I made an appointment for X-rays and an exam with Dr. Ponce at Las Vegas Oral Surgery on Thursday morning at 8am. I was really excited and a bit frightened because I haven't been to the dentist in years and now that I am insured I was gung-ho about getting my teeth taken care of.
My boyfriend came with me because I had asked if the dentist did sedation dentistry and the receptionist said yes, so I wasn't sure if anything was to be done that day, and if I'd need a ride home. He doesn't have to be at work until 11:15 so I knew it would be fine.
Thus, the morning began walking into the waiting room, at 7:50, which reeeked of cigarette smoke. My bf made a comment, but I figured the old man who was there may have been a smoker and I'm used to that sort of thing in Vegas. It was kind of odd to have it THAT strong in a nearly deserted medical waiting room that early in the morning, but I thought nothing of it (I had other things on my mind) as I filled out my paperwork.
I was taken back at 8am by a very friendly lady with a Spanish accent, who asked me how I was doing, and I explained how nervous I was and she said not to worry and they were here to help me. Then she took me to get an X-ray, where you stand up in this huge machine and bite on a stick, holding onto these bars. It takes a full picture of all your teeth in one long line. It took a while just to get this done because I wasn't activated on the computer yet and the lady had to wait and wait, until it was done.
Then she took me into my room and I laid down and watched Good Morning America. I never saw the first lady again. About a half hour later, some guy came in and asked me who I was as he checked the computer, and then asked me if I had my x-rays done. I said yes, but then he realized I hadn't gotten ALL of them done and he seemed irritated. He quickly took a bunch, shoving this rubber film in my mouth, until he finished. Then he left. I still have no idea who he was, since he never introduced himself to me.
About 15 minutes later, the same guy came back with an African-American woman dressed in a lab coat. She situated herself behind me, never introducing herself to me, and she stuck that sharp pointy scraper in my mouth testing for cavities. Luckily she didn't hurt me. She was yelling out numbers for each tooth and the guy was recording them on the computer. They finished and the woman told me someone would come in and tell me what they wanted to do and how much it would cost. Then they left.
Another 15 minutes passed when another African American woman came in and (yay!) introduced herself to me. She told me I had six cavities, and the doctor (who I hadn't met yet), wanted to do silver on top, white fillings on the bottom. Fine. I was actually relieved now, because the real doctor (that I had made my appointment with) had looked at my x-rays and was going to be working on me! I then asked about the sedation part, and the woman looked at me like I was crazy. Thanks for making me feel like a big baby. She said I probably wouldn't want to do it because it was $680 per hour, and I'd need someone to drive me home, etc. She then said the entire process of filling the cavities and the cleaning would take a half hour, so it would be pointless. I asked if it would hurt and she said hold on and she went to check. When she came back she said they could give me "laughing gas" and it would be bearable and my entire cost would be $150. I agreed since I wanted to get it over with.
I glanced at the clock when the woman left and it was 9:20am. I laid down and waited for the doctor. They first guy came back a few minutes later and said he was moving me to another room. I used the restroom and he prepped the room.
Time was ticking and no doctor. Finally, at 10am, the first guy and the African-American woman with the lab coat came back. So I'm guessing they are going to be doing the fillings and cleaning, not Dr. Ponce. Interesting. They got situated and the guy gave me oxygen first. It became apparent that he didn't know how much "laughing gas" to give me and the woman had to inform him and quite unprofessionally, right in front of me. Great. My confidence in their experience and abilities was declining.
The woman sat behind me and just started rubbing my gums with numbing gel without telling me what she was doing. Luckily the "laughing gas" took off the fear aspect, but it left me feeling upset that she was going to stab me with the novocain needle and not tell me. She did and repeatedly. The pain wasn't bad, but I was peeved.
Then they left. The clock on the TV read 10:15am. My mouth was completely numb within 5 minutes. As time ticked by panic struck. Again, luckily the "laughing gas" prevented me from jumping up and screaming that they better hurry up because soon I wouldn't be numb anymore. My mind started racing, but I tried to convince myself that these were professionals and they knew how long the novocain would last and not to worry. My eyes teared up with how upset I was when I looked at the clock at it read 11am. I was upset beyond words that my boyfriend was out there not knowing what was going on and was going to have to call in and be late for work. I was even more upset that when the African American woman with the lab coat came back in she didn't apologize. She commented on something on the TV and said she was going to have to do this alone. Great. Just what I wanted to hear.
She drilled my right side, then started on the lower left. She hit a nerve. Thus, the novocain had worn off. Big surprise! She said the lower was done anyway and started to drill the upper left. Another nerve! She gave me yet another poke with a needle. No apology. The other dude appeared and helped her with the fill of the right and lower left. Twice dropping filling material down my throat making me gag and spit up. I said I was swallowing something and all she said was, "oh it's just the material". Is that all?? Then she yelled at me to get my tongue out of the way or she wouldn't be able to finish. But my whole mouth was numb; I had no idea what my tongue was doing and there wasn't any way I could control it! The guy had to hold my tongue back, which is the only humorous part of the story.
They finally finished with the fillings (and now as I run my tongue over my teeth there are some huge divets that I don't believe belong there). After they turn off the light and sit me up, they realize they haven't done a cleaning and look at each other and shrug. I ask them pathetically with my swollen mouth and numb face if I can do the cleaning some other time because my boyfriend has to go to work. The time: 11:30am.
The guy escorts me out to the front desk and I make an appointment for Sat, knowing full well I won't ever be coming back to this horrid place again. I begin to cry as I leave with my boyfriend, horrified by my treatment, how long it took, and how incompetent the people who worked on me were. My boyfriend mentioned that he could tell how unorganized they were just by how the staff handled the people in the waiting room. He said he wouldn't go back either.
So, by noon...my face looks like I've gone three rounds with Layla Ali because of the novocain, and how much I cried. I spent 4 hours at the dentist, for something that should have taken at most, an hour, with substandard treatment and without even a cleaning. Plus, the dentist I made an appointment with didn't even work on me, or even have the decency to introduce herself to me.
I'm sorely disappointed. No wonder people don't go to the dentist. As a new patient, there on a recommendation, which I noted on the paperwork and when I made the appointment, I had a higher expectation of how I should have been treated. For one, as a nervous person, I should have been consulted by the doctor herself. Two, whoever comes into the room to work with me should introduce themselves. Three, the staff should be competant and confidant and FRIENDLY! Four, no matter what the staff performs they should tell me exactly what they are doing and why. Five, they should do it in an appropriate time frame. Four hours for what they did to me is inexcusable.
This has been the worst dental experience of my life, and I've had some doozies. Heck, I had braces, and the pain accompanied with that! But this had nothing to do with pain. It has everything to do with trust and good old-fashioned courteousness. No one cared about me, or what I felt while I was there. No one even asked me! The sad part is, I put my trust in them and my hard earned money. I was ready to spend a lot of money with these people if I liked them. I wanted to get my teeth whitened AND invisalign, which isn't cheap. But now, I didn't even call to cancel the appointment I had with them today. They wasted my time, why not waste a little of theirs.
Now I feel ANY dentist (even Steve Martin from Little Shop of Horrors) would be better than Las Vegas Oral Surgery. I'm also submitting a complaint to the Better Business Bureau and my insurance company. People shouldn't have to go through what I did.
Quote of the Day: Be obscure clearly. ~E.B. White
