At Least They’ll Probably Wear Their Mask
Current Events, Dentist, Health & Body, Patients, Stupid, USA | Healthy | January 5, 2022
It’s the middle of the health crisis, and everyone is still on edge about infection control protocols. We assure everyone that we have hospital-level infection control and take it very seriously. I’m the owner dentist, and occasionally, I listen in on calls to ensure patients are being helped. This is a call I listened to.
Office Manager: “Thank you for calling [Dental Office]. How can we help you?”
Patient: “This is [Patient]. I want to know what you guys are doing for infection control. I don’t want to get the [disease].”
Office Manager: “We have eliminated our waiting room, and you wait in your car until your appointment. We also have a strict mask policy until in the dental, as well as a hydrogen peroxide rinse before we work on you.”
Patient: “What about barriers?”
Office Manager: “I’m sorry?”
Patient: “Do you have those plastic plexiglass barriers set up in between the patients?”
Office Manager: “Between each patient chair? No, we don’t—”
Patient: “What is wrong with you?! Haven’t you seen how even the grocery stores have those barriers to protect the customers? If I am getting my teeth cleaned, my mouth is completely open! You need to install plastic barriers between the chairs! What if another patient is next to me and has the [disease]? You need to have us separated!”
Office Manager: “[Patient], we have walls. Actual, real walls. All of the chairs are in separate rooms. With walls. And doors. Doors that close.”
Patient: “…”
Office Manager: “[Patient], you have been coming to us for ten years. The layout has never changed…”
Patient: “I still think you should put up the plastic barriers!” *Click*
I have no idea if the patient was just hotly embarrassed or genuinely thought we should replace our solid walls — and enclosed rooms — with plexiglass ones that are open on the tops and sides.
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