience and compassion and love for dentistry. I hope that you may be able to change you mind and the way you deal with you patients then you can name yourself a legit dentist. Do not dirty the profession that I have loved for 15 years.
Do ANY of you get that “lolabees” wrote this in response to an article called, “10 Things I Hate about the Dentist?
Sure, it’s reactionary, but it’s also meant to be light-hearted.
Good grief!
Did I mention I love you? Haha! 😉
hahaha! I love you too! i just read your other articles in your website and you have many interesting things to read! keep it up!
I get #2-#11 and realize people can be difficult, but as for #1, I don’t think that I have ever heard of anyone actually saying that to a dentist. Sure I know people that say “I hate going to the dentist”, but never to their dentist’s face. Maybe I’m just naive about other people’s manners when it comes to going to a dentist and interacting with other human beings.
It happens, you need to have in mind that as a dentist you see a lot of people and in some jobs more people still, so getting that kind of stuff from people is not rare, and there is even more weird stuff you get to listen.
I think this says good things about you that you can’t imagine anyone actually saying that. It actually happens a lot!
Yup, my own cousin told me she hated me because I’m a dentist.
It’s true someguy and I agree with Lolabees that it says good things about you that it’s hard for you to imagine. I hear it 2-3 times per week. Usually goes “nothing personal…but I hate the dentist”. Several commenters have raised good reasons why patients love this line and I agree with them! We understand that patients say this as a way to express their anxiety. Nevertheless, after hearing it dozens of times, it becomes kind of a ‘curiosity’, for lack of a better term.
I believe most of us recognize patients anxiety and see it as an opportunity to “win the patient over” and show them that not all dentists are to be hated! And, every once in a while, we’re successful. When I gain a patient’s trust, I go home hoping that I never lose it. I hope you will still trust me when the tooth underneath the new crown I just ‘sold’ you suddenly dies and I have to tell you that you need a root canal. We know it’s expensive and believe me, some of us will feel like we let you down. Most of the time patients will understand the imperfect nature of working on the human body and we can regain their trust. Sometimes they become “unglued”, leave the office in a blaze of glory, and we carry that horrible feeling home.
I believe most commenters on this page appreciate a dentist who cares. And I can tell you, as a dentist, the original author was one of them. I also see a lot of commenters who are calling us “whiners”. That’s ok, but I can assure you when you are getting a tooth extracted, you will hope you are with a dentist who cares and not one who will tell you to “stop complaining and hold still”. In other words, let us vent…it increases the chances we might still be in the profession when you need that tooth pulled.
Thanks for reading.
I’ve been told many times by dentists to shut up and take it and not to cry. And then been kicked out when I couldn’t stop sobbing. So it’s hard for me to have sympathy for you there.
But I am going to say that I have spent the last hour insulting people in the comments and I wouldn’t do that and would calm down a lot if I had dentists that actually made me feel like they cared. You do sound like you care and you did win me over a bit just by reading this post. That’s all I really want to hear from a dentist. That they don’t want me to be afraid and they don’t want to hurt me and that they don’t look down on me.
I’d never be angry if they said that to me.
“Literally bending over backwards”? You should really work on your ergonomics. 🙂
Or maybe my grammar. 😉 I know, poor use of “literally,” but I had to!
I hated dentists… but only before I actually needed to go to one for more than just a checkup. And then that lovely old guy I’d been hating on for years as a kid and a teenager became the gentle soul that cured me of my needle phobia. I’ve had a few dentists since but the worst thing I ever came across was a set of hairy hands where the hair curling out the top of the gloves was tickling my face.
That’s actually cool that you were able to turn that around! That is always a success. Ew! I hope the dentist with the hairy hands was a man. 😉
Good article, dentists have saved me from a lot of pain over the years and I had one who was awesome.
I recently had one who did 10 minute exam when he was bombed! Obviously not going back, too bad he seemed like a decent dentist at the first appointment I had.
Thanks! Ooh, drunk dentist is not such a good thing. Glad to see you’re moving on.
So your point is “don’t be a jerk.” Sorry you had to leave your career to reveal that. A lot of other people feel the same way, and get paid a lot less.
Ha! Exactly. Agreed– I bet most people experience similar things in almost every field.
Aww…that should never happen. I’ve known my dentist for over 40 years, he still yells at me for grinding me teeth and calls me young lady. He is my kids’ dentist, too. Takes a strong stomach to be a dentist!!!
I had a dentist who was older in age and he would cut my gums every single time I visited him and he would also cut my tongue. He didn’t clean around my gums either and claimed I had a medical condition but turns out he just wasn’t doing his job, now I switched to a new dentist and I love him! He is honestly the most amazing dentist i have ever had. Granted he did seriously hurt me to the point of crying when cleaning my teeth but that’s only because I have EXTREMELY sensitive teeth and he apologized afterwards but I told him there was no need for that due to the fact he was just doing his job.
If I pay ass loads of money…well then you will give me the best fuckin’ work possible whether I help you do it or not. You think mechanics make the same amount if the car owner helps them fix it? Are you stupid? Most dentists seem to be quite greedy…for instance…I wanted teeth extracted, the dentist comes back “Ohh we can save those for you” so 6 root canals and 6 crowns later…something to the tune of $7,000…and now thanks to the dentist “saving” me teeth my jaw is so fucked up it requires surgery, yeah…it really was the dentists fault, he put the permanent crowns in and it was even close to my original bite, he says “that’s normal, in a few months your bite will fix itself” are you fucking serious?? If I ever see this stupid dentist again I will not hesitate to shatter his jaw bone with a fuckin’ hammer, make him wish he would have done what I wanted and extracted the teeth instead of his greedy “fixing them” plan. I tried finding the little prick, turns out he transferred offices after he finished my teeth.
So, would you expect your mechanic to fix your car if you kept closing the hood on his hand?
I have a number to a great therapist who is a patient of mine. Also, it sounds like group therapy might be a good choice for you – as well as medication – a lot of medication.
Add to the above reasons the unbelievably irritating comment made by some patients after you have just finished with a difficult and tiring appointment ,eg 2nd upper molar root canal treatment : “If I knew it was going to be so hard ,I would ask you to have my tooth extracted!” Ok, I understand you were tired opening your mouth for long, and that the whole procedure is unpleasant, but I struggled to offer you the best treatment I could ,so try to show some recognition for the effort made to save your f**ing tooth!
A quite popular tagline,also, used by patients with common and easily manageable dental problems like toothache or tooth fracture, that gets on my nerves is : “My teeth are such a mess, doctor, they cause me so many problems, I think that I should have them all extracted and have dentures done!” As this suggestion is really out of any serious discussion in the 21st century, I have found I nice tagline as well to answer this : ” Well Mr/Mrs ….., if you had an infection on the small finger of your right hand, would you suggest to your treating doctor to cut all your fingers off and replace them by some artificial ones? So, since you think that’s crazy, why don’t you think about your teeth in the same way?”
I feel better now too!
A greek dentist
Dentistry is an extremely difficult profession and unfortunately patients negative attitudes and poor hygeine will always be a big part of the challenge. The bright spot is we always seem to score highly in polls regarding peoples trust of those in various professions. So it seems the majority of dentists are doing a great job of representing the profession. Yes there are bad apples and always will be. Anyway I retired from dentistry last year after 39 years. It wasn’t easy early on due to the extreme costs of setting up a practice, enormous educational debt burden, not to mention you are “green” and refining your various skills only happens with real life experience! Many times I questioned my choice of career but I don’t think that is unusual for anyone. The bottom line is I devoted my life to a healing art to benefit mankind and now I choose to hang on to the memories of the really awesome patients that put a smile on my face and to the many incredible people I came to know traveling the same road.
Congrats on 39 years in a career that you love! It’s nice to hear your lovely thoughts on what this career meant to you.
WOW I only read through about 1/4 of the replies here before I had to stop. I’m in total shock at how judgmental and unprofessional some of you claiming to be in the dental field are! I love my dentist and sincerely hope he is not on the same page with many of you! I mean I get it, we all bitch about work. Its healthy to do so sometimes, but I think many of you need to find a new field of work because “caring” for people is not for you!
Great text but let’s be honest. What really annoyed you was the job itself. If you enjoyed it you wouldn’t mind all these, at least not so much. I’m a dentist too and I totally agree with what you write, but at least I am honest to myself: I hate dentistry because it is boring and filthy, full stop. Looking for a career change before I lose my mind
Exactly. This list was just a response to a girl who blogged 10 Reasons she hated the dentist. It’s not why dentistry was the wrong career for me.
I like this and hate this! I loved the dentist until I turned 19 and suddenly started getting cavities like crazy (Probably because of teeth grinding, as they are perplexed I have a great diet low in sugar/abrasive foods and I have wonderful hygiene), the second time I went to get fillings I had to get 6 done at once. The process took over 3 hours because he started drilling before I was numb, then I almost passed out ( I can’t be upside down with my mouth open for that long, it causes me to have an anxiety attack) then he had to re-numb me three separate times. And because the teeth grinding I have some problems in my TMJ and holding my mouth open that long is excruciatingly painful. The poor dentist was worried sick because he couldn’t figure out how to make it less horrible for me! Then I find out I don’t have dental anymore (thanks dad!) and get footed with a $1200 bill. Not saying you guys don’t need that money – however, I do everything to prevent cavities, cannot afford dental, nor afford that bill. It was a pretty uncomfortable time. Thank goodness, almost a year later I started having a problem with one of the fillings and the dentist fixed it for free, and we figured out how to make the experience a little less horrible that time. My dentist is trying really hard to be good but it doesn’t make me like the experience anymore!
It’s nice to see that you have such a great attitude. Despite the fact that it’s hard for you to be in the dental chair, you still do your best, and you appreciate that your dentist is doing his/her best too. I recently had some major dental work done, and I felt like they were taking such great care of me while I was in the chair. I can’t imagine it any other way.
As someone who has had a very seriously negative experience at a dental visit when in 3rd grade, I can say, i have always said, “I hate going to the dentist.” Maybe some of your clients have stated that vs, “I hate dentists.” Maybe I’m wrong, but either way, as a mature professional in any field, I would think you should know you should not take these words personally. Many professionals are told all the time they are hated by others, myself included, and yet for some reason we don’t take it personal or let it bother us.
I have dealt with numerous insensitive dentists after my traumatic experience, and even though they may not have been “bad” dentists, they could have tried a lot more to be understanding to my situation and earned my trust.
It took me until I was 25 years old to find a wonderful dentist, Ashly Cothern, in Dallas, who allowed me to basically interview her, explain my previous experience & who was beyond kind, along with her assistant at the time (2004). The two of them together went above and beyond to gain my trust, and in the end they didn’t just make my day, my week, my month or even my year… they both changed my life!
Now I wonder how many of your patients will say that about you behind your back!
You know – once – I got food poisoning really bad when I was a kid – total projectile vomit. So ever since then, when I go out to eat, I make sure to stop and tell the Chef that I hate him.
I usually feel a little better after communicating that vital bit of info about myself, so I sit down and wait to eat the food he cooks for me. Everyone should understand my fragile mental state. By the way, if that cook EVER took issue with my attitude, I’d think he was unprofessional-and tell him so just before storming out and refusing to pay the bill. He’s a cook, he chose his profession – he could change if he doesn’t like it. He needs to deal with it. I, on the other hand, do not need to deal with my personal problems.
Lolabees you are so right on with your comments even though I know it was somewhat tongue-in-cheek. Patients, at least most, truly don’t understand. Did not see the “10 things I hate about Dentists” that prompted your comments, but I can only imagine. Have been a practicing Dentist for 33 years and it truly has been a love / hate relationship. Fortunately the “love” has outweighed the hate by a good margin because 90% of the patients appreciate my work. In fact there have been many patients over the years that have made my practice a true joy. The ones that have made it difficult have truly caused many a sleepless night and questions about my chosen field. I often joke, but it is not really joke, that there is a reason Dentists have one of the highest suicide rates. Sad but true. Fortunately that seems to be changing. All professions have their drawbacks. Those bad patients to which you refer, have serious problems in other parts of their lives…at least that’s what I have told myself over the years to keep my sanity and not take it personal. Without a doubt, though, the single most frustrating thing about dentistry is the people that do not appreciate their dental health and refuse to acknowledge the link between that and their general health. Any dentist and most physicians reading this know exactly what I’m talking about.
Since money was mentioned I must comment on that. I WISH I made as much as my patients thought I made. Most would be shocked. Not complaining…we are luckier than most (though luck doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with it). I know for a fact that if my patients would’ve followed my recommendations 100%, I could’ve saved them literally hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years (collectively)! As I state that, I’m thinking of a few that still make me shudder. :-). I especially love the ones that turn down treatment because of the fees and walk out picking up their luxury car keys and $1500 bag that they have left on the counter. Clearly a priority issue not a money issue. It’s comical to read some of the posts by some patients here, but they don’t know what they don’t know…and they clearly don’t want to know. Those are NOT the ones to focus on.
I could go on but I won’t for now. It will all be in my book. Ha!
And by the way…to the early commenter that said TMD is hereditary…it is not. The potential MIGHT be…but what IS hereditary is the circumstances that can lead to TMD like not addressing problems early enough, such as airway issues, tonsils, adenoids, allergies, crowded teeth and bite problems and dental decay. That will be in my book as well. 🙂
Thanks for your input, Phillip. Your perspective is so true. 90% of the patients are great patients, and they are what makes this worthwhile. I have tended to agree as a generalization that people who are rude or unfriendly in the dental office are that way in other areas of their lives. Are you writing a book?
I may write a book. I’ve often thought it would be a worthwhile endeavor after dentistry. The profession is a fertile literary environment from dental school right through till retirement…of which I am still a few years away. I’d tell you what its about but then you might steal the idea. Ha! 🙂
P.S. I’m considering replying to qashif786 below but I don’t know if I can keep it civil. 🙂
I seriously doubt qashif786’s wife is a really a dentist and if she is…she’s probably kicking his a$$ right now. And if my wife was making $500K a year (and all of us dentists know that is so unusual for a dentist), I certainly wouldn’t want to get her too mad at me. 🙂
I’ve thought about writing a book too. I even started it… and then got distracted! You’ll have to let me know if you do it. And you should be careful. I just might steal your idea!
I think you’re making a wise decision. I’ve learned not to engage those type of people. I mean, now that I’m not forced to deal with them for work, why should I on this forum?!? Haha! But really, unless they are interested in having a civil discussion about something, I’ve found that I’ll never get through to them or change their minds. It’s just not worth my energy even if my immediate gut reaction is to always respond or defend myself. The humor of it is that people who call others names or make unrelated personal jabs to try to insult others (or in this case me) seem to always be the phony self-righteous ones who defend how well they treat other people. A little ironic, huh? 😉
And by the way, I think you’re right in your comment below.
” Act cute” is the mode of communication used in the blog,while I used “on your face” … none of them being wrong its just different ways of conveying one’s message … anyone is more than welcome to use “not so civil” as long as you think that’s the best way you can convey urself … though I would be more interested in your logic/content rather than the mode its conveyed 🙂 BTW hope you do know that when you share your OPINION on the blog, you by default are allowing people to judge/comment on that (not that positive all the time 🙂 Dentistry and Business are two different thing… being a dentist doesn’t mean you know how to run a dental practice … she runs a pvt clinic in NY and she is in low end of food chain there … people who have been practicing more than ten years are earning more than 900,000+ … you need a Chartered Accountant to tell how its done … having said that who am I to tell … you made ur choice ! Not sure if I called anyone names here but yes there was some sarcasm … people who blog usually have thick skin … but who am I to judge … Good luck in your future endeavors !
funny article…..and very available everywhere in the world 🙂
I never understood the”myth”about the dentists income,in Europe for all the shit we have to take is a very bad payed job……..very bad payed! that’s why I’m trying to give up at dentistry and do something else……..
My wife is a dentist and after reading your comments I’m so happy you are not practicing anymore (or maybe made not to practice anymore 🙂 Anyhow
1.I’m an Account Manager in Top Network company . Its my JOB to deal with angry customers daily. If I don’t like that JOB I would change it. People are already not happy when they are having health issues, they need someone to support. They have family members to criticize …!
2. I brush my teeth every morning and after meals but still get bad breath after some hours. How abt having a mouth wash bottle before they enter. My dentist have it and I know a lot of others who do and guess you can get browny points for advertising the product
3.Dentist work is expensive. How would you feel about paying $50/ pound for apple… If that is the rate you would buy it but won’t be that much happy about it. Admit it and move on …
4. Whenever I go to my can mechanic for 20 points checks he always provide me a list of things which need to be taken care of. Do I do every single one of them .. No …. I do only the one which are MUST … there is no meter available to judge honesty or a mechanic .. so as dentist… !
5. Getting teeth treated is painful … you should know it, being not happy is natural … you should have been used to it in your college only.
6. Whenever I fix one thing in my car ..something else do need fixing … law of nature … learn to deal with it
7. Can’t dentist research industry do anything better to take x-ray …seriously we are in 21st century … electric cameras … ??? true honesty … it hurts …!
8. You made the choice of taking loans to pay education and pursue dentistry … no one forced you … I didn’t take loan for my education and thus I’m not making 500K a year … you r … comes with territory …
9. Now that’s a fair call
10. No idea what r u talking about over here …
I hope you are not married … if so God help him 🙂
Smile … it helps ….
My wife is a dentist and after reading your comments I’m so happy you are not practicing anymore (or maybe made not to practice anymore 🙂 Anyhow
1.I’m an Account Manager in Top Network company . Its my JOB to deal with angry customers daily. If I don’t like that JOB I would change it. People are already not happy when they are having health issues, they need someone to support. They have family members to criticize …!
2. I brush my teeth every morning and after meals but still get bad breath after some hours. How abt having a mouth wash bottle before they enter. My dentist have it and I know a lot of others who do and guess you can get browny points for advertising the product
3.Dentist work is expensive. How would you feel about paying $50/ pound for apple… If that is the rate you would buy it but won’t be that much happy about it. Admit it and move on …
4. Whenever I go to my can mechanic for 20 points checks he always provide me a list of things which need to be taken care of. Do I do every single one of them .. No …. I do only the one which are MUST … there is no meter available to judge honesty or a mechanic .. so as dentist… !
5. Getting teeth treated is painful … you should know it, being not happy is natural … you should have been used to it in your college only.
6. Whenever I fix one thing in my car ..something else do need fixing … law of nature … learn to deal with it
7. Can’t dentist research industry do anything better to take x-ray …seriously we are in 21st century … electric cameras … ??? true honesty … it hurts …!
8. You made the choice of taking loans to pay education and pursue dentistry … no one forced you … I didn’t take loan for my education and thus I’m not making 500K a year … you r … comes with territory …
9. Now that’s a fair call
10. No idea what r u talking about over here …
I hope you are not married … if so God help him 🙂
Smile … it helps ….
I don’t have great teeth and I have bad gums so I’m certainly not the bright moment of my hygienist’s day but getting my teeth cleaned (and to a slightly lesser degree repaired) has certainly been the high point of my day. She’s an awesome lady with a great sense of humor, infinite patience, and knows how to scratch that little itch only a dentist or hygienist can reach under the gums. She retired a few months ago and I feel lost now. Sigh.
You might be surprised. If it’s the high point of your day, it may just be hers too! Good luck finding a new hygienist! It’s so important. 🙂
After years and years of having anxiety before and during dental visits, I think I’m finally over it!! And I have nobody else to thank besides my wonderful dentist! He is the best, easiest, most hilarious yet professional people person dentist I’ve ever met. I don’t hate him…I love him!! He has healed me of a deep fear I developed as a child, a fear ONE uncaring dentist instilled in me for 35 years. I now go to my visits feeling calm and looking forward to seeing my dentist and his staff.
Through this dentists list of reasons dentists probably hate us too, I have started paying close attention to the type of patient I am. I’m on time, I brush my teeth before my appt and also, they offer brushes and paste for those who forgot to brush! So there’s no excuse for a stank mouth. I try to work with my dentist, keep my tongue out of his work area, I consider where my head should be so he and his asst don’t break their backs trying to see inside my half opened mouth. I don’t grimace and groan…I tap him on the arm if it hurts, which it almost never does. I NEVER suggest that I’ve paid for my dentists new car or even helped him make a college loan payment. He earned the right to be respected and paid for his services, just like the rest of us are! My dentist lets me make payments and doesn’t hassle me about my balance. He’s a wonderful man who has an awesome staff. They do an important job, and their great at it 🙂 I think this writing should be allowed to hang in dentist offices everywhere! I think patients should have to read it and sign it! We might all learn something about how our behaviors can make our dentists feel appreciated and make their job easier. What would be so bad about that??
You are every dentist’s dream. it’s the ultimate feel good moment in the career: taking a fearful patient and showing them that we can be trusted and teaching them to actually like coming to see us! Your dentist is lucky to have you too! Thanks for this lovely perspective.
Thank you for your perspective – What a lucky dentist he is, to have such an appreciative patient.
I love this article. I am married to a dentist and can relate to the call on a Saturday night after needing work done for an extended period of time. To be quite honest I was one of those people. After having nights interrupted, a lot, and even telling my husband it was his job to care for the patient no matter what the reason (which he would; just with a lot of grumbling on his way to the office) I did come to appreciate his side of the story. it has made me a better patient for both dentists and any other medical professional because I make and go to follow up appointments. I give 24 hour notices if I need to change or cancel an appointment and, having done our billing I find out what our portion will be before I get there. I think that , instead of begin angry because this article might point out your own flaws as a patient take the time to learn from it and better the relationship between you and your dentist or, as she suggested, find a dentist with whom you feel more comfortable and/or trust.
Thanks, Cara. If you’re married to one of us, you’re bound to start to see things differently right? 😉 Being a dentist myself taught me to be a better client to other people in the service industry. Like you, I always give 24-hour notice if I need to cancel, show up to my hair/doctor/whatever appointments on time, communicate thankfulness or even disappointment respectfully, etc… Thanks for your comment! It’s nice to hear a great, positive perspective on “what to do” with this list.
Wow!!! i thought that only we – dentists of the middle east – face these problems as people here don’t appreciate any dental health care as they say that their teeth won’t kill them one day.
I love to hear from dentists in other parts of the world! It’s funny that you say that because I thought this was a cultural experience only we had here in the US. 😉
I like the article. I see this stuff everyday and have grown to accept it. I only breezed through some of the replies and I thought I would give my thoughts. I am a dentist. I am booked out so far, why would I ever want to pretend you need a treatment that you do not actually need? Even If you were my only patient that day, I would treat you the same and diagnose the same as if I was booked out for years. I am not going to put my career on the line to make a few bucks on a treatment that wasn’t necessary.
Ill admit it. I have a nice car, a nice home and take nice trips. Why? Because I am good at what I do, I get tons of referrals and stand behind my work. People will pay more for having an enjoyable, painless experience where they can be assured that they are receiving quality work. I charge more because I (and my patients) feel that you get what you pay for. Its simple, if you have people lined up for your product, what do you do??? You do what any business owner does and you raise the prices. Sounds cliché buts its supply and demand. I’m not robbing people of the care they need. There is a dentist at every corner in my city. My patients have a choice.
So when you see your dentist sports car, perhaps he is good at what he does and charges accordingly. Or maybe he can barely afford it and simply rewarding himself for the stresses he puts himself through in school and on a daily basis. Who knows, who cares? As you walk through the doors of every store this holiday season, are you going to gauge the experince and the product you buy based on the CEO’s car?
When a patient will tell me they paid my kids tuition or my vacation I will tell them yes, they did help pay for a minute fraction of it. Then I follow up with, Just like I help pays yours when I used your companies services a few months ago. Its how the business world works.
Great article lolabees 🙂 Guess in the dental school interview they didn’t tell us how much we’d be hated by the general public, otherwise they’d never have any students to pay their top heavy salaries…for the unappreciative public that doesn’t take care of their teeth, and relies on us “doctors” to fix them,my suggestion is to just pull all the teeth out…and that’s it…you can live without your teeth. Dentistry is just a luxury. Out of sight, out of mind- you’ll NEVER HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT G-DAMNED tooth again- patient OR dentist. Who cares what they’ll look like? It’s not our problem…
Dentists probably do hate me (I try hard to be a good patient but aware I’m not the easiest to work on, dentists do seem to be aware to some extend that I’m trying hard though, so maybe this list doesn’t apply), still this list has some points that come off as a bit backwards to me as a patient:
#4. Sounds like a communication issue. If you suggest that a tooth will need a filling at some vague indeterminate time without suggesting another appointment, how do I know that you mean right away? If you are vague about the problem and something bad happens like it breaks I’ll feel like it’ll be your fault for not suggesting something be done earlier. I am speaking from experience here.
#5. You might think it’s not hurting but if I’m wincing and making faces, then it either is hurting, or I’m damn uncomfortable (in the way that only dentists and medival torture apparatii can make one uncomfortable), or I’m really struggling with something task like breathing. Incidentally, if you ask if it’s hurting and you hear “mrh… humpt… rah dah… fah” what makes you think this is a “no”, did that sound like “no” to you or do you just presume that because something shouldn’t hurt it doesn’t? And that tongue thing, I know it must be frustrating but I’m not putting it in the wrong places to annoy you, I know you have pointy potentially tongue wounding things in my mouth so putting it in your way is the last thing I want too, believe it or not it’s difficult to keep it out of the way of the 8-9 different unusual items you have crammed in a tiny place that it’s used to harbouring such objects.
#6. Such patients concerns are to be expected. As a patient you don’t have the education to know is this pain to be expected or is it a sign something’s wrong, I’m assuming that this is a symptom that you are not educating patients on what to expect after a procedure before they leave your office. How does a patient know what is to be expected (by a trained professional) and what is a symptom of a problem (such as infection) without you advising them? Do you expect them to look it up on WebMD, if so no wonder some of them wake you up expecting the worst (LOL)!
#8. Seems like the person was trying to be funny, yes I agree that like some of the other points I haven’t commented on that this seems rude. It might shock you to learn however that people aren’t just rude to dentists, ask someone in retail or customer service or technical support, or any job with public facing aspects, as a “professional” you are probably spoilt by getting more respect than most public facing positions (but my point is that you come off as sounding entitled, so you probably think such comparisons to lesser professionals are beneath you, sure you went to school but that’s a lousy attitude buddy)
#10. If a patient denies doing something they may not be aware of it. You should consider how relevant or helpful you advice sounds to someone unaware of grinding their teeth, does someone who denies grinding need a different spiel? Is it remotely possible that they aren’t grinding and the wear is from something else eg. are they chewing road gravel regularly?
#11. I don’t know dentistry but I know my mouth, and I know that not all dentists are perfect and some make mistakes or do unnecessary procedures. As a patient I want to know that you are right. If it seems like what you want to do is incongruous to what I know, or you seem to be ignoring or misunderstanding the information I have or am trying to give to you then I won’t have the level of faith in your diagnosis that we would both like. It’s not that I doubt your skill, but my concern over you being right trumps the level of blind faith I want to give to a stranger.
Yes I know that you are venting here, and this post isn’t really written for patients (at least I hope it isn’t, LOL). Please consider this constructive criticism.
This article is obviously written for patients…It might be written in jest, but there is truth to all 11 of these reasons. @Nat – sounds like you’ve had some bad experiences at the dentist and I apologize for that.
Going to the new dentist as I moved to AZ from WI. She has the xrays on the light box ready for him to review when he walks in the exam room. His shoulders drop. He turns to me and says, Your xrays look good. He examines my teeth, and says you don’t have any cavities. He still asks, do you brush everyday. I say yes, and floss also. He just looks down and shakes his head yes. So, he is disappointed that I have great teeth! He also admits that I can really just come 1x a year to a cleaning, because there was hardly any tartar. Oh my – thank you Mr. Dentist…..
Reassuring, compassionate, friendly, helpful, professional, thorough, interested in your well being…not too much to ask is it?
Not too much to ask that the dental nurse doesn’t share a private laugh at your expense whilst you’re in the chair either.
I don’t hate my dentist…I feel sorry for her.
Dentists- if you cn’t take a joke, you shouldn’t have joined. Precisely ZERO sympathy for people who make shitloads of cash for performing relatively piss easy procedures. If you don’t want to spend your working life probing people’s mouths, then fuck off & give the job to a caring person who does.
As for you miserable dentist receptionists- you could be cleaning toilets, so cheer the fuck up.
Most of us are reassuring, compassionate, friendly, helpful, professional, thorough, and interested in our patients’ well-being.
Funny that you want US to take a joke, but don’t want to be made fun of by our “nurses”.
And the procedures we perform aren’t all that easy. When you think you’d be comfortable cutting the lingual side of a lower molar for a patient whose tongue insists on trying to feel what your handpiece is doing while it spins at several hundred thousand rpm, then talk. Throw in the same patient repeatedly trying to make small talk while you’re trying to work in her mouth with sharp instruments, and unable to understand why it’s taking so long. Easy. Yeah, right.
Perhaps the dental receptionists are responding to an attitude they see in you.
Sometimes people say or do things because they are afraid or anxious, not because they’re being mean or anything. But you don’t have to worry. You’ll probably lose those clients and potential ones after this post anyway. Don’t get me wrong, I complain about some of my clients all the time, but not through the internet, because that would be very unprofessional. How would you feel if your gynecologist posted stories about weird vaginas?
You missed where lolabees said she’s getting out of dentistry, so I doubt she’s worried about losing clients. And it’s not like she mentioned anyone by name. If they recognize themselves from their descriptions, perhaps they should examine whether their behavior could bear improvement. Regardless, she complained not about her patients’ anatomy, but their behavior. One is under their control. The other is not.
The problem with #7 is that the metal piece you expect us to bite down on is too big. I think it’s done deliberately so that they can offer a more expensive method to take x-rays when the cheaper way fails.
No, it’s just the size we need to actually get the information we need on the x-ray. When my office got digital x-rays, we tested them out on me first, because I have the smallest mouth of anyone in my office. When I have impressions, whoever is taking them has to use pediatric-sized trays for me. And I could bit down on the x-ray holder. Was it uncomfortable? Yes. Did I do it anyway? Yes.
“More expensive methods” like what, specifically?
He made me stand in a darkened room in front of a white screen and I had to take my glasses off and he used some weird camera. At least, I think it was a camera since there was a flash. It took x-rays of my teeth anyways. But the method cost nearly twice as much as the other. And they didn’t even offer a pediatric tray for me.
I’m not really sure what kind of x-ray that would be. In any case, no, it’s not a conspiracy. If it were, it would be a lousy one, as 95% of my adult patients are able to bite down on the x-ray holder. My alternative method, which would be to use my panorex machine’s bitewing feature as a substitute for the ones you have to bite down for, doesn’t give nearly the detail, and would miss a lot of cavities.
I have a tiny itty bitty mouth, it was hard for all the x-ray things to be held into my mouth, they kept wanting to fall out or not fit properly. Plus getting some teeth filled was horrid, my jaw actually popped in and out of place several times during!
Thanks Lolabees, you have encouraged me to always be grateful for what the dentist does. I’ve always brush my teeth before going to my dentist and i have rarely complained. I’m okay with absolutely everything expect the drill, i hate to say it, but i really fear that part, i couldn’t careless about the needle or the filling or the blood that sometimes i need to spit out. But the drill takes the cake. I’ve never blamed my dentist for anything, but i once was so nervous that the word “I don’t understand how anybody can come here” escaped my mouth, i did regret saying it thought.
I called the day before my appointment and canceled it last year, but this year i will definitely meet up on time.
Thanks! I agree. The drill is no fun! I’m sure your dentist was fine with your comment. As long as you treat your dentist how you want to be treated, it’s all just fine.
Reading this has further reinforced my fears of going back to the dentist. I hadn’t been since I was in high school because my last dentist was so rude to me it turned me off to it for almost 10 years. Hearing her tell me how stupid/how much of an idiot I am because I don’t floss every day (as a young child mind you) has made it hard to want to go back. I know my teeth need help, and I know that damage has began that will only progress until I stop it, but reading this just reminded me of why I hated it so much. I almost had the courage to go. Guess I’ll just wait till my dogged teeth fall out and then I’ll get dentures…
There you go, roadhammer! That’ll show “em!
And in the meantime you will deal with chronic pain, teeth breakage, ugly smile, bad breath, pus, higher risk of Cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes, higher pregnancy problems, and many many more health problems according to the Centers for Disease Control and various other agencies and research institutions. It’s not just about your teeth and gums, but even if it was, all you would have to do is spend one day in my office and you would be cured of that viewpoint. No one wants to kiss a mouthful of dental issues. It is more disgusting than you realize..
I tell you this because I still care about dental health after 30+ years, and that’s because I’ve seen the havoc that poor dental health causes! The frustrating thing for a dentist is knowing how easy it all could have been prevented. Call it tough love, or whatever you want, but if no one has ever said it to you they should have. Find a dentist that you get along with and get healthy. You won’t be sorry, I promise!
And by the way…dentures are not the answer. Unless you don’t like eating or smelling good. You chew one fifth as good, loose taste, and generally enjoy food a whole lot less. And dentures retained by implants will set you back $40K and up.
I’ll get off my soapbox now. Please take it as it was intended…from a place of caring!
I couldn’t have put it better. Well said.
I’m reading this right before getting a cavity filled. I hadn’t been to the dentist in years due to lack of insurance and was so completely embarrassed to find out I had three cavities! I’m usually well behaved at the doctor’s office, but I have a neurological disorder called Neurofibromatosis so I always expect the worst news. It’s not the Dentist, I’m just really self-conscience about my face and teeth. And I also feel incredibly terrible he has to dig into my teeth like that! And I understand the drugs makes it not hurt, but the noise of the scraping makes me cringe! So I feel really bad about that too.
Please don’t be self conscious about your teeth when you see your dentist, or feel bad that he is digging in your mouth. He/she will be happy to help you make your mouth as good and as healthy as it can be and will feel very rewarded to deal with someone as sensitive and decent as you sound.
I am so sorry that you had such difficulty in your job. Sounded like a bad fit, I am glad you were smart and got out. I am glad for you, and I’m glad for your former patients. You deserve more joy in your profession. They deserve better than you were able to offer them.
I really like my dentist… I hope he doesn’t hate me 😦 I don’t think I’ve done many things on the list 😦 I hope not
I’m sure he likes you too! They like most of their patients. 😉
How do you know that when a patient winces they are not experiencing pain or discomfort? You sound like a lousy dentist with no compassion for your patients . Most people fear the dentist . I personally like mine and have a wonderful dentist and wouldnt trust very many else , especially not you .But most of us dont walk in and say to our dentist , i hate you . Youre such a jerk . People hate having to go to the dentist . You stick needles in peoples mouth and you expect people to enjoy it .
No, you are so wrong there, and by your comment, have proved yourself to be a jerk.
Dentists do not expect people to enjoy having needles stuck in their mouths. They stick a needle in your mouth so that they can anaesthetise your mouth, so that the treatment is carried out with as little discomfort as possible.
Being a dentist is a thankless job. And as far as being “greedy”, how many of you know how much dental materials cost? The amazing bond that keeps the filing from falling out of your tooth if sold in gallons would cost about $18,000. And don’t even get me started on dental insurance. Perhaps if they had raised the yearly maximum coverage amount at all in the last twenty years people would look at the cost a little differently. Maximum yearly coverage 1985, $1500. Maximum yearly coverage 2014, $1500.
I don’t think the dentists are being “greedy” and I understand it costs money to run an office and keep equipment updated. But you have to understand that for the patient’s, dental work is a huge expense! Moreover, even though we pay for the insurance, the insurance pays very little in way of coverage, and especially for the major dental work like crowns and root canals that are most urgent and painful! It’s frustrating and keeps people from going to the dentist as often as they should; it’s a broken system.
I do get annoyed though that some dentists will push the “braces for adults” and other highly expensive treatments. Some continue with the hard sell, even when you decline. I’m 48 years old. While it would be nice if my teeth were straighter, my concern at this point is just saving my teeth and repairing old dental work. What’s the point of straight teeth if they are breaking down?
Wow! Talk about a loooooooong reply page!!!
Glad to know my main problem at the dentist, gagging, didn’t even make the list!!! When I go to the dentist, I expect him to find a problem or two in my mouth!!! I’m lucky if I go a year with out a cavity being discovered!!
One thing that people like you need to consider before complaining is that you are paid to work on people’s mouths. You are paid by the person and yet should have a right to be happily and feel safe while being worked on. Putting up with their complaints is a part of your job and it is justified for them to complain about the costs- dentists are expensive and people don’t walk around with cash growing in their wallets. You also can’t complain about the cost of training- you CHOSE the profession and would’ve known the costs involved, so don’t use it as an argument.
I could go on forever but truly can’t be bothered, but don’t be so quick to bag out these people until you actually stop for a second and think about their position rather than being completely self-centred in your thoughts.
Why shouldn’t a dental worker complain about their work? After all, every working day, they are subjected to patient after patient walking into their surgery, telling them how much they hate them. Dentists have feelings too. Usually, dentists are not as well paid as most people think, despite having to spend so many years at university. Be kind to your dentist, smile at them when you walk into their surgery and say good morning to them, when they smile at you to welcome you. Please don’t respond to their welcome by saying “I hate dentists” They are well aware that you are not ecstatic to be there and will do their best to treat you in a courteous manner, with the least discomfort, and the least that you can do is be courteous in return. Many people moan about their jobs, and dentists are no exception. So open your mouths, smile and appreciate your dentist and allow them to moan a little about their job, just as you moan about yours.
1. It would be nice if the dentist didn’t speak to me as though I was a moron – I actually have a PhD but i shouldn’t have to explain that to him.
2. Why does the dentist always assume that I will think that I won’t want to spend the money or I can’t afford the treatment? I have enough money for dental care yet the dentist always makes me feels as so though I must look like a beggar.
3. Yes your degree was expensive and may be you don’t make as much money as you would like – nobody put a gun to your head – get over it, this happens in many professions.
4. That’s why they call it “work” – because it’s hard and you get paid for it – otherwise it would be called “fun”
Why is it when I went to the Dentist, pressured into paying for a panorax, when you don’t believe me that I have always taken good care of my teeth, and then sadly with your head down, tell me that I don’t have any cavities and that my teeth are perfect? It did not make me feel good, that I chose to take advice on keeping up with having good teeth……
We don’t take x-rays because we don’t believe patients don’t take care of their teeth. We take them to diagnose problems we can’t see – we’re not Superman, and we don’t have x-ray vision. And I don’t know any dentist who “sadly and with your head down” tells a patient they dont’t have any cavities. And panorex x-rays aren’t most dentists’ first choice of x-rays for finding cavities.
Thank you for responding. I went to Gentle Dental here in Mesa. I am 58 and it was my first time for a panorex – as my ins company covered bite wings but was told that was not enough. I have only had 2 cavaties my whole life. I will change dentists. It is hard finding a Dentist after moving here. Thank you
sense you bring it up, i have a question.
when getting a filling is it suppose to hurt?
i hate my dentist because they just lie straight to my face from my perspective
“it wont hurt at all”
i tell them the shit still hurts
“dont worry when i drill you wont feel a thing”
and a claw the chair as hard as i can to stop from strangling the person for lying to me.
this is just what i thought was normal, till i went to oral surgeon to get wisdom teeth out, and i took him for his word that “i would only feel pressure”
to make me feel no pain took a total of 17 shots, bit i felt nothing but pressure.
so is my dentist incompetent and i should look for a new one, or just a liar?
He’s both incompetent and a liar. Trust me, I’ve been to a lot of bad dentists.
I smiled while reading this. It’s some of those things people never realize because we are all too ‘me oriented’ to really think things through.
On the tongue thing, though…. It’s difficult for me to keep my tongue away from something in my mouth…. I have to actively think about it the whole time, and even then, sometimes it wanders over and pokes at whatever is in there. I always feel bad at the dentist, or any other doctor in my mouth, because I’m sure they find it annoying at best….
Seriously, if you are a dentist you should know that when people say ” I hate the dentist” it is not a personal slam to you, but an overall feeling of dislike for the discomfort, and sometimes humiliation a dental appointment can make you feel. I don’t hate my dentist. He is a lovely man. But I do hate having to have my mouth wedged open for long periods of time while he drills out the fillings from my childhood, put there because of fevers that left my 6 year molars with holes as they grew in, to be replaced by new, even deeper fillings. I don’t like how my teeth and jaw ache for weeks after the work is done. And I don’t like being blamed (by a 20-year-old girl) for having problems with my teeth that there is nothing I can really do about. So, while I appreciate the fact that my dentist has preserved what is left of my teeth (which have problems despite my meticulous oral hygiene), I can honestly say I hate that I have to go through that kind of pain, aka, “I hate the dentist”-speaking generally and not specifically. I am glad this person changed professions because she clearly has no empathy for her patients.
Would it be so hard for patients to say “I hate GOING to the dentist” rather than “I hate the dentist”? I don’t like going to the gynecologist, either, but I’ve never told her I hate her. That’s rude. Why should people expect a pass on rude behavior?
And I don’t know ANY 20-year-old dentists. You know we generally go to school for 8 years past high school, yes? So, unless she graduated high school at 12, she’s older than 20.
And lolabees former patients have weighed in elsewhere on this board, and seem to think she is empathetic.
Hi Sandy, I have to weigh in here because as more time goes on, I realize so much of this is about self awareness and personal responsibility. I find it funny that someone can say that I or we (dentists) lack empathy, when they can’t even comprehend (or are unwilling to comprehend) how it makes us feel to hear them say “I hate the dentist” to us. Instead of saying how we should respond or how we should feel, they could have a little empathy themselves and stop and say, “wow, I never realized how that makes my dentist feel when I say that.” Ironic, isn’t it? Clearly, this is not just me and is something that bothers the majority of dentists. It’s not a dentist/patient issue. It’s a people issue. I will say, though, it’s great to see a lot of empathy and positivity from a lot of the patients who have read this blog.
Does rudeness deserve empathy? In my opinion, no, it doesn’t, but you know what? Such patients usually get our empathy anyway. Most of us will ask about past bad dental experiences, or ask what we can do to make a patient more comfortable, or take steps such as slowing down and explaining everything we’re doing and making especially sure our anesthesia is adequate. IN SPITE OF the patient’s rudeness. Now, if I responded with “Fine, I hate you, too,” or just told the patient to sit down, quit talking, and open up, that would be lacking in empathy.
My dentist messed up my dental Implant. The person did not put enough bone graft in 2010. Dentist did not order 3D cat scan for esthetic zone. No infection, no rejection, it fused, but because of insufficient bone graft, I lost my whole gum tissue above the tooth. Original Dentist would not fix me. Now, going to one to fix me For one implant, bone graft, and crown – This dentist $15,000 USD.. New dentist has zero communication; assistant refused me an Xray shield. When I asked dentist about that, Dentist said , You are welcome to go elsewhere? The nightmare went on, while dentist and assistant left me dripping blood, after dentist severed my nasopalitine nerve, without discussing this prior. It was done at the end of my bone graft. Crunch. BLEED. Same dentist brought periodontist in room for soft tissue graft, without going over my history, and why I was there. Dentist interrupts soft tissue surgery. Periodontist makes remarks, without knowing what I had been through, and reveals later on the phone, he was not informed of history of my case. Yes, I now have lost faith and tryst with the 2nd office. There is no respect, communication, or gentle patient care. I NOW HAVE HATRED TOWARDS THE DENTAL PROFFESSION, AND WITH JUST CAUSE.
If you’re sobbing while you’re in the chair and the dentist is working, you are moving, and that makes it MUCH more likely that you will be hurt. Our handpiece turns very fast and does not have brakes, and when patients move around, close down, tense up their cheeks and lips, etc., they remove our ability to control it safely. If you are sobbing hysterically before I even begin, I won’t begin – not out of disgust, but because you are not safe to work on. You’re asking your dentist to work on tiny structures in a moving target and never make a mistake. Can’t be done.
Your reaction was to the epinephrine we use to make our lidocaine more effective, not to the lidocaine itself. While unpleasant, it is generally not dangerous unless you have cardiac problems. In future, ask for anesthetic without epinephrine, but be aware it may be more difficult to get you adequately numb.
We are only in control of ourselves, not of you. YOU are in control of YOUR behavior. YOU not being nice makes for an abusive situation, too, you know.
Look I know the dentists can find things annoying but as a child myself ,I don’t enjoy going to the dentist.Who does.?!?! Its not like I personally hate the person cleaning my teeth. I can’t believe that when you were a child you enjoyed going to the dentist. So please next time you post ,think of both the patient and the dentist.
Many suggested in here that we should say ‘I hate going to a dentist’ instead of ‘I hate the dentists’. I can tell you clearly that: I HATE THE DENTISTS! They destroyed my smile, my health and my happiness. I have no idea of what they learn in school. Since the 1st dentist in 2009 messed up my mouth, all others just continued getting my money. They did not care of my dental history. They did not analyzed my mouth to make wise dental work. The world of dentistry works like mafia: If one did something bad to you, all others will continue doing the same. The reason for acting like that is very simple: having many against a victim, all the blames will fall on the victim. And in a court of laws there are small chances to win if so many against.
I could not agree more! I have an infected dental implant, and have been dismissed by the jerk who refuses to even order an anti-biotic.
Nobody wants to take me on, and I paid my bill in full of $13,000.00, and I am walking around with an infection.
They are all turning me away. I cannot dig it out myself.
What kind of behavior is that?
I love this. I have always felt all of the above about my patients. Now that I am in my sixth year of practice, I am fighting back when patients are abusive towards my feelings. It feels great to simply ignore them when they make a rude comment or tell them that there’s nothing I can do. Sorry! Not!
As far as number 11 goes there are some shady practices that do go on within dentistry which makes it understandable for people to question some diagnosis they receive. Going off of a personal anecdote I got diagnosed for a couple cavities at one dentist, but because I couldn’t seem to fit an appointment in my schedule I decided to get them fixed by another dentist in the area who could get me in on a day that I had time. With my wisdom teeth having come in fairly recently at the time, I inquired with the first dentist during the appointment about whether or not I would need to have them removed. He told me they grew in fine, and that there would be no reason to remove them. Then after the appointment with the second dentist who filled the cavities the first dentist spotted, he tried to set me up with an appointment to have my wisdom teeth removed. After telling him about the diagnosis I received from the other dentist, he tried to really quickly save his ass by saying it’d be a precaution in-case I got cavities in those teeth. According to him it would be difficult to repair those teeth if they did get cavities, so it’s best to pull the teeth out now. I of course didn’t schedule the appointment to have my wisdom teeth removed because that sounded like bullshit. Two years later my wisdom teeth are still perfectly healthy, and have given me no problems.
Now anecdotes aside, I researched some statistics about wisdom teeth in particular and found this interesting source:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1963310/
No more than 12% of wisdom teeth removed have a viable reason to remove them. Any rational human being will begin to question whether or not their dentist is feeding them a line of bull, or telling the truth when shady practices like that do exist.
You’re right. I always encouraged my patients to get second opinions. Sometimes there is so much variability in dentistry that even a 3rd or 4th opinion can be a good idea.
My periodontst is a coward and a liar. Now that one of two dental implants, has failed for the second time, and I have an bone loss/INFECTION, that he is not going to deal with, he suddenly announced, “I should have done a sinus lift on the right side”.
Nobody will take the infected implant out, because nobody wants to take on what another is responsible for.
$13,000.00 and no responsibility when the x-ray shows INFECTION & bone loss, again.
I cannot dig it out myself. What am I suppose to do now?
They all stick together, thick as thieves with no regard to a human being, with an infected dental implant.
I am being turned away because they are all friends, siding with someone with zero integrity or ethics.
Do I go to the ER? Leaving me like this seem pretty negligent.
I don’t know how I stumbled upon this article, but I love it….and am so glad that I am not one of those patients who does any of this. Kudos to dentists everywhere. And for the amount of schooling and nasty, disgusting things they see on a daily basis, I’d be a greedy bastard myself.
Ha! Thanks, Cassandra. It’s great to hear from patients like you– the kind that we love!!
My cousin (a dental hygienist) just posted this article on Facebook. Actually it was a link to one of those aggregator pages, but on reading it I had to track down the source so I could say to you,
“Yes. Thank you. Brilliant.”
I was a dentist for about 10 years and got out for all of those reasons and more. I’m going to send a link to everyone who’s ever asked me why I got out.
I’ve now retrained in architecture (another 5 years at university) and am happier than I ever was in dentistry. Well done you for chasing your dreams.
“Yes. Thank you. Brilliant.”
I was a dentist for about 10 years and got out for all of those reasons and more. I’m going to send a link to everyone who’s ever asked me why I got out.
I’ve now retrained in architecture (another 5 years at university) and am happier than I ever was in dentistry. Well done you for chasing your dreams.
Another ex-dentist! Great! I’m so glad you did what you needed to do to be happy! You were brave to go back to school, but it sounds like it was worth it. And thank you so much for tracking me down. I hope when you share this link, that you will share this one. Unfortunately I just found out that this other website stole my content word-for-word, and they refuse to link to me properly. If you ever want to see what those bad people did, here is the link to my post about it… http://lolabees.me/2015/08/21/i-found-out-my-husband-was-on-ashley-madison/
Also, I hope you’ll stick around here and check out some of the other dental conversations… I think you’ll find it all very interesting! Congrats to you!
Skill alone is not enough, especially when working with people. That goes in any profession. Not everyone has the right temperament to work with (vulnerable) people. However, from the anger and frustration in you voice I am more suspecting some degree of professional burnout and/or compassion fatigue with is very common among (health) care providers.
I too work with a challenging and difficult client base, mental health. My work has helped me better understand even myself and those close to me and have greater understanding and patience with people in general (with effort, of course). It is important because people can sense anger, resentment, disgust in other people regardless of how well the other person believes they are masking it. Did you know that our hearts also have neurons? And like the neurons in our brain they emit an electromagnetic field? Only the neural electromagnetic field emanating from our brain is 3-6 inches, largely due to buffering from our skulls, but that the neural electromagnetic field generated by our heart extends and average of 3 feet?! And that it is strong enough for most people to sense on at least the subconscious level?!
A few things to consider that might help you not take things so to heart (I know, not easy) as well as help promote a better experience for your patients, better experiences that in time may help undo many of the negative experiences many of your patients have undoubtedly had. It should be no surprise that many dental/dentist phobias have their root in past negative experiences regardless of whether or not you were any part of that. Overcoming negative past experiences is much more difficult than preventing them in the first place. That’s not weakness on the patients part, nor a character defeat, nor my personal opinion but scientific, or rather neurological fact. It is how our (primitive) brains are wired (for survival). We inherited this brain and it’s systems from our ancient ancestors.
Just a few things to consider that you might not have been aware of (or might need reminding of, if you are like me):
It is very common for child sexual abuse survivors to have a strong gag reflex (often due to oral violation during sexual abuse) and often neglect oral health care because of this gag reflex triggered by their toothbrush and/or foaming of toothpaste.
Child sex abuse and rape survivors also commonly experience triggers or flashbacks when having work done in their mouth. This is not weakness on their part but a well studied/documented experience related to how the human brain process traumatic memory differently than regular/non traumatic memories.
Pain is subjective. That does not mean some people are exaggerating when they wince. You cannot say to someone you are not hurting them. You can only say that you do not want to/mean to hurt them. Again, there is an increasing mountain of data showing how ones genetics can affect their sensitivity to painful stimuli. Again, trauma can increase one’s sensitivity to pain as can certain illness and disorders. However, a patient may sense your impatience or feel invalidated by your own response to their wincing. Congratulations, you just help reinforce negative neural pathways in their brain regarding dentist/dental procedures.
Shaming has never proven to be an effective tool for motivation, not to mention it’s detrimental effects on the relationship between the shamer and the one being shamed. It is no mystery that we would prefer to avoid people who make us feel small. There are kinder, gentler ways to motivate people. Patience and understanding is also required if the neglect is due to low self esteem, self destructive behavior/neglect due to trauma or mental illness.
Well I would hope patients would be more thoughtful to say they hate going to the dentist or that they’ve had negative experiences in the past. It is not kind to say to your dentist that you hate dentist. However, you are the professional in this matter and the truth is that the onus is on you to behave as such. Remind yourself that a lot of the “hate” they are expressing (displaced as it may be) is due to previous dental experiences with dentist that have not necessarily been good ambassadors to the profession. Now you have to decide if you would likewise be a poor ambassador to your profession or work to help improve the patients opinion by modelling how a true professional conducts themself overtime leading to better encounters in the future.
Considering how unprofessional some dentist can be (as in any profession there are good and bad) plus negative experiences a patient may have had, complications they may be prone to due to trauma, genetics, certain conditions etc often made worse by ill/uninformed dentist is it any wonder many would put off routine/timely care?
As for missed appointments. That’s is a hard one. I know (from my own profession) that people with certain types of mental illness or development issue may have trouble remembering, but many know this and have various tools/methods to remind them. Often they request the doctors/dental office to call the day before to remind them. Many office offer this of their own accord. However, I know too many people who do not suffer from a mental illness etc and are just plain thoughtless when it comes to other people’s time. It also seems to be a growing issue in our culture at large. Not sure what to do about that. Offer to work with the patient as best your can but financial consequences might have to be put in place for habitual no shows.
As for patients expressing the sentiment that they paid for your car, home etc. again, try reminding yourself that these sentiments, as hurtful as they are, more often come from fear or frustration. You are the one helping them in a time of need rather than the individual in need yourself, you are in a better position to better manage your emotional response. It’s not excusing rude behavior, but like a frightened animal, humans often lash out in fear without meaning too. If you or I are truly honest with ourselves, we too have been guilty of this in our own lives.
I do feel your frustration. It is hard work and it can often feel like thankless work. I hear a lot of anger in your voice. It is very possible you are experiencing burnout or compassion fatigue. I would highly recommend looking into some self care, increase (emotional support), even more recreational time off. I have found it very beneficial to educate myself, take workshops etc on many of the issue my own clients may be struggling with. That coupled with setting up meaningful supports in my own life to help me deal with stresses in my own life (we all have them) has been a huge help. I too got to a point were I was so angry and not a very patient or compassionate service provider. It helps me to better understand and constant be reminding myself of all these things. It has helped me be more patient and not take things so personally. This also has greatly reduced the amount of burnout I would have typically experienced in my own field.
I hope my comments do not offend. That is not my intention. But I think by at least considering some of what I have mentioned you could help provide a better experience for your patients and in turn a better work experience for you.
Cheers.
I went to dentist for bridgework. he never exrayed, he didn’t put temporary bridge in, then when I went back to get them seated, he blaimed me saying rudely, my teeth shifted, im 65, that 3 missing gap had been there for yrs, and I was told long ago, ur teeth wont shift at ur age, etc. so don’t blame me for your bad impression? ( he only did one), or bad labwork, ?etc, he called bk and apologized, saying it was bad labwork, I asked why he didn’t put in a temp. bridge,if my teeth shifted and bridge didn’t fit, then he admitted cause my teeth didnt shift. so after he did more impressions than just one, reordered another bridge, and also he refilled more off my stubby teeth again. (hope I don’t need root canal from that). this next bridge better work. also I have ins. and we agreed on porcelain, but I saw on statement he had now ordered cheaper, porcelain fused to metal. and I had to correct him on that .and again he admitted he would order porcelain. i’ll be glad when this nightmare is over. im going to another dentist in the future. I can tell this one doesn’t like me…I cost him 2 hrs of chair time as he stated.
this is a new comment. IS THIS NORMAL? My recent experience with a new dental practice leaves me stunned and maybe frightened. i had gone for routine cleaning, and was told i needed a repair on a previous procedure. I went to a specialist who said, “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” In other words if it wasn’t causing me problems, I should leave it alone for now. So this may have made the New dentist initially angry that I did not follow up on her advice. My next visit was for a crown. The injection was somewhat painful and they had to give a second one for the temporary repair work. Then i went back for the replacement of the temporary crown, for the permanent one. I was questioned why I did not bring money for the procedure. I said “no one mentioned it, and usually the bill has always been sent to me.” I had not brought a credit card or a check with me, but I had nearly $100.00 and offered it as a down payment, they declined and said I would have to reschedule. I said ok. so they rescheduled me for the next day. Apparently this “rescheduling”made them upset to start the day. Next the dentist is “curt” and patronizing. I don’t know why but I am getting a “vibe” from the dentist, that is not well in mysoul! Anyway as the procedure begins with the pre swab of the injection….the dentist places (forcefull jab – would be the word)the swab in the front tooth area of my top gum. I am surprised because the tooth to be fixed is #13 not #9. She leaves the swab a minute and comes back. Then takes the swab moves it quickly to #13 then” jambs the needle” in. It freaks me out and I don’t say anything. I have tears running down my cheek. The dentist leaves an the assistant, says “are you okay”? I can’t even talk. It takes me a minute or two to catch my breath and I say “yah”. Dentist comes back and starts yanking on the “temporary” which feels like she is ripping it out of my head. I complain from the pain as the shot really hasn’t had time to work. Dentist stomps out! Dentist comes back administers another shot. I said “Thank you I am sure that will help.” Dentist says with a snarlly voice: “Don’t thank me thank the NOvicane, The procedure goes fine after that, but I am also having to request to have water to rinse my mouth from all the grit. This seems to irritate the dentist. i get home and the second day i have this huge bruise about the size of a fifty cent piece on my cheek….just wondering if this is normal? Or am i being over sensitive? I have had lots of dental work in my life and I am pretty tolerant of pain, but this was just….a little much!
Hi Jesi,
As far as the bruising goes, I wouldn’t worry about that. It’s not necessarily common, but it is normal– or it’s not abnormal. I’ve seen it happen from routine procedures. It should heal, and you’ll never know it even occurred. I think that’s what you’re asking is normal?? As for the rest of your story, it’s hard to make a solid judgement call about the payment, their annoyances, etc without hearing both sides of a story. However, I am more intrigued by the relational/behavioral aspect of it. You sound like a very reasonable person who tried to lighten up a stressful and negative situation. The response about thanking the Novocaine does sound really weird and (to me) a little obnoxious/confrontational. The one thing I can say is that it sounds like at this point there is some level of awkwardness. If you don’t think you can both move past that, I would definitely find a new dentist. You’ll always wonder if you can trust her throughout your future together, and that’s just an unnecessary added stress for your dental care.
A-FUCKING-MEN! I know this article is four years old and you’ve long since put this article and your old career behind you, but I’m glad I read this when I did months ago. When you published this article, I was unemployed, counting down the days until I would begin my GPR in 2012. I probably wouldn’t have believed what I was reading if I read it back then. Why? Because none of my patients acted like this when I was a student, and as a patient myself, I’ve never thought of acting so rude to my dentist as what you and I’ve experienced. I’ll admit I didn’t enjoy going to the dentist when I was younger, but not because of the dentist him/herself, but because I’d rather do something else. I’m glad my parents sent me every 6 months anyway.
If I had known it would be like this, I would have flipped my middle fingers to my family members who lectured me on finding a high paying job with job security, and sought out something that would’ve made me truly happy. Job security is a myth anyway; I know this because I worked for a corporate dental chain that decided to close the doors of the particular office I worked at, less than a year after I signed up for it. But now I’m $400k in debt, so I’m stuck in this for a while, probably at least a decade. Yea, no fancy cars or houses for me. Any young dentist who has those is probably the descendant of a healthcare provider or any other six figure profession, or received some inheritance, or had several scholarships from undergraduate through dental school.
Since I’ll be here in this field for a long time I might as well do what I can to maintain peace and balance within myself. Other than prescription writing and referrals to specialists, I don’t treat patients who are so rude as to say they don’t like me or worse. I’ll tolerate stallers though, because I’ll admit I did that during my teenage years when I wasn’t ready for the local anesthetic. I gently tell people who freeze and don’t breathe during the local anesthetic to breathe. That was me. Whiners, squirmers, and screamers get an insta-dismissal, especially after I said for them to raise their hands if they need me to stop. Yup, I was that patient too. I had to get a lower incisor extracted before I had my braces put on and I was dismissed because I couldn’t hold still. The first dentist didn’t numb me properly. Same office and a different dentist a week later, it was extracted. I even went back to school and track practice. Never once did the thought cross my mind to say to him that I hated him for something that someone else did, nor did I seek the first dentist out to tell him off.
Hey, here’s something to add to your list. It probably won’t apply to you if you created your office yourself: the patient compares you to the dentist you’ve replaced. It’s going to be a long time before a young dentist reaches the knowledge and wisdom of an old dentist, and patients, especially old patients who have forgotten what it’s like to be young, seem to not know this. If you can’t accept change, find another old dentist to go to or leave this world. I’m convinced that there were no young (age range 25-35) dentists between 1985 and 2000.
I still read all my comments 4 years later. Just remember, you may be in this field for a while, but it doesn’t have to be forever. Keep searching and you’ll find another option. It’s great for your patients that you’ve experienced some of the challenges as a patient yourself. That’ll make you better!
Thank you for your kind words, and thank you again for this article. It’s nice to see that I’m not alone in this. Looking at by at my comment that you responded to I’m like, wow, I had a lot on my mind! I must’ve had a bad day or something. Wherever life has taken you since you left this profession, I hope you’re doing well. Best of luck to you in 2016.
You sound like you shouldn’t be a dentist to me. Sorry but you sound angry and already majorly defensive against your patients. Hope I’m wrong.
You’re wrong and right at the same time.
” Would you walk out of the grocery store with a bag full of groceries and expect not to pay?” – Nope, because lack of grocery doesn’t cause terrible pain that forces you to buy it. If you take any medical profession and then complain about people who can’t afford the price you wish, you should think of taking another job. You’re not plastic surgeon that enlarges boobs. You are doctor to cure one of the worst pains human can experience and to save from potentialy fatal infection. Disease doesn’t look at it victim’s finances, so why should you?
I’ve had horrid experiences, like a new dentist says “old fillings” lets redo, proceeds to redo 3 fillings and all 3 abscess, need root canals but it must be my fault not his. Wisdom tooth pulled out severed my lingual nerve so no feeling on part of my lip. No dentist will ever badmouth another one’s work. My current dentist said I must have bulimia because my enamel is thin, if I had bulimia it sure isn’t working. Every crown I’ve had doesn’t fit right so I can’t bite on them, soon I will have to eat nothing but spaghetti and mashed potatoes, i already eat like an 80 year old, cut up all food into little bits and keep it soft because all crowns hurt and the other side with no crown she wants to put one on giving me no biting surface at all. I’m not cheap either I spend top dollar on supposedly the best care which is all garbage IMHO. 18K a year, 15K is not a lot? That’s just the last two years. I’ve never spend less than 3K a ear in the last 20 and I still have to eat like I have no teeth.
Its harder to be a vet than a dentist – most people who flunked out of veterinarian school become dentists.. This dentist is a pretentious a##hole, and obviously doesnt have his practice anymore. It’s no wonder the profession with the highest suicide rate is a dentist – the kill themselves all the time. The guy who wrote this has probably offed himself already, and if you haven’t you should.
Plus their all drug addicts too – they work on us high on opiates all the time.
I agree with Ariel 5000% percent he chose to be a fing dentist no one twisted his arm.Most people do hate going to dentist as when I was small you got a filling where now its a $2000 crown, tell me the dentist isnt making money off that. If you cant take the heat in the kitchen get out.Dentist and drs both are so Fing lazy nowadays. An ingrown toenail OH you need it surgically removed and so on and so on. Yes I am a one handed typer so DDS ESAD Rich prick.
Well I am on the fence about dentists. I work in IT so I get to deal with people when they have problems, not usually when things are working properly. That said, my schedule is all over the place. I work in an office of 100 and am the sole IT person who fixes things. We have one other guy who does the “business reports” side of IT, but can’t actually fix something hardware wise once broke.
This means that I usually have to use my lunch hour to get dental work done. If he calls in sick, I don’t even get that. Multiple times I have taken off work (PTO) to go to the dentist only to have my PTO canceled last minute because he is not there.
I have had to cancel a few appointments with short notice (same day 4-6 hours) at the dentist over the last 4-5 years. Just today I had an appointment for a crown (1st appointment prep) that I had to re-schedule. My dentist had his scheduling assistant e-mail me and say they will no longer make me an appointment. I am now supposed to call in the morning and see if the dentist has free time.
I understand dentists have time slots they need to fill, but to me this was just wrong. It says I don’t value you as a patient. The guy does good work, he is cordial when in person so maybe this was just the scheduling person. The scheduler did say he consulted with the doctor, but who knows.
So I guess I get to go off hunting for another dentist, again. I just wish the dentist understood that balancing my schedule is just as hard for me as it is for him. Maybe when I am 80 and no longer work and have children, etc. I will never have to re-schedule and life will be grand.
If it is not showing through, I am feeling a little betrayed at the moment……
Having read the article and replies here in their entirety, fundamentally, it seems to reduce to the core issue that a health issue of any kind is, to one degree or another, scary. Being in a dentist’s chair with all those tools and needles whirring around you, it’s hard to feel like you’re in control of your own well-being. It’s hard to accept that the fellow human being, regardless of his/her training/education/title and/or salary, may not be also suffering some ailment which could result in an honest mistake; we each as fallible as the next. In truth, there is no absolute way to know that something like that might not happen, any more than we can predict the kind-of people our children will grow-up to be, if someone we call ‘friend’ genuinely cares for us or is using us for personal gain, or whether we’ll even wake-up tomorrow. Ultimately, a relationship of any kind is a two-way street, be it personal, intimate or professional. The more you put into it, the more you’re likely to get back out of it. Less generally, if someone is deliberately neglecting themselves in some way (in this case, by not maintaining good dental hygiene) then you can’t expect your professional dentist to be happy about that, and the patient has to take responsibility for his/her actions (or lack thereof). However, when someone is genuinely trying to keep appointments and take care of him/herself, that person shouldn’t be punished if she/he has made a good-faith effort to routinely contact the dentist’s office with as much notice as possible to cancel or reschedule. No-show’s are a different matter. Everyone’s time is valuable: we, none of us, know how much we get, only that it is a finite amount, and it’s tragic to reduce it, quantitatively, to nothing more than a dollar amount.
For my part, I find communication works best. Ask questions! Ask why your dentist thinks this or that must be done and what are the expected results/additional time commitments on part of the patient to make the procedure/whatever successful. Give him/her honest feedback immediately or as soon as possible, even if not prompted. Remember, your dentist does this so routinely that he/she, over time, forgets that you, the patient, may not realize what’s going on and forget to communicate with you unless you ask. We can’t read each others’ minds, so be proactive as a patient, the way you expect your dentist to be proactive and with you. Just because you’re paying someone doesn’t mean you should expect them to be perfect all the time, every time. You have to work together for the best outcome.
As an additional note, I do support a balanced approach to the dentist/patient relationship. However, patients likely haven’t received anywhere near the degree of training or awareness a dentist has, and because a patient is in such a vulnerable position, it makes sense that the dentist would make that extra effort to comfort and take initiative with a patient in obvious distress. Whether this article was meant to be glib or not, it’s clear that it has struck a cord with many people who probably are here in the first place because they’re trying to find help or advice for a situation of which they’re anxious or scared. For instance, I came here because I’m going in for my first cleaning after jaw surgery next month, having worn a splint and bands for several weeks and still can’t quite open my mouth all the way to clean properly. In short, my teeth are disgusting, despite my best efforts. I’m nervous that my dentist/hygienist will be upset with me, or think I haven’t been trying, and how can I do better or prove to them that I’ve done everything I’ve been told to do and can do? I was searching for what to expect at that first cleaning, post-op, and whether it was expected that my teeth be cleaner or what I can do to make it better while all the soft tissue continues to heal and the swelling recedes. I still haven’t found my answers, but I did find that I’m not alone in feeling nervous about visiting the dentist or worrying what she’ll think about my efforts. She’s been extraordinary, so far, since I started seeing her 3 years ago, and there’s no rational reason for me to think she’ll be disappointed with me, but my teeth have never felt so gross so it’s hard not to worry.
Thank you for such a thoughtful comment. You really seem to get both sides of the story here! Don’t worry about your upcoming appointment and what your dental team will think about you. You answered it yourself in your comment! Be honest with them. Tell them what you told us. Tell them you’re doing your best, can’t open wide, you’re embarrassed, etc… all that stuff. They will respect you for being honest with them and for giving them the opportunity to help you and not judge you or let you down. Thanks again, great points!
This gave me 10 more reasons to hate you, a dentist. Maybe next time you should have to balls to make these comments while the person is laying in your chair.
protip: if someone is wincing in pain and making facial expressions conveying that to you you are absolutely and most certainly causing them pain.
I’m glad you’re no loner a dentist. There’s already enough crummy dentists with bad attitudes. No one is going to miss one less incompetent medical professional. Also, none of your patients really gives a crap how much you borrowed to do a job you obviously hate. Good riddance.
Lolabees is supposed to be a professional and tells patients not to take things so seriously, who would want her for a dentist, certainly not me, if you don’t like working in peoples mouths I suggest you shut yours and get lost.
Dentistry is a tough field. Being a patient is also tough. We need each other. I find that the biggest problem with dentistry is the cost. The cost of education and keeping a practice going for the dentist and the cost to the patient. Because of this, far too many people go without dental care and end up with dentures and all kinds of avoidable dental problems. Insurance does not cover very much of the bill. My dental bills are so high because I didn’t take care of my teeth as a kid and my parents, who were poor immigrants, did not have the knowledge or time to teach their kids good dental care. They did send us to dentists who back in the 1950’s and 1960’s often pulled teeth. So, in my early 20’s I ended up going to a dental school in Boston and had fixed bridges placed all over the place and they were affordable even though I had to save for months to pay for it. That dental work lasted just over 25 years. I took meticulous care of my teeth after having the work done but the cost of going to the dentist 4 times a year and finally having to have the work redone due to the age of the prosthetics was astronomical. After age 50 I developed dry mouth and serous acid reflux and some serious menopausal symptoms. In spite of meticulous care of my teeth, they began to decay and I was told it was due to all of the problems I had developed. So, my new redone bridge that cost me over $20,000 only lasted 9 years. I had to have all of my upper teeth removed and have implants with a hybrid denture attached to the implants that cost $37,000. For me, this is a year’s pay and I can no longer plan on retiring for several more years. Paying more than $57,000 (when you add in dental care 4 x year, scalings, etc.) to keep teeth in my mouth is a huge price to pay. I understand that dentists have very high bills to pay for education and a practice. But, something must be done to make dental care more within reach financially for more people. I wonder if any of the professional dental organizations are working on this. I do hope so.
With an attitude like that, I’m relieved you are no longer a dentist. First of all, when someone brings me a piece of electronic equipment to be repaired, I don’t whine and complain about how they are treating the equipment. I am getting paid to troublehoot and fix it. I don’t have an excuse to lecture the owner. Your mechanic doesn’t complain about how filthy your oil is, because you are not doing regular changes. He just changes it. Deal with it.
I arrive at the dentist with clean teeth. Despite this, I always get a lecture about not flossing enough, or “grinding my teeth”. I DO floss every where I can. But you do such a sloppy job installing fillings, that I can’t get ANY floss between some of my teeth. Besides, you have no business telling someone they are not flossing enough. Have you followed me around to see how much I brush and floss? NO!
I could go on and on. You’re not worth the effort. .
Hey Lolabees, I just remembered this funny video on youtube. It’s funny because it’s true and I bet you’ve definitely been through this BS: https://youtu.be/oC8zfqsxu30
Yes, Travis, it’s so funny! I just re-watched it, and it’s so real!
I think you’re being unfair with a few of your points. Namely 4, 5, and to a lesser extent, 2 and 9.
Regarding point 5: I don’t think anyone gets their tongue in the way or doesn’t open wide enough on purpose. I believe they’re all trying, but it’s just harder for some people than others. My mouth is small and I don’t talk much, so I’m not used to having it open and it doesn’t open very wide just because of how it is. That’s probably also why my tongue gets in the way, because I’m not accustomed to moving it around a lot since I don’t talk much. I try as hard as I can. Why wouldn’t I? Why wouldn’t anyone? My current dentist has said he doesn’t believe there’s anyone who isn’t doing their best in his chair, and I agree.
I’m also a bit guilty of point 4, but that has a lot to do with the fact that I’m in a severe depression That’s also the reason I have dental problems – it led to self-neglect. Even after being given a somewhat urgent diagnosis, my depression still made it hard to care, and I can see how some people might just stay that way until pain begins and they can’t help but care about it. Hell, I wouldn’t have known about my own cavities if not for one of my teeth breaking, which forced me to go in and resulted in cavities being found during the exam. Issues like these could also be a reason some people show up with unbrushed teeth, miss an appointment, or show up late.
I try not to be difficult. I apologize if they seem to be having problems because of me, I thank them for working with me, and I try to explain. But I can’t just make my mouth bigger.
I also have something to say about number 11: Sometimes dentists do lie. I decided to find a closer dentist to do my fillings since I’d need quite a few and the dentist I’d been going to was just too far away for all those trips. I found one close by with very good reviews. They refused to do fillings on my first visit, instead insisting on a lengthy exam. I agreed, because they’re the dentist and I’m not. Later, they called to tell me my problems were too severe to be fixed by a regular dentist and that I’d need at least three specialists. Thankfully, I decided to get a second opinion from a third dentist, who told me that all I had was cavities and all I needed was fillings. Given such an enormous disparity, it’s hard not to conclude that the second dentist was trying to make a buck off me, probably because I was visibly nervous and anxious when I saw them and they thought I’d be an easy mark. If I’d just gone along with them, I would have endured a lot of unpleasant and expensive procedures for no reason.
Thanks for your thoughtful comments. I actually agree with all you’ve said! Even if you’re challenging in some ways as a patient, as long as you are kind and respectful, your dentist will like you (or at least they won’t hate you. LOL) And yes, you have to be careful about dentists who lie. 2nd, 3rd, and 4th opinions are very valuable!
Everyone has to find the right dentist that is a fit for them. I’ve had bad ones, several – but I did find a few excellent ones. Some of the things I look for: clean office, modern equipment, capable staff, no strong arm sales tactics, explain to patient clearly costs and options, an office that stays reasonably on schedule, and of course keeping procedures as painless as possible. I like, and have better luck with the smaller practices as opposed to the big dental factory and corporate style dentistry. I recently found a great dentist that I’ve very happy with after a few bad experiences. All said, it’s about finding the RIGHT dentist for you – not just someone that is closer distance, cheaper, and has better appointment schedules. Those are nice, but there’s a lot more to your dental care and having a positive experience than just that.
Beautifully said, Joe Patient! Amen.
Just a patient here who was a very good zoned patient and only took up an hour of two hour appointments but is now left with teeth that can’t bite and jaws that ache and altogether teeth that are too large and a dentist that is patting himself on the back for his ” creative dentistry” . I had to get 6 frontal crowns and I asked dentist – could I show you pictures of my teeth – he said NO. I have a very small mouth with originally very small teeth – so small the pedia size thing you use to help brace the jaw while you work was too big to fit – well I have a worse looking smile than I ever had and I paid 12000 dollars to not smile.
Oh boy. I highly recommend getting a 2nd or 3rd opinion. Pictures of your teeth is a GREAT idea! I would have loved that to use as a guide if you were my patient.
I just had a dental appointment where my mouth was extremely stretched to the point of tearing the corner of my mouth. Almost a week later, and it is so sore I can hardly eat. Some dentists are so rough, and maybe they have to stretch it to get into the corner of the area they are working on, but I have never been rude to a dentist and I think that they should care more about the pain they are causing a patient. There are too many dentists and doctors that think they are God. I’ve gone to so many Bad dentists. It’s so discouraging and hard to find a good one. I’ve also had so many bad experiences with the staff that work for dentists who are so rude and talk behind your back. The lack of professionalism is astounding! P S The dentist that wrote the article at the beginning is exactly the kind of man I would never want to have working in my mouth. I’m sorry but he sounds like an immature unprofessional man! I understand the problems dentist’s face, but no one forced anyone to choose that field as their career. Every job has it’s pitfalls. Let’s face it, dentistry is not a pleasant experience for the dentist or Shythe patient, but the patient IS paying the dentist, and deserves good care, respect, kindness and genuine concern. If you can’t provide that, don’t choose dentistry as a career.
I don’t disagree with you… except about the part that you wouldn’t want me as your dentist. You probably would have liked me because I was conscientious and gentle and empathetic (and I’m not a man… oh, and I got out of the career that I so naively chose.) But I think you’re right that a patient deserves those things. Just as I believe the dental team deserves those things too. Hopefully you can find a dentist that offers you that.
Why I despise the Dental Profession –
The elementary thru High School and even Colleges and especially the Dental profession needs to do a much better job educating about tooth care. Why are schools not having children brush after breakfast, lunch and dinner ? Rinsing after snacks and soft drink ? Why dont Dentists teach that tooth decay begins minutes after eating ? That everybody needs to floss daily and WATERPIK at least once a day ? Why are so many people needing root canals, tooth extractions, implants, dentures etc: etc: ? Why are so many people getting cavities ? Is it because there is so much money to be made off of people’s misery ? That people ignorance means big profits ?
I thought i had heard every infantile excuse . Every damn time a patient comes in we share oral hygiene instruction. But its my greed that causes you to treat your mouth like a toilet. I have lots of patients that have never had a cavity and its no mystery- they dont eat alot of sugar, they brush and floss.
For me, the main issue is setting up proper expectations. In my experience the dentist will treat an issue as it is, but will not disclosed the additional issues that treatment may cause. For example, I’m sure the dentist who did a composite filling extemely close to the pulp, knew there was a high likelyhood it would kill the pulp causing an tooth absess resulting in the need of either a root canal or extraction. However, these risks were not explained to me. Now I need a root canal. If that fails I will need an extraction or implants. At that point I would have paid (an awful lot of money btw) to fix the same tooth 4 times over. If this was all explained to me up front perhaps I would of decided to skip straight to the implants, who knows, but I deserved to know the risks upfront. This happens a lot and when people aren’t properly informed of the risks up front, it’s no wonder they feel hoodwinked and con-ed. I’m not saying the OP or his/her office is like this, but overall there just isn’t enough regulation on how dental offices operate. For contrast, lawsuits are filed againist health care professionals when there is mass evidence that the risks of a device, medication or procedure are not fully disclosed. Yet dentists perform procedures all the time without disclosing the risks. I’m not here to defend or insult either side so please don’t take it personally, I’m just speaking from my personal experience.
I can only speak for the honest dentists out there… you are right that we should describes possible risks and outcomes, and I can tell you that the longer I practiced, the more I tried to convey all this info you describe (when appropriate) to patients. The only exception I’d have to all this, is that sometimes we don’t know ahead of time. I even used to err on the side of caution if there was any possibility of it, and warn of a POSSIBLE root canal before treatment b/c I’d prefer to tell the patient they didn’t need one than have to backtrack and surprise the patient with a root canal. It seemed to work pretty well. The good dentists will do their best, but we don’t always know. I know that what happened to you IS a big deal and a lot of money, and time, and energy, but it is actually pretty rare that a seemingly predictable procedure has such a long chain reaction of problems, so sometimes a dentist might not expect it to go that way, and therefore might not warn you. Does that make sense?
Hey again! I saw this article on Huffington Post, and for some reason, while I was reading it, I thought of you. I felt like it was in parallel with what you’ve written. We’re too busy to be dealing with negativity and disrespect. Sometimes it’s best to send them on their way.
http://tinyurl.com/nq9waox
Travis, thanks for sharing this link. It’s a great article and highly relevant to what we are discussing here. Nice people will get great customer service, but abusive clients really don’t deserve it unconditionally.
I read this article every so often (especially the comments). Thank you for your honesty! Dentistry is a very difficult profession that so many are ignorant (in the true sense of the word) to.
How about simply telling patients the truth. Instead of using euphemisms like “you may feel some discomfort”, when the truth is “This is going to hurt like hell for at least a week and there is no pain medication that will help in the least”
Take the patients word for which tooth hurts. It’s his/her tooth, nobody know better which tooth hurts, the patients isn’t there to try to fool you into pulling the wrong tooth.
If I say it’s this tooth, you don’t need to bang on that tooth with the blunt end of your pick just to see if I was lying.
You people have been in business for hundreds of years, isn’t it about time somebody invents a chair where the patient doesn’t have to hang upside down like a fucking bat for hours on end?
I have PTSD and for me the worst thing in any dentist’s den of torture is laying in that goddamn chair completely out of control and venerable. When I tell the dentist or his assistant about my fears, they look at me like I must be crazy because they think PTSD means you’re nearly insane and liable to freak out and shoot them at any second. I can’t even sit in a restaurant with my back to an open door or space; I need to sit with my back to the wall. So hanging upside down where I can only see the ceiling is absolutely terrifying. One time I told the surgeon (during a two-hour root canal) to stop and let up, he refused and said, “I’ll be finished shortly, sit still” He wouldn’t let me up so I rolled off his chair and on to the floor. Once I got up, we had a meeting of the minds and his partner finished the procedure.
I’m 71 years old and have had a lifetime of bad experiences with the dental industry starting when I was 5 years old, and continuing to this very day.
I was wounded three times in combat. One took a chunk out of my calf muscle. That was painful. But, nothing compares to dental pain. I have anxiety going to the dentist because the pain is sneaky. Its fine and then BAM – a lightning bolt of nerve pain. And, then a dentist is like, “oh, did you feel that? You shouldn’t have”. Yeah, dude, I felt it. I am now needing a root canal and the endodontist’s office is saying, “hmm, we can get you in next week”. I’m in pain NOW. Like serious pain. I get it some nasty people don’t brush their teeth and come in. That’d get on nerves, too. But, why not try having compassion for people in pain and that have PTSD and anxiety? Jesus!
Trust me, if there was a drug I could take that would make me not remember the whole thing, I’d happily take that and let the dentist get on with their job, uninterrupted by my severe anxiety and gagging.
You might want to look into conscious sedation if you ever need a lot of work. May be a bit pricey for regular cleanings and smaller appointments, but you might find that would help. Good luck!
Reason #11: That stupid joke we hear around this time of the year. I’ll admit I’ve said this a couple of times, but that was a lonnnnnnnnnnnnng time ago, and it literally was a couple of times, after which I realized it wasn’t that funny. Now in my career, when I began hearing this joke, I brushed it off and thought nothing of it. But now, it’s starting to get annoying like a gnat that won’t leave you alone in the middle of the night.
“You’re giving out candy so you can bring in new patients aren’t you?”
No, you idiot. I’m giving out candy BECAUSE IT’S FUCKING HALLOWEEN! What I do for a living has no effect on a harmless tradition that I’ve experienced since I was six, and I have no intention of stopping it like millions of other people in this country. You’re not original and you’re not funny, just like that other five people I’ve heard say that already today. And with the exception of a baby tooth that was already about to come out anyway, if this one piece of candy is the thing that makes all hell break loose in you or your child’s mouth, then I question your skills at taking care of yourself or your children. You should’ve gotten that problem taken care of long ago. Now take this candy, eat it in moderation, drink water afterwards, get out of here, and don’t forget your six month cleanings.
“Aaahhh…I feel much better now.” Hmmmmm, you know what? So do I. Happy Halloween, Lolabees.
Lol! It is one of the ironies, isn’t it? I’m glad you feel better now. We all need that every once in a while! Happy Halloween, Travis. Good to see you back again!
You have poor dental skills and manners.. i have verrrry good skills at finding out who annonymous posters are and exposing them through local media and social networking… ENJOY BUD!!
I tell you that you have a cavity and you need a filling, and you wait months or even years to get the necessary work done.
Not everyone can afford an over priced filling when they have bills to pay just so you can pay ur “loans” or “debts” which we all have…
I LOVED my dentist. I went to him for almost 40 years until he retired. People who moved used to travel long distances to go back to see him. I always knew he is a prince, but he always insisted he wasn’t unusual. I have to go to another dentist, but no one can replace him. No wonder if so many dentists hate their patients.