Blog: The Tears Of A Dentist

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I had a Dentist's appointment today, and arrived at the surgery nice and early. I was settled in, congratulating myself on getting there on time and NOT being in a sweaty panic when I head the LAST sound you want to hear in a Dentist's... CRYING. Not screaming or yelps of pain, but the real life SOBBING of someone who'd been through something AWFUL.

I heard one of the receptionists saying "Come on, we don't want any more of this" in what I thought was a rather HARSH way - who KNEW what the crier had been through? Then another receptionist was on the phone, saying "Yes, it's an emergency... she's very upset indeed." What on EARTH had happened? FEAR started to occur.

After half an hour or so the first receptionist came round the front of the desk and said "Sorry everybody, we've had a bit of an emergency, but we'll be with you soon" and after five minutes or so my dentist EMERGED to call me in. It's always an exciting trip to see her as she is a) Portugese and b) SLIGHTLY MAD. The first time i saw her she said "ZO my DARLINK, are you ready for me to HURT you?" so i was ready for LARKS... but even so i was shocked to find out that she was IN FLOODS OF TEARS!

SHE had been the one crying - and my first thought was "OH my GOD - i hope it's not because of a MAN" LEST she take it out on ME. There then followed a very peculiar and uncomfortable five minutes, starting with her saying "Zis is NOT a good day to come see me..." and bursting into tears again. OH MY WORD. I felt natural human sympathy of course, but also TREMENDOUS FEAR: SHE HAS A DRILL.

I was especially worried because last time i was in we identified a wonky tooth which was to be "looked" at - PLEASE LORD do not make today the day it is operated on. She asked me about it and i said "NO NO, if it's not dangerous let's leave it for now" to which she replied "Don't hang me up on the wall if it goes wrong - i don't mind being hung up on the wall, not today, but..." at which point she reached once more for the tissues.

It was AWFUL, but also slightly HYSTERICAL. The Teeth Cleaning bit was done at such HIGH SPEED and HIGH EMOTION that her assistant couldn't keep up with the whooshing vacuum stick, but i LEAPT out of the chair at the end and made for the door, full of RELIEF that no more had happened. I felt really sorry for her, whatever had happened, but MY WORD, i was glad that the only tears this morning were hers!

posted 20/11/2007 by MJ Hibbett

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Comments:

Well, that's the NHS for you. Go private!
posted 23/11/2007 by Anonymous

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