I had a horrible experience at the dentist recently. I was in the dental chair for quite a bit. I had nitrous, but that didn’t help. Here’s what went wrong. First, it was hard to get numb. I had to keep getting him to readminister shots. That was miserable in itself. Then, some kind of chemical splashed in my eye, which really burned. He didn’t even let me get up and rinse it out. I just had to squeeze my eye shut until enough tears cleaned it out. A few minutes later, the tool slipped and cut the bottom of my tongue. Even he gasped when it happened. He has not apologized for any of it. When my tongue was still hurting a few days later I called and he still wouldn’t admit anything. Instead, he tried to blame me saying I must have bit my tongue. If that were the case, wouldn’t the issue be on the top and bottom and not just the bottom? I just wanted an apology, but now I sort of want a refund because of how he is treating me. Do you think I can get one?
Leslie
Dear Leslie,
While I certainly think you deserve an apology, I don’t think he is going to give you one or a refund. It would be hard to get a refund in this case, so the best you can do is give him a scathing review and warn other potential patients. That may cause him to try to make things right as a means to get you to take down the review. Dentists know that these reviews have a big impact on their business.
I am going to make a different, sort of unrelated suggestion. You said the nitrous oxide didn’t help you much and you kept having to get more shots. As I do not think you want to return to this dentist anyway, I would like you to look for a sedation dentist. Specifically, one who offers oral conscious sedation.
This is much stronger than nitrous oxide. Most patients completely sleep through their appointments when they use it and have totally anxiety-free and pain-free appointments. I think you’ll find it will change your life…or at least your dental appointments.
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