Sick of Ortho's assistants!

Message

#16 Post by **wearetheborg** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 9:26 pm

genxsis, is this at orthoworks in san francisco ?

Some of the assistants can be morons.
I got spacers and brackets put in last week (wire will go in this week). Similar set up - 4 chairs being worked simultaneously. Dentist put in the brackets. When I left, I could feel biting on one of the brackets (one top teeth was hitting the bracket on the bottom one - a result of my messed up bite). Anyhoo, I've never had braces, so I didnt know how they shood have felt. I should have checked into a mirror at the office.
I come home, look in the mirror, and know immediately there is no way in hell the bracket is gonna survive. I try to call them but they wernt answeing (lotsa patients I guess). So I go back to their office (1 hr commute) and tell the receptionist my problem. Receptionist gets this female dental assistant with a big smile who is dismissive and tells me its normal bla bla. I show her the bracket, but she is not interested.
I come home, eat a couple of *soft bananas*, and the bracket come off. I want to bash in the assistants head in at this time.

I mean really, doesnt 1000s of dollars buy us some basic competency and decency ? I'm going to ask to speak to a dentist from now on - I can throw this incident, nah, I'm GONNA throw this incident in their faces in the future.

Idiots.

#17 Post by **missing_tooth** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 11:15 pm

I would be writting the ortho a letter. That should ensure he gets your message and isn't exaclty "accidently" misplaced.

- Missing Tooth -

#18 Post by **spragers** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 12:08 am

Maybe I'm spoiled by a small ortho office, but I've never had any rudeness from staff there. I've gone in many times to have wires clipped, adjusted etc. between adjustments. They are more than happy to accomodate me for the whole 5 minutes of their day that a wire clip takes up. My ortho's assistants range in age from about 20 to 50 and they are all very friendly and professional. If they weren't, I doubt I'd be seeing them again.

In your case I would definitely voice my concern to the ortho in charge and let him know that his employees are being anything but professional. Their job is serve you, not the other way around.

#19 Post by **genxsis** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 12:26 pm

Whew! It sounds overwhelmingly like I should say something. OK, at the next appointment, which is in early April for an adjustment, I'll see how things go and will be more likely to say something to someone and I'll be as polite as I possibly can, depending on how bad the situation is.

If I had to do this time over again, I'd probably talk to the treatment coordinator, who seemed REALLY nice and respectful when I talked to her just before my treatment. I had a huge list of questions for her at that time all written up about what would be involved, what I could eat, etc., so I really think she would listen if I talked to her.

#20 Post by **ssfw** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 10:48 pm

Hi genxsis,

Why wait until your next appt. in April? I would schedule an appt. as soon as possible and talk to both the orthodontist and treatment coordinator.

All of the staff at my orthodontists' office are so kind and helpful - this includes the 2 orthodontists also. Nobody ever makes me feel like I'm taking up too much of their time and they always answer all of my questions and are very compassionate. All of this makes me have a more positive attitude about going through ortho. treatment.

Good luck and keep us posted.

ssfw

#21 Post by **nvcarissa** » Wed Feb 15, 2006 11:49 pm

I'm with ssfw. Bad behavior needs to be addressed immediately. Really, make an appointment that is NOT related to an adjustment to let your ortho know what is happening. I have heard some real horror stories on this board and I am so thankful that I have an ortho with really super staff. I have never felt that I have not been treated with the utmost respect and empathy.

I cannot believe that your ortho knows that this sort of behavior is going on, and if he/she does and lets it continue, then perhaps you do need to look for another one.

#22 Post by **tandi** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 6:55 am

I always believed that the behavior of any lower ranked employee is a reflection of the attitude of upper management. its the responsibility of any manager, dr. or otherwise to know what's is going on with his employees. once he is made aware of an issue it is his responsibility to correct it, if not then the action is condoned and the next move is yours.

#23 Post by **genxsis** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 12:24 pm

I just don't like to trouble the waters until I really have to. And admittedly, I can be a little too sensitive about things. I think I drive my dentist crazy too. He thinks I'm too jumpy at every sign of pain! I don't know if that's true or not. And in the case of the ortho assistant, maybe they'll be gone by April, or maybe I won't get those 2 at that time, and then I'll be safe for another 2 months.

And here's something else to complicate things. My Dad is actually helping me to a large degree in paying for this treatment. He doesn't like the idea of me saying anything because he also fears I'll be starting something bad. And so it wouldn't be really up to me either about switching orthos if things got muddied up too bad. I want to think of talking to the coordinator or getting someone in trouble as the "nuclear option" that I would only use if things looked hopeless otherwise.

#24 Post by **nvcarissa** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 1:50 pm

It's kind of frustrating when someone comes on the board very upset over something and asks us for advice and we give it, only to be told, in not so many words, that that person just really wanted to vent, rather than take our advice.

#25 Post by **Flora2006** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 5:34 pm

spragers wrote:Maybe I'm spoiled by a small ortho office, but I've never had any rudeness from staff there. I've gone in many times to have wires clipped, adjusted etc. between adjustments. They are more than happy to accomodate me for the whole 5 minutes of their day that a wire clip takes up. My ortho's assistants range in age from about 20 to 50 and they are all very friendly and professional. If they weren't, I doubt I'd be seeing them again.

In your case I would definitely voice my concern to the ortho in charge and let him know that his employees are being anything but professional. Their job is serve you, not the other way around.

Same here. Although my ortho does everything - there are no assistants. My ortho was actually really surprised at my first adjustment that I never came to get the end of the wire clipped. He saw how badly cut my cheeks were and he kept insisting to use wax and to come buy so he could cut them if they hurt me again...he kept telling me that it takes seconds to cut the wire so I should call if anything

#26 Post by **fins** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 5:35 pm

I think I would call the ortho immediately and explain what happened and ask that you be seen by another assistant in the future. I would not go to anyone but the ortho.

In my office you are asked to check to see if anything is poking (usually it's a wire check) but I would think you would be given wax if a band had a sharp area that couldn't be removed. In the future, if something is uncomfortable, maybe just ask to speak to the ortho before you get out of the chair and let him take care of the problem, not the assistant. I've asked for the ortho a few times when it was clear the assistant was struggling and I was uncomfortable.

#27 Post by **jcdamon3** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 7:19 pm

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's kind of frustrating when someone comes on the board very upset over something and asks us for advice and we give it, only to be told, in not so many words, that that person just really wanted to vent, rather than take our advice.

Wow! I thought that was what this board was all about?! I mean no one has to take any advice and really aren't we ALL here for support! We don't all have to brag about how great our orthodontists are either, but we do. I say if you want to vent, go for it. You can take the advice or leave it after all it's about worth what you paid for it!!

Good Luck Genexsis, whatever you decide.

#28 Post by **nvcarissa** » Thu Feb 16, 2006 11:55 pm

My apologies. It appeared that Genexsis was asking our advice, but when I go back and look at what was written, she (?) didn't really come out and ask...we just thought she was based on some of the questions she posed in her original post.

I agree that this is the place to vent. Maybe I am just having a bad day.

Didn't mean to take it out on Genexsis.

#29 Post by **genxsis** » Fri Feb 17, 2006 1:47 pm

nvcarissa:

No problem! Actually, I guess you could say I was "testing the waters." I had something happen and wanted to put it out here to see how others reacted, and to see whether or not it happened on a regular basis. I'm just one person (a guy, by the way) and only have my own experience to draw upon, that is until I tell others about it and see what they have to say.

It does appear that I should say something to the ortho, but I really do just want to wait to see if anything like that happens again before saying something that might get someone in trouble which would give me a reputation as a "troublemaking patient" for the next 2 years. An incident or 2 is something I can live with for now, but I won't continue tolerating it every time I go there. I will definately say something if it continues though.

And I really do appreciate the advice I get here. It keeps me from feeling so alone in the whole braces experience. That's invaluable!

#30 Post by **Lin** » Sat Feb 18, 2006 10:56 pm

Hi again, genxsis!

I was so surprised to read about how the ortho assistants treated you... that truly is out of line. Whether a child, teenager, or adult feels pain shouldn't matter... it still hurts! And you are paying them not only for the braces, but for orchestrating how they work and, really, to a great extent, how you experience them. I, for one, know that wax can only fix so much when things are seriously (and I mean seriously) slicing up flesh in there.

So I guess I'm saying I agree with most everybody else... have a private chat with your ortho. I would be interested in knowing what he says if you care to share afterward! Seems to me that mature behavior on his assistants' parts would be in his best interest too.

When my molar bands were slicing up my tongue whenever I ate or spoke, it got so bad I made an emergency appt. with my ortho's office. Only a couple of hours later, an assistant was flattening the cleats for me. What I liked was that she was doing the best that she could, said so, and demonstrated her effort... as she flattened, she would test the sharpness of the cleats with her gloved finger. I thought that was respectful of her since she was obviously trying to gauge how comfortable the results of her efforts would/wouldn't be for me. She also said that she understood how uncomfortable the bands could be, as she had had them once too. If only all assistants were that way!

Good luck in April!