A Pain in the Mouth and a Pleasant Surprise
I had a dentist appointment for a routine cleaning and checkup this morning.
I’m not very keen about doctors in general. I have a low tolerance for pain and my mouth is one of the most sensitive places (after seven years of orthodontics, I should know). They did manage to see me on time, however. On many occasions I have gotten there on time or just a bit before and had to wait fifteen minutes or longer. I hate that. The hygienist’s name was Amy or Annie or something. I wasn’t really paying attention because even though it was 11am I was only just starting my day and still very sleepy.
There was the usual small talk: How’s your day going? What have you planned today? etc. I told her I that I teach piano and had students later in the afternoon. She responded with, “Oh, that’s neat! Is that your hobby or a part time job?” in this cute sing-songy voice. omg. Strike one for Annie or Amy or whatever her name is. I can’t tell you how many times I encounter people with this similar attitude (one my pet peeves) and this morning it just rubbed me completely the wrong way. But I responded kindly to her and said, “No that is my profession and main source of income,” but inside I was thinking, omg, you idiot! (sorry, my inner Rodney is coming out! :D)
There was the usual scraping of the teeth with the "pic of death," then the cleaning, then the flossing, then more torture when they test the gums with another "pic of death." Even though I floss daily (ok, mostly daily), I was being lazy and not getting underneath the gums enough, hence the pain and torture. I suppose I brought it upon myself but because I wasn’t the one implementing the torture it’s not my fault (right?).
At the end, she asked if I needed a new toothbrush instead of ‘which color toothbrush would you like?’, which is what they usually ask. Excuse me, of course I need a new toothbrush, it is complimentary with my appointment and I certainly pay you enough for it! :rollseyes: And of course, they didn’t have mint flavored dental floss - it’s on order, apparently.
The hygienist is done and it’s a quick trip to another corner of the office for the real dentist to come look at my teeth. I wait. Then I wait some more. Fifteen minutes go by and finally one of the assistants comes by and apologizes for the long wait, would I like to reschedule this part of the check up or skip it completely since there is nothing majorly wrong with my teeth? Um, I’ll skip it this time if you don’t mind, thanks. So then the assistant walks me up to the front counter to set up my next cleaning in six months - joy. She apologized again for the long wait and inconvenience and wished me a good day. A couple of minutes later, as I was paying for the appointment, she comes back and hands me a gift certificate for a free milk shake at a local restaurant famous for their shakes. Wow! So that was pretty cool and put me in a better mood. :)
I’m not very keen about doctors in general. I have a low tolerance for pain and my mouth is one of the most sensitive places (after seven years of orthodontics, I should know). They did manage to see me on time, however. On many occasions I have gotten there on time or just a bit before and had to wait fifteen minutes or longer. I hate that. The hygienist’s name was Amy or Annie or something. I wasn’t really paying attention because even though it was 11am I was only just starting my day and still very sleepy.
There was the usual small talk: How’s your day going? What have you planned today? etc. I told her I that I teach piano and had students later in the afternoon. She responded with, “Oh, that’s neat! Is that your hobby or a part time job?” in this cute sing-songy voice. omg. Strike one for Annie or Amy or whatever her name is. I can’t tell you how many times I encounter people with this similar attitude (one my pet peeves) and this morning it just rubbed me completely the wrong way. But I responded kindly to her and said, “No that is my profession and main source of income,” but inside I was thinking, omg, you idiot! (sorry, my inner Rodney is coming out! :D)
There was the usual scraping of the teeth with the "pic of death," then the cleaning, then the flossing, then more torture when they test the gums with another "pic of death." Even though I floss daily (ok, mostly daily), I was being lazy and not getting underneath the gums enough, hence the pain and torture. I suppose I brought it upon myself but because I wasn’t the one implementing the torture it’s not my fault (right?).
At the end, she asked if I needed a new toothbrush instead of ‘which color toothbrush would you like?’, which is what they usually ask. Excuse me, of course I need a new toothbrush, it is complimentary with my appointment and I certainly pay you enough for it! :rollseyes: And of course, they didn’t have mint flavored dental floss - it’s on order, apparently.
The hygienist is done and it’s a quick trip to another corner of the office for the real dentist to come look at my teeth. I wait. Then I wait some more. Fifteen minutes go by and finally one of the assistants comes by and apologizes for the long wait, would I like to reschedule this part of the check up or skip it completely since there is nothing majorly wrong with my teeth? Um, I’ll skip it this time if you don’t mind, thanks. So then the assistant walks me up to the front counter to set up my next cleaning in six months - joy. She apologized again for the long wait and inconvenience and wished me a good day. A couple of minutes later, as I was paying for the appointment, she comes back and hands me a gift certificate for a free milk shake at a local restaurant famous for their shakes. Wow! So that was pretty cool and put me in a better mood. :)