Dentist blabs medical history

[anhenry546]

I've always hated dentists, now I remember why. I finally went to get 2 teeth extracted after 10 years of avoiding dentists. I am prescribed a daily medication that I did not want to list because once people see that they judge me and I get treated different. Evidently the dentist pulled up records at my pharmacy and saw it anyways and asked me about it. I told him people judge you for it that's why I didn't mention it, he says, you know what people judge you for more? LYING! Very loud. He then proceeded to talk about my history with this medicine and what it does where everyone in the office could hear him, patients, employees, everyone. Like most dentist offices they don't have seperate rooms so you can hear everything when talking normally much less being obnoxious and loud. After that the dentist only spoke to me to ask of I was numb then pulled the teeth in a very rough manner and left, never said anything else. I didn't go back in a week like I was supposed to, I will never go back there, if anywhere. It was so embarrassing, I'm already ashamed of my teeth then he has to make me feel 2 feet tall over my medication. I literally had to keep looking at the ceiling to keep myself from bursting into tears. I just wanted to get the hell out of there. I got a message from the office saying I missed my appt and I was going to message back telling them why I missed and that I'd never be back, I'm just not sure what all I should say. I wish there was someone to report that prick to.

 

[krlovesherkids777]

Anhenry,

Wow. just so sorry that happened to you ,and after you finally decided to give it another shot, thats really hard and pretty harsh, You were in a really vulnerable place of trusting someone and he really wow.. was super hard on you. I would have felt really uncomfortable and upset. ugh.. especially with the broadcasting it loudly for others to hear.. Shame and judgement is why so many of us don't go for years. I wouldn't go back there either if I was treated like that either.. ugh. so sorry.. glad you shared so we can help encourage you. It helps to get it out with people who understand..

 

[comfortdentist]

I can understand why the dentist would be upset by the lack of disclosure. There are good reasons why these things are asked. But the matter should be kept quite.
Now I am required to look up every patient every time I write for a controlled substance. If I don't it is a license problem for me so I do. Every doctor is also restricted in the same manor. No exceptions and we are limited to the quantity and strength of the medication for pain that we can write.

 

[Enarete]

This sounds like a really awful experience. In my country, this would equal not taking care of a patients privacy and you could complain heavily about this. I can only encourage you to do so.

There are weirdest connections and reactions between health issues, medication and dental treatment and a dentist can really harm you unwillingly if he/she doesn't know about medication you take. I know how hard it can be to disclose some things, especially if you had a bad experience in the past. This is why finding a dentist you trust and feel safe at is one of the most important things when it comes to dental treatment. If you feel like not wanting to disclose this to a doctor, then it might be a good idea to find someone else who makes you feel more at ease.

I wasn't able to fill my forms at my first dental visit as I didn't trust anyone yet and didn't want them to know anything about me or to treat me or to even look at me. My dentist managed to create a welcoming non-judgmental atmosphere so that I was able to go through the form with him after few minutes of a chat. May you find someone kind and caring soon and be able to get the needed treatment. Finding such a dentist is not the easiest thing to do, but it is possible. It might be a good idea to email a practice and ask them how they work with nervous patients before considering seeing them.

All the best wishes

 

[Punkin]

I always hated that about dental offices- no real walls and you can usually hear everything. I say find a new dentist. I've had problems with many dentists but happened to find a really nice place by a google search. I read reviews and picked a dentist based on that. Best decision ever. Also, some dentists have an office to discuss treatment options and whatnot in. If you found a nice dentist, I'm sure they could discuss medication or anything else in a private location like an office.

 

[comfortdentist]

I always hated that about dental offices- no real walls and you can usually hear everything. I say find a new dentist. I've had problems with many dentists but happened to find a really nice place by a google search. I read reviews and picked a dentist based on that. Best decision ever. Also, some dentists have an office to discuss treatment options and whatnot in. If you found a nice dentist, I'm sure they could discuss medication or anything else in a private location like an office.

Not always true. I built my office 18 years ago with individual rooms and doors that can be closed. I also packed the walls with insulation for sound control.

 

[geos]

I would suggest contacting the control body that the dentist works under and/or your local Privacy Commissioner to get clarifications on what level of privacy you should have had and if their is ground to place a complaint.
While it's understandable that it's problematic for the dentist that you didn't disclose your medication, it's also a problem that your privacy wasn't respected.