Went in for a crown the other day. The dentist got called away to a different patient midway through. Anesthesia started wearing off. Dentist took her time with the other patient. I was fairly tensed up by the time she got back. I was doing my best to balance being polite with limiting how much the pain affected me. The longer she was gone, the less I was able to pretend I wasn’t in pain. My strategy for pain management is tensing inwards, and I hadn’t raised my voice or cursed. I was waiting for my turn.
A friend who works there later told me that the dentist said I scared her and she thought I was going to harm her. I can’t seem to make sense of that. I can’t think of what threatening behavior I displayed, unless dentists getting attacked by patients is just a thing they have to deal with.
It’s a one dentist small practice. She left and gave the assistant an assignment that didn’t require her supervision. The procedure didn’t stop. Well, it did when I wasn’t able to proceed and then we waited for her to return.
Not sure how long we waited the first time or the second time. I only know a crown and a filling took 4.5 hours of chair time. And then I waited for 50 minutes curled up in my car in a grocery store parking lot waiting for the tylenol/advil to kick enough that I could pay attention to driving home.
I would love another dentist now, but that might have to wait. The crown feels like some of its resin extends into my gumline which is causing swelling and pain. I was told no other dentist would help me because it would mean assuming liability for someone else’s procedure.
I have an undignified aversion to going back to this particular dentist though. Hopefully my body can block out the memories of the sensations soon.
Talk to a lawyer right away. This is screwed up and the lawyer may well take your case paid on contingency (eg, if and when you win a malpractice suit.)
Good luck. 4.5 hours is an eternity in the chair and the work sounds shoddy.
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