I know this sounds a bit silly and I’m aware I’m giving it too much headspace. I suffer from really severe anxiety, I’m having therapy but I overthink a lot of things and I’m neurodivergent which doesn’t help.
I was at the dentist today, I was already anxious about seeing the dentist and he knows that and is very good with me.
The practice is opposite a primary school and the windows were open as it was a small warm room, my last appointment was winter and the windows were closed.
I had to wait for a while for the dentist then had an examination, it must have been a break time at the school and was already very noisy but then there appeared to be a small group of girls having some sort of screaming contest.
They were taking it in turns to scream loudly one after the other, this went on for a few minutes then they all started screaming at the same time. I could hear one of the girls counting down 3,2,1 GO! Then they would all scream together.
No staff appeared to be going to stop them and it was starting to make me feel desperate to escape, the dentist said I needed X rays as it had been a few years so I knew I’d be stuck there longer. I politely asked the dentist if he could shut the window and he asked if I was cold?
I said no it was just the screaming was quite loud.
I asked in a semi joking way how he managed to listen to that all day, he didn’t answer but the hygienist wasn’t happy.
The hygienist snapped at me “do you have an issue with kids playing?”
I said no but I wasn’t keen on the screaming. She then said that it was likely her daughter just having fun with her friends, she said girls are often “a bit screechy” then said “I take it you’ve none of your own?”
I don’t have kids, I know kids are noisy but I didn’t think it was normal for any parent to be so defensive about their child being allowed to scream at full volume. There was no SEN mentioned so that’s unlikely, it’s definitely not likely the whole group screaming had any additional needs.
I apologised and just said I was feeling a bit anxious, she left to take the X rays to be processed and I was left just with the dentist. I said I was sorry if I’d been offensive and he said I definitely wasn’t and that he was surprised the staff let it happen. He said one day those kids might be screaming for a genuine emergency and no one was going to take any notice.
I felt better that the dentist clearly didn’t think I’d said anything really bad but I was upset when I left.
Part of me felt like leaving feedback on the form I always get sent after the appointment, I was tempted to put that I felt uncomfortable about the hygienists attitude but then I decided I didn’t want her to get in any trouble. I know I was upset but I also know I am over sensitive.
I just wondered if I was actually rude or out of order with what I said about the dentist being stuck listening to kids all day?
With having no kids I was worried I came across as some evil child hater and the way the hygienist said she had taken it I had none of my own it was like that’s what she was insinuating.
I really feel sorry for my dentist, it made me wonder if he’s desperate to close that window for some peace but too scared of also receiving a bollocking 😂.