Confessional

What the dental receptionist really thinks about you

I DEAL with tons of vanishers — people who don’t show up for an appointment. I text them, I send letters, but often they’re just too scared to come back.

Some days, I feel my job is mostly calming down patients. Our private practice is in a well-to-do area, so they’re professionals, they spend their lives giving speeches and juggling huge budgets. But when it comes to dental work, they’re all five-year-olds.

One lady came in for emergency root canal work and she was shaking with dread. Her husband and the dentist got her in there eventually and, afterwards, she was so relieved she was visibly sagging. Men are just as scared, but they tend to cover up by gabbling about how they can’t be late for work and downplaying the pain.

What does annoy me is parents who pass on the fear to their children. One mum said, ‘It might be scary, but I want you to be so brave’ to her five-yearold. What better way to terrify them? It was only a check-up.

One teenager refused to have braces fitted and bit the dentist!

It’s good to see people happy with their new white, straight teeth. It’s a reminder the dentist can be a source of self-esteem as well as terror!