Fear and Loathing in Bucks County

Today is a big day for me. It's time to go to the torture chambers, also known as the dentist office.

After many years of sub-par dental treatment, my fear of dental proceedures is close to phobia. Scheduling an appointment brought on sweats and nausea. I'm not kidding.

Let me highlight my last dental experience. Through my insurance, I was sent to a dental office close by. I had an appointment for 4 o'clock and was not seen until nearly 5:15. The waiting room, there was no room to sit. The sound of drills squealing in the background, the strange chemical odors enough to make me want to vomit.

When I finally got to THE CHAIR, the dentist was clearly annoyed by the heavy patient load. I attempted to explain to her my extreme dislike and fear of dentists, only to be brushed off. I needed X rays, which when you have a very small mouth like me are no pleasant feat. Let it be said, that some dentists will accomodate you by using pediatric film, but I ended up with scrapes on the roof of my mouth. Ah...but we've only just begun.

I had the misfortune of not having dental insurance for several years and not having been to the dentist for an extended period of time makes me prime candidate for paying for their next vacation to the Bahamas, believe me. There were some very abrupt comments made by the dentists that I did not appreciate.

Before I know what's happening -- and might I add after explicitly stating that I want to know what is going on BEFORE anything happens in my mouth -- I am being swabbed with a numbing gel to prepare me for a cleaning.

So today, I am going to a new dentist. I am paying cash for my visit and hope that it will be a more pleasant experience that what I've run into in the past.

I often wonder whether this type of sadism is what got dentist to go to dental school in the first place -- a means of revenge on their bad experiences in the past.

I am certain no one likes to go to the dentist. It is my hope that in the advent of customer service driven business, dentist will become more aware of the fear they are able to instill in their patients just by their attitude. Perhaps Compassion 101 or Chair-side manner 102 should become compulsory at all major dental schools.