Rules of Behavior at the Dentist

This article was written by an American dentist:

Now that I’ve retired, I can look back on my life and laugh – or say everything I think: I’m a dentist who didn’t actually like his job. A few months ago I came across an article called “10 reasons why I can’t stand my dentist”, which inspired me to write the following:

1. As you sit down in the chair, you say: “I can’t stand dentists.” Really? Apparently your parents didn’t teach you good manners. Don’t you know it’s rude to tell someone you’ve just met that you can’t stand them? In reply, I’d like to say: “I can’t stand you either.”
2. You come to your appointment and it feels as if you haven’t brushed your teeth for a week. I’ve had patients who came in with clean teeth but apologized that they hadn’t managed to brush after a snack. That’s acceptable. But if you come in with a week’s worth of plaque in your mouth… Even after all these years of looking at blood, pus and “rotten” teeth, that’s the first thing that drives me up the wall. You know the doctor will examine your mouth during the visit. Don’t you tidy up your home before guests arrive? I spend several hours hunched over you treating your teeth. Please, at least pretend that you care about the work I’m doing and that you look after your teeth at least a little.
3. I spent several hours treating your tooth, and you start complaining about the price. You pay when you walk out of a shop with bags full of groceries. I help you smile and be able to eat. And you’ll agree these are 2 of the most important things in your life.
4. I tell you that you have caries and need a filling, and you put off your appointment for months or years. As a result, the tooth starts to hurt. After 2-3 weeks of suffering, you call me on a Saturday evening when I’m out relaxing with friends. You tell me that the tooth you should have had filled a year ago has been hurting for 2 weeks now and needs emergency help.
5. You come to me asking for help and don’t let me work properly. You squirm and grimace when it doesn’t hurt at all. When I hurt you, I get nervous too. If it hurts, tell me and I’ll do everything I can so it stops hurting. But if your behavior comes from hating the treatment process, you’ll only get in the way of it. If you keep moving your tongue nonstop and don’t open your mouth properly, I won’t be able to do my job. Instead, help me do everything I can.
6. You call me and say: “The tooth you treated hurts.” You came to me with a decayed tooth. I didn’t give you the caries – you are responsible for that yourself. I only fill the tooth. To do that, I have to use a small bur and remove the decayed tissue from the tooth. If I took a bur, drilled into your thigh bone and then filled it with some material, don’t you think it would hurt? It’s the same with a tooth.
7. When an X-ray needs to be taken, you start biting the sensor. The image is needed to see what’s going on in your tooth. I know that in some cases people really can’t manage, but most people can sit still for 15 seconds. I’ve had X-rays taken too; I know it’s unpleasant, but you just have to put up with it.
8. You tell me that I bought a car with the money from the crown I made you. But you didn’t buy me a car. I spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on my education and several hours making your crown – did you perhaps pay for my education? No – and you certainly didn’t buy me a car.
9. You don’t show up or you cancel your appointment at the last minute. I know anything can happen in life, but if you miss your appointment because you’re booked at a beauty salon, that’s simply disrespectful to me. Not only do I lose 2 hours, but the person I turned away because of you suffers too. I’ll add that when you’re late, I end up running late for all my following patients.
10. I talk to you about the natural wear of your teeth, and you deny it, as if I’d caught you committing a crime. Tooth wear is a normal process. I simply pointed it out to you and advised what should be done to prevent more serious problems in the future.

And bonus No. 11. You declare that my diagnosis is wrong. If you’re so clever, why did you come? Fill your own teeth and put in your own crowns.

And if you didn’t recognize yourself in any of the situations above, your dentist likes you. You may be a ray of sunshine for them throughout their working day.