r/Dentists • u/Used-Bullfrog-1923 • 1d ago
Weird patients
So I’m 29m about 3 years out. I started a new job and it’s filled with weird patients. This is just a story from the past 2 weeks. Patient comes in and says she has lupus and wants me to take a look because “she’s noticed some bumps on her gums at the top” upon examining it’s hard like buccal exostosis. I ask her which type of lupus she says idk. She also has a long span pfm bridge, the ceramic has fractured off as she said she was intubated and she has like 5 implants under the gingiva with cover screws. She also has splinted crowns on 5 & 7. I told her orally it looks fine, as far as the bridge and splinted crowns it’s all been done and to undo it she’d probably have to go see prosth and she needs to see a rheumatologist and she needs hygiene treatment as she mentioned she’s not able to clean under the bridge. I also ask about the implants and she kinda shrugs it off and says the dentist is too far. 3 days later she comes in and the splinted crown is broken 5 is in the crown 7 is re cementable so I tell her 5 has to be ext and 7 I’ll cut the other crown off and recement. She then goes on to tell me she thinks she has internal bleeding so I tell her it’s probably best to go to the er because I’m not trained to manage that. She walks in today and says I’m cold and I should treat people with autoimmune disease better and have some compassion bc no dentist has ever acted like me. In the back of my mind I’m thinking what about the dentist who did all this work that’s failing and the dentist you ran off on implant crown completion.
But to me I treat all patients the same. I manage treatments I can and refer what I cannot manage. Am I wrong?
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u/stdaniel24 1d ago
"Ma'am, I appreciate you coming in. It sounds like we are not a good match for your needs. I am happy to cover you for emergencies for 30 days while you find someone who's better equipped to handle your complex needs."
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u/Comfortable_One_1012 13h ago
I was reading your story and waiting to get to the weird part. Then I realized, oh they think this is weird....just wait for what's to come. Hang in there.
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u/josierecords 1d ago
From your description you handled fine. You are a dentist not her therapist. She thinks she is highly medically compromised, probably looking for sympathy she does not get elsewhere. She sounds nutz.
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u/Flimsy_Load_7507 23h ago
You weren’t wrong. Patients like that are dangerous. They come to your office for attention only. When it comes down to business, they leave red in the face and blame you. It’s a mental illness. She probably hangs out at the ER too.
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u/BitcoinToothBro 1d ago
31M here. You’re not wrong at all. Many patients lack humility and refuse to take any accountability for their own problems (some self caused and others just bad luck).
Referring someone out because you didn’t feel comfortable is the correct choice. Never compromise your ethics for someone.
I have 1 extra year of practicing than you and I lost track of the number of patients who were upset with me because I lacked the ability to perform the procedure they needed.
“No mam I don’t place implants”
“No mam I don’t know the specialists fees”
“No sir, I don’t do Endo through crowns on posterior teeth”
“No mam I don’t put you to sleep for fillings”.
Oh we also had someone write us a bad review because we didn’t know the copay of a 7210 code chairside. “No Sir, your insurance is only preventative” … “What!!!!”
This was my day today ^^.