Orthodontist, is it time for a formal complaint or am I overreacting?

[AssembleTheMinions]

Name changed as this could identify me.

Dd1 is 15. She has had fixed braces for almost two years. Her regular orthodontist is lovely, no problems there.

To cut a long story short, she has been inappropriately touched (in my opinion) by one of the other members of staff. The first time he stroked her arm, I didn't know as she didn't tell me, the second time he held her hand, both while she was reclined in the chair. I made a complaint to the practice manager who assured me should would look in to it. She called me a week later to say she had spoken to him and he didn't feel he had done nothing wrong and was just reassuring her. I told them I was far from happy with this and I wanted assurances that he would not be in contact with dd again.

Fast forward to last week. She got her braces off and had to return a few days later to get her retainer fitted. I didn't see this man but when she came out the room she was crying. It turned out that he was the one who fitted it and he has been stroking her face.

I went straight down to see the practice manager and told her how angry we are. I have the address to make a formal complaint but that seems to be an inhouse address. I feel that I want to make it more official as this chap is clearly so arrogant that although he is aware that a complaint has been made before, he has still not got the message that touching teenage girls while they are in a vulnerable postion is just not on.

I'm sure I'm not overreacting, but give it to me straight. Am I?

Sorry, GMC.

I am with different - this is a 15 year old who has been touched (in her opinion, which is what matters) in an inappropriate way. Quite why he was allowed to treat her again, or why he didn't ask for her Mum to accompany her is beyond me.

As for 'teaching her the skills' - she is not in the wrong. If you had any understanding whatsoever of what it feels like to be in this kind of situation and why it's very common to 'freeze' you wouldn't even think that, let alone vocalise it.

Instincts can be very powerful. YY! And in this scenario, if it were a woman, I expect she would be told to listen to them & perhaps report him. So I am struggling to see why we are telling a child she should have done x,y,z in order to protect herself.

Children are very rarely accompanied in this practice.

That seems quite weird to me. DS's orthodontist always had plenty to communicate to us, me the parent needed to be there.

When you put the most recent incident in writing to the practise, please also refer to your original verbal complaint and ask what action they took over it.
they should have some sort of record of it and a record of anything they did about it.

You know for the future, always, always complain in writing. If you have to do it verbally for any reason, when you get home, email or write a letter and refer to the person you had the conversation with and what was said and the expected outcome.

All three of mine have had multiple moulds taken of their teeth and never been stroked.

That said, I trust their orthodontist completely and he has never given me or them reason to feel uncomfortable.

However, your DD was upset the first two times and had been assured that he would not be treating her again. She was also very upset this time. He should not have been given the chance to user her again. I imagine she did not feel able to speak up about it at the time. I would definitely make a complaint in writing, focussing on the fact that your DD was upset and hard been assured he would not been treating her again after th first complaint.

On the face of it, I would not have been bothered by the first two incidences beyond the fact that my Dd was upset.