I worked in a dental practice for 26 years and a children's dental practice 10 years before that. We often ran behind which wasn't good for the patient waiting but also stressfull for the dentist as well as myself. Not to mention the girls at the desk. They would get the first of the unhappy patient then I would get the brunt of the unhappiness. I would always say I was sorry and when the dentist came in he would apologize and normally they would say that was ok but if they called him on it he would say we could just skip the novocaine and rush to get them out on time. They sure calmed down then. No one wants to run late but sometimes someone would call and say they chipped a tooth and it turned out to be a nightmare. The patient in the chair was the main focus and nothing was rushed. Running late for a Dr means no lunch and not walking out the door at closing time. The desk tried to call the patient if we were running late but not always possible. We had a very popular respected practice and as much as we hated to lose a patient there was always two wanting to get in. Running late usually isn't normal but you should get your Drs full attention when you see them.
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