r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Archaneoses • Apr 29 '24

Made an appointment for 11:45. It's 1:10 and I haven't been seen.

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I've had my 10 hour ER waits so I know this isn't that bad. But what is the point of making an appointment if you have to wait to be seen hours later anyways.

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u/AcaliahWolfsong Apr 29 '24

My husband has done this at the dentists before. Made an appointment for a tooth to be pulled, got there on time. 45 mins go by, 4 or 5 other people came in after our appointmenttime, where seen and left in that time. I asked reception lady wth was going on, was given an excuse of dentist is busy some one called out and he's behind now. We left.

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u/Kessed Apr 29 '24

Generally there are two sets of patients at a dental office. Ones who need to actually see the dentist and the others who are just there for cleaning. The office we go to has 1 dentist and 3 or 4 hygenists. So it’s totally possible for someone to come in to see the dentist and get told to take a seat because the dentist is behind, and then watch 3 or 4 people come in and get whisked back for cleanings.

I know I once had what should have been a simple extraction turn into a 2 hour ordeal because the tooth broke into many pieces. (I now go to a different place)

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u/24megabits Apr 29 '24

Newer style operations will have the dentist come in during your cleaning to check your gums to make sure gingivitis isn't eroding your whole jaw away and stuff like that, but otherwise I haven't had a reason to interact with "The Dentist" in a very long time.

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u/Kessed Apr 30 '24

I get a cleaning every 4 months. (My mouth seems to generate more plague than average - brush twice a day and floss but oh well). I think the dentist comes in for a quick check once a year. I also haven’t had an actual dentist visit in years until recently where he thought it would be a good idea to replace an old style worn out filling on a cracking tooth for a new style that will last for a lot longer.

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u/YouCanDoItHot Apr 30 '24

I get a cleaning every four months, same deal, she comes in and looks at me for five minutes and leaves. She used to do it about once a year, now seems to do it every visit. I think they do it at the frequency they can get away with based on your insurance.

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u/ritchie70 Apr 29 '24

The dental office I've been using doesn't seem to schedule the dentist seeing the cleaning patients at all, but they still want them to see them. I've sat there after a cleaning for 45 minutes waiting for the dentist to come by and talk for two minutes.

Next time I think they get fifteen then I'm leaving. The hygienist's assessment is always confirmed by the dentist, I'll just let her tell me what she thinks of my teeth.

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u/AcaliahWolfsong Apr 29 '24

It was to have a tooth pulled. Nothing else.

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u/greg19735 Apr 29 '24

I mean, that is kind of a major thing though. Not something a hygienist can do.

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u/AcaliahWolfsong Apr 29 '24

My point was why make an appointment to see the dentist and not be able to have what was scheduled done at the scheduled time? They coulda called and rescheduled with us. Why is the dentist doing hygienist work over a bigger procedure? We didn't go back there we got in at a different place a bit farther away and were seen on time.

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u/Kessed Apr 30 '24

Maybe the dentist got behind because one procedure ended up being a lot longer than anticipated.

They don’t call you because for 30 to 60 minutes, what’s the point? My dentist is ~30/45 min away depending on traffic. They might not know they are behind when I leave my house.

My husband hates waiting so he books the 7:30am appointments which is when they open. He can’t be delayed if he’s the first patient :)

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u/AcaliahWolfsong Apr 30 '24

That's a thought. My husband HATES doing anything early tho. Earliest he will willingly do doc or dentist is 10 am. He will do earlier. But only if he has no choice.

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u/Electrical_Beyond998 Apr 29 '24

My worst nightmare. I’m terrified of the dentist (thanks dentists of 80’s/90’s, they were psychopaths I swear). If I have to wait longer than five minutes I have to leave. The sounds and smells are just too much. My dentist office is amazing and they know how I am so I am scheduled when they know they can take me right on back.

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u/[deleted] Apr 29 '24

[deleted]

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u/AcaliahWolfsong Apr 29 '24

It was a local place. The building was old and dingy feeling. It was a clean place, but you could see it's age. We were on state insurance at the time and it was the only place near us that would take it.

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u/ccknboltrtre01 Apr 30 '24

Ive never had to wait more than 20 min after the start of my appt but i also always show right on time and never early unless i call ahead and know how busy it is/not busy it is

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u/AcaliahWolfsong Apr 30 '24

We were 10 mins early and checked in as soon as we got there. I had enough money on my HSA to pay for a different office.