Irritating Dental Visit

Been stewing about this since THURSDAY!

Had my 6 month cleaning appt at 9:40 AM. I've been using this dentist for 8 years, and had the same hygenist all that time. "Jean" is always running late, she is KNOWN for this. Usually she is about 20 to 25 minutes late. Her cleanings are "thorough." Jean books her 40 minute cleaning appts every hour. I was the third one.

At 10:30, I went up to the reception desk to reschedule. What with one person ahead of me, and the phones ringing, Jean came out for me while I was waiting. I told her I couldn't stay. "You don't have 40 minutes available?" Um, no. So I go again on Tuesday, when I am now her SECOND appt.

Her next appt after me was already sitting in the waiting room, he arrived a bit early for his 10:40 appt. So he likely went in on time, with me leaving.

This is the 2d time I have done this, in the past 3 years. (Rescheduled and left) There are other hygenists in the office, and I am seriously considering switching to one of them. They sometimes -- SOMETIMES - run 5 minutes late. I've been told by Jean AND BY THEM that my mouth won't feel the same way after they have done a cleaning.

So I spent 45 minutes plus, watching the Today show and Regis and Kelly, at the dentist office, got "free" movie passes to a cinema that is no where near by (they have started doing this for Jean's clients apparently), and returned home to start lunch for Dad and I. I was and still am very irritated.

Now, Dad has one doc who is also a surgeon, sometimes on call at the hospital, and his appointments may run late if he has a surgery come in from the ER and can't leave in time to start his office appts. Even that is a some time thing. With Jean, it is every freaking time!

Was I wrong to leave? STILL steamed about this, grrrrr.

No. First of all, if Jean is constantly late, you'd think the dentist in charge would speak with her. My guess is he thinks she's so good, people will wait and he'll keep their business. If she wasn't late, you'd be on time, that's not right. Especially when you have other responsibilities. Sorry, that's way to long to wait. I can understand an emergency, but not a constant thing.

Unless you have oral problems, I'd try another hygienist, just for the heck of it. If you're not satisfied, then you'll know the wait for Jean is worth it.

I just think it's plain RUDE.

I left my former chiropractor for almost the same reason. Not because he was late, but because his receptionist couldn't bother to tell me he was running way behind. I could have run a few errands in the area and come back. I thought it was rude and said so.

Heck no, you weren't wrong. I did the same thing with a doctor appointment a few months ago. After waiting for over 1 hour, and seeing people still ahead of me still waiting, I told the receptionist I had another appointment and I couldn't wait any longer. So she said - let me reschedule you now - I said no and I would call later and make another appointment. I never did! I didn't even get so much as a feeble attempt at an apology. Yet some doctors reserve the right to not see you if you are more than 10 minutes late??? What's wrong with that picture? :confused::rolleyes:

I would make sure that you were her first appointment.:)

I was going to suggest the same thing. My doctor is never late, maybe once or twice by ten or fifteen minutes but he always tells me to book his first afternoon appt. works great for us.
If you really like the work the dental assistant does then I would speak to the dentist and tell him that although you love the work she does you just cannot abide with her being late every appt so that your day is ruined. Ask him to speak to her or you will have to go elsewhere. Sounds like he doesn't care if his patients have to wait or he would have spoken to her ages ago.
If she's late for your next appt I would simply tell her to cnacel you and walk out and find someone else.

Thanks everyone.

I plan to switch to another hygenist in the same office. Will keep this Tues appt and make the switch on the way out as I plan my next 6 month appt.

I think I'd let the practice manager know why I left, since it's lost revenue for the practice for that day because the hygienist was so late.

Time is money for doctors and dentists, lots of money.
They don't really care if you have to wait or not, so they tend to either overbook or get people onto the premises earlier than required.
It's the same here in Kangarooland. ;)

Absolutely, positively not were you wrong. The fact that they're handing out free movie passes tells me that they run a sloppy office rather than speak to Jean (and all staff) and make sure that they run on time. This happened to me a few times and my solution was to send my dr. a bill for my wasted time. Of course, they didn't pay but they got the point. And from then on I'd always call and ask "How are you running?" and if they said "15 minutes late" (or whatever), then I'd say "Well, I'll be 15 min. late as well." There's no way I was going to sit there and waste my time. I always did it w/m vet, too, b/c I usually would take more than one cat in at once and it was nerve wracking when they'd start fussing. However, Dr. Lee's office runs smoothly, no waiting, so no worries there.

I wouldn't go back.
Jean probably realises now that you are questioning her professionalism, or lack thereof.
Next time she gets you in the seat, she'll probably drill a hole in one of your rear molars without any anaesthetic.
I can imagine hearing the whirring of that drill, and watching little bits of your tooth flying everywhere.
Naw....don't go back. :p

I think 5-10 minutes is a reasonable wait time. I would have left, just as you did.

J was in the ER lately. 1.5 hours later, and I approached the nurses station, and said, 'Children's across the street has no waiting right now, I want to have him discharged'. Guess what? A doc was in 5 minutes later. Turns out, they couldn't treat him anyhow...nice bit of triage there, nurses! The doc did apologize, and I was gracious towards him...BUT, 1.5 hours, with a 6 year old? To find out they needed to send him elsewhere? :mad:

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"free" movie passes to a cinema that is no where near by (they have started doing this for Jean's clients apparently)

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Aha, so they know it's a problem.

I just spent 20 minutes waiting in the doctor's office this morning. I arrived on time; she was running late. I felt I needed to hurry through my appointment so as to keep her from falling even further behind. In that context: It says to me that Jean doesn't respect her patients' time if she is arriving that late. Does the dentist feel her work is better than the other hygienists' work? Your time is just as valuable as Jean's. When you schedule the first appointment of the day, can you tell the receptionist that you want a call if she is more than five minutes behind. Just so you don't drive over there, wait a half hour and then leave without seeing her.

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Originally Posted by Cataholic

I think 5-10 minutes is a reasonable wait time. I would have left, just as you did.

J was in the ER lately. 1.5 hours later, and I approached the nurses station, and said, 'Children's across the street has no waiting right now, I want to have him discharged'. Guess what? A doc was in 5 minutes later. Turns out, they couldn't treat him anyhow...nice bit of triage there, nurses! The doc did apologize, and I was gracious towards him...BUT, 1.5 hours, with a 6 year old? To find out they needed to send him elsewhere? :mad:

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I hate to say this but if we had to wait only 1.5 hours in ER we would be dancing a jig. Our waiting times in ER out here is anywhere from 8-20 hrs, sometimes longer and that's every day 24/7. Most people who are too sick to wait that long just stay home and try to go to a clinic if they don't need x-rays or anything real serious. Priority isn't even an issue anymore. You can be having major chest pains but if the kid with the runny nose is ahead of you he's in before you. Our problem is that people use the ER for stupid issues like a cold, a bump on the leg or they're just plain bored and decide to go snack and watch tv in the ER with some feeble excuse of having a cold.

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Originally Posted by Asiel

Priority isn't even an issue anymore. You can be having major chest pains but if the kid with the runny nose is ahead of you he's in before you.

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WOW - do they get sued much????:eek:
When I went in with a badly fractured wrist several years ago, several patients complained that I was taken in ahead of them, and they had been waiting a good long time. Of course one was there for a headache, another with a kid with a snotty nose - you get the picture. Thank goodness triage works here!

No you were not wrong at all. Time is money for me. If I have to wait an hour for a medical appointment, I have just lost money. I don't understand why she is so late. I'd switch. It's only teeth cleaning. If the office has the proper equipment another hygienist can clean your teeth. I think it is disrespectful to a patient to make them wait like this. I am sensitive to this because I had a physician that thinks nothing of making someone wait for him for 2 hours on a regularly scheduled appointment.

Jean was 'only' 15 minutes late this morning; and me as her second appt!

On the way out, I booked my next 6 month cleaning w/ another hygenist.