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Your foot starts tapping. You look around the room. You check your watch. Again. You know your appointment was scheduled for 10:15am—you even arrived early. What IS the hold up?
Well, among other things, is the act of scheduling. Some doctors try to accommodate everyone on the same day, and sometimes “squeeze” people in who could possibly wait another day. Emergencies are “waits” that are legitimate. A child who has just had his front tooth knocked out by a baseball surely has precedence over all other patients. You would want the same consideration extended to you if it was your child. Another problem arises out of the insurance “craze-maze”. Many dental insurance plans only pay the doctor a fraction of the cost of the procedure, so the doctor may need to decrease the time scheduled for each patient. If for some reason he/she gets behind, the whole schedule will be behind the whole day. In my experience, the main reason for waiting is the fact that the person before you (or earlier in the day) was late. A patient may not feel that it is a big deal to show up ten minutes late, but on a tightly booked schedule, ten minutes is A LOT of time. The late person will want the same degree of care as the on-time person, thus putting the entire schedule behind. The best way to combat waiting is for everyone to show up on time! Now—for those of you who just cannot STAND to wait, here are a few pointers: 1. Schedule your appointment at the start of the day, or the first appointment after lunch. If the staff is late taking you at these times, consider speaking with the office manager. 2. Call ahead. Find out if the schedule is running “on time” and adjust accordingly. 3. Please be aware that end-of-day appointments are the most likely to be late. Schedule early in the day. Happy flossing! Go To Page: 1
The copyright of the article Why the Wait? in Dental Health is owned by Tracey Ryan. Permission to republish Why the Wait? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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