Should I write a complaint letter?

[warpaint]

i have braces and the bracket on one of my farthest tooth in the back fell off two days ago, causing the end of the wire to stick outwards, stabbing me in the gums

wax doesnt really help because the wire is very long

(so far ive just been rolling up cotton pads and stuffing them at the side of my cheek)

because dental is not covered, i would have to pay $150-$200 at any dental clinic just to have it snipped off, unless if i go to my ortho which is now an hour away from where i currently live. 2 hours by transit.

yesterday i finally decided to make an appointment with my ortho cus its getting really irritating and the receptionist said it was march break so the dentists were on vacay, but they could call in a hygenist in the morning to come by and cut it off. it was a really warm day yesterday and i didnt check the weather until this morning when i realized there was a huuuuge snowstorm. my boyfriends car is not safe enough to drive in such conditions (no snow tires) especially so far away so i had no choice but to cancel.

i felt horrible knowing that they called the hygenist in, but i didnt have any other choice. i couldnt have possibly cancelled any earlier than i did and when the receptionist got back to me, she yelled at me, mocking me for being unable to brave the weather... then she went on yelling about how i should have checked the weather night before (and even if i did, i still wouldnt have been able to cancel on time because their office would have been closed).

after all the yelling she asked when i wanted to reschedule, and i didnt want to reschdule because of how rude she was and i get really panicky when i get yelled at like that, as if i couldnt feel bad enough for cancelling. i didnt want to be on the phone with her so i said no thanks ill try to fix it myself.... then she undermined my braces emergency by saying "if you dont need to reschedule, then see, its not really an emergency is it? if you can do it yourself? why did you make an appointment? etc etc" i didnt really answer and i just said okay bye, sorry...

she's yelled at me before for canceling 2 appointments in the past, but i let those ones slide

idk. i mean i get being a receptionist and customer service in general is tough, but this is a bit much yeah?

i worry about complaining because im not exactly sure if the receptionist and my ortho are friends or what. i have about less than a years worth of treatment left before i take my braces off and i dont want to have a bad relationship with my ortho. i also kinda worry that she'll take her side

--

+ if i do complain, should i write it or tell her directly? also it'll be a while before i see her next.... so should i call?

 

[Shimmer.Fade]

Anything that is in the body that shouldn't be there is a risk of infection. This is more than just a dental issue, this is also a potential issue for a general practitioner. Maybe call your general practitioner to see what he can do. Say that you are worried that you may develop an open sore with potential infection from the wire poking into your gum, and that you would like him to look at it. Open wounds/sores in the mouth can be very dangerous as the mouth doesn't have the most friendly of bacteria. Perhaps he could transfer you to a more local ortho/clinic (here a regular surgeon could also snip that wire) on medical grounds potentially covering your costs.

She shouldn't be yelling at you for sure, but you should still do what is in your best interests. You can certainly mention the situation to the ortho, and say that while you are sorry for not making the appointments that it is not professional for the receptionist to be yelling at anyone about anything, and that it almost put you off from the practice completely.

 

[flyhighk]

I'd complain. Tell the ortho why you cancelled it,
and explain what happened. Hopefully he'll do something about it.
If you can't wait, just cut it off yourself with wire cutters or nail clippers. Be careful

 

[T. Calderone]

The trouble is, with that snowstorm they were warning people to stay off the roads yesterday. I had an appointment and driving was brutal. So this was beyond your control and I think she was out of line shouting at you like that. Probably pissed because she had to go into work and not happy about it.

I wouldn't try to fix this yourself and try to get another appointment and let them cut it. At your next visit, calmly tell them that you couldn't make it due to the bad weather. Also you may want to mention to the office manager or dentist that you were treated poorly because of it. Hope you get some resolution to this.

 

[Jerry Atrick]

If you can't wait, just cut it off yourself with wire cutters or nail clippers.

Are you friggin crazy? The wire cutters you get at the local hardware store are made for cutting copper, a soft metal. Brace wires are steel, a rigid metal. If the OP used regular wire cutters, there would be a high possibility of breaking a tooth or something. Nail clippers? That's an even worse idea.

I wouldn't try to fix this yourself and try to get another appointment and let them cut it.

This ^ x1000

At your next visit, calmly tell them that you couldn't make it due to the bad weather. Also you may want to mention to the office manager or dentist that you were treated poorly because of it. Hope you get some resolution to this.

Good advice as well. Be as polite as possible and AFTER the ortho cuts the wire or makes the adjustment, then bring up the complaint. Don't mention it beforehand because it may be a sensitive issue and your mouth, health, and comfort are more important than some crazy bitch that works the front desk.

Warpaint, I had braces for 7 years and this sort of thing is actually quite common. Try reaching back with your fingers and if you can somehow get a grip on the wire, you may be able to pinch it and slide it forward away from your gum. Do it slowly and be gentle because you don't want to overcompensate and push the wire too far in the other direction.

Good luck and please keep us updated.

 

[nuttynutskin]

I wouldn't do business with a practice that treat their customers like that. Should've told her to go fuck herself.

 

[Shimmer.Fade]

Yea man, but if you are facing an acute problem it isn't the time to be prideful.

 

[llama112]

Are there any other orthos around, that you could go to? It seems like a pretty bad place there. I mean, no receptionist should yell like that, that's just rude!!

 

[flyhighk]

Are you friggin crazy? The wire cutters you get at the local hardware store are made for cutting copper, a soft metal. Brace wires are steel, a rigid metal. If the OP used regular wire cutters, there would be a high possibility of breaking a tooth or something. Nail clippers? That's an even worse idea.

Well I removed my braces myself using wire cutters and pliers, it's easier and safer than you think. How can he break a tooth if he's careful? And I'd honestly rather cut this steel wire myself than just let it stab me in the gums.
Either way, that's not the point of this discussion.