What Can You Do If Your Dentist is Inattentive when You're in the Chair?

A dentist's responsibilities include paying attention to the patient's needs and requests. But it can happen that you notice that your dentist takes frequent phone calls or people come and talk to him while he is working on you. There can be some instances where it can happen. For example:

1. A patient can call to ask for advice. A dentist's duty is not over once the procedure is done. Follow-ups over the phone or via email is becoming more popular these days.

2. A dentist also has to talk to the assistants regarding other cases from time to time.

3. Another role of the dentist is to train the younger practitioners. If an associate comes and asks questions, he is legally obligated to provide the right information for the sake of the patient being treated by that individual.
4. Lastly, a dentist is also a human being and can have a family to care for. Emergencies can come up requiring immediate attention.

This, of course, cannot become a routine. There has to be a limit to how often you are faced with such occurrence. You do have the right to change the dentist in that case.

It is true that when you go for dental treatment, you want your dentist's undivided attention. If it happens to you and you are not comfortable with it, let it be known. Then it should be on the dentist to uphold your request. But still it cannot be guaranteed that a situation will not warrant such kind of action. If you're still not satisfied because it happens too often, you have the right to switch to a new dentist. The best way to find a good, well-reputed dentist is to go through reference.

Note:

1. It goes the other way also. If you go to the dentist's office and keep on using your cell phone while you have been brought back to the operatory, you are not valuing the time that has been assigned to you. You are taking the risk of rushing the dentist and compromising the quality of care. You have to remember that you are not your dentist's only patient. By delaying the dentist you're taking away the time that was to be assigned to the next patient. Especially, that is unfair to a patient that shows up on time.

2. If a dentist gets distracted that easy and the quality of work turns out to be bad, the likelihood is that the dentist did not know what he/she was doing to begin with.