Mean and rude dentist. What can I do?
I am really upset and just lost as to what to do. I am in new in my area just moved from a different state. So I picked a local dentist that was in my area and on my dental HMO insurance plan. I was just going in for a check up and a cleaning. I knew my teeth were in a good shape since I was in the dentist just about six months ago.
I get to my appointment on time but had to wait over an hour before I was even seen. They took the X-rays and then sat me down. The dentist comes and looks at my teeth for all of two seconds. He says that although I do not have any cavities and my gums are okay, my teeth are dirty and yellow. That I need to have them whiten in order for them to look better and not dirty. I know my teeth are not as white as they could be but they do not look bad.
He was really rude when he was talking to me so I just said that I only want what is covered under my plan which just the cleaning. He got really mad and said that it is a shame when he gets patients that think that a cleaning is all they need because they are to cheap to take care of their teeth. I was so taken back when he said that to me I just did not know what to do at the time. He does the cleaning so fast it only took him like five minutes. Not only was it fast but he had hurt me many times before he gets done. Once he is done he just walks away from me.
The dental assistance finished up with my teeth. She even seem upset by the way the dentist treated me and tried to say she was sorry for him. At check out I tried to say how upset I was about the whole experience. When I was rudely told that my insurance fully covered the services I had so why am I complaining, since I did not have to pay for anything. I told my husband what I went though and he was livid. He was upset for me too and now I just feel bad about not doing anything at the time. What can I do now ? I want to do something about this just do not know what?
Mean and rude dentist. What can I do? ,
Tuesday, Sep. 22nd 2009 10:06 AM at 10:06 am
Although I like to think that there are not too many dentist out there that would treat people the way you were treated. Unfortunately there are bad apples in all fields and it really bad when it is you that gets them.
I can understand how you feel about being talked to like that then getting rushed out. It is hard sometimes to take a stand when things are happening so we go with the flow. It is too late for you to walk out but try and keep in mind that if you are not feeling like the dentist is being nice or at lest professional to you then leave.
I also will leave if they are running late on my appointment and they do not say anything to me and just leave me sitting there. I will re-schedule if they are running late and at least let me know ahead of time.
You can take this as a learning experience and hopefully you will not have to have the same problem with the next dentist. Keep in mind that dentist are telling you what they feel will be best for you. You however, have the final say on what is and what is not done. They still need to treat you professionally whether you do what they advise or not.
Tuesday, Sep. 22nd 2009 10:17 AM at 10:17 am
When you run across what you feel is a bad dentist there are some actions you can take.
1) You are in control of what is being done to your teeth.
2) A dentist can advise what they feel you need to have done, but you decide if that is best for you.
3) If you do not like the office or the staff leave and go to the next dentist on the list if you have a provider plan.
4) If you feel that a dentist is rude or mean to you call your dental insurance company. Make a complaint about said dentist. An HMO dental insurance plan will remove dentist that have to many complaints from their insureds.
5) Tell people not to go to said dentist. Word of mouth is a powerful tool.
6) Find a dentist that will treat you the way you want to be treated. That way you can move on from this one bad dentist.
Tuesday, Sep. 22nd 2009 10:34 AM at 10:34 am
After having a bad experience like you did, it is important that you try and choice the next dentist that will be a better fit for you. There are a few very good blogs on dentalopinions.com that address how you find a good dentist. I suggest when you have the time to pull them up and read though them. They are very helpful and have useful advise.