Yelling at patients?

Question

Dr. "O" is a lose cannon. He does not like patients who have epilepsy. He yells, "if you ever have a seizure in here, you;ll be outa here!" His workmanship is exelent. It's just that he has short fuse. He has yelled about other thins as well.
Ontario, Canada

What can a patient do about a dentist like this?

Answer 1

Get a new dentist then report Dr "O" for being an ****

Answer 2

Seek treatment elsewhere. There are other excellent dentists around who don't have anger problems. Ask friends and relatives for recommendations.
It makes you wonder how this fellow would react in a real life-threatening emergency. Epileptic fits aren't hard to manage, but what about a heart attack or allergic reaction?
In 25 years I've never had a patient have an epileptic fit in my surgery. The most common problem is fainting. He probably wouldn't like that either.
Change dentists, then write him a polite letter explaining your problem. It might nudge him to seeking help.

Answer 3

He may not have chairside manner, but he has to be extremely cautious. Should a patient have a seizure during a procedure, the dentist could be held responsible for damage done to the mouth, lip, tongue, etc. Obviously, he could explain himself better, but the real question is: Why are you still going to this guy?

Answer 4

Doctors have different personalities and different "bedside" manners. It's a shame when someone who is so talented and able to help doesn't consider the whole person.

I hope you can fine another doctor out there who is excellent who would understand working with this condition.

It's very important to me to be respected by the doctor even if they are such experts on how to do certain procedures. If you can handle them dishing it out, then stay. If not, treasure yourself and go elsewhere if at all possible.

Answer 5

i would get another doctor. why would you want a doctor who has no patient skills. it is enough that you have to deal with a debilitating illness, why go through the stress of an non empathetic doctor. he needs your money for his business to stay up if all the Pt's felt that way maybe he would close down. i would also talk to him about that just cause you have a degree doesn't rectify you to speak to me anyway you want to if you have so much anger against epileptic patients then maybe you should have practiced another field. my neurologist was very concerned of his Pt's. each individual he took interest in no matter what they were dealing

Answer 6

Are you sure he really put it that way? My dentist feels that in some cases of certain medical conditions, that patient would be better off seeing a dentist with training dealing with that medical condition?

Are you sure that is not what he said?

Answer 7

Sounds like Dr. "O" needs to be more educated on seizures then he wouldn't panic so badly. Look for some seminars to go to and ask him to come.

Answer 8

Such drastically bad bedside manner could be considered discrimination. A quick call to his review board might be in order. You never know at what point his yelling may turn physical or have some other effect.

Answer 9

Find another dentist, ask friends, family, neighbors who their dentist is. Referrals are always a good way to find someone, or to stay away from someone!

Answer 10

It is clear to me that he is being prejudice toward patients with epilepsey. If he is threatning to refuse to provide service to them because of a disablity, that is wrong.