Dentist receptionist confidentiality

[onanislandfaraway]

I made an online enquiry to my dentist today regarding 2 treatments they now offer there, botox and fat dissolvable injections. When I spoke with them on the phone I asked could I be put in touch with the lady who I enquired with, I could then hear the lady I enquired with shouting is that "jo bloggs", bear in mind I'm from a town where everyone knows everyone and my family name is extremely uncommon and very difficult to pronounce so she obviously knew of me/my family to be able to pronounce it perfectly and I'm the only person with that name anywhere that I know of.

She spoke very loud on the phone and it would have been clear as day that jo bloggs wants to get a botox brow lift and fat dissolvable injections for her double chin because everyone in that surgery would have heard her phone call with me.

I've had an issue there before where the receptionist loudly asked if I was there for teeth whitening and everyone in the waiting area heard, I don't think this was the same receptionist.

A lot of the staff there know of me/my family as we've been going there years. They are always lovely there and I don't want to get anyone in trouble but just want to get it off my chest that I felt they were out of order for saying my full name loudly and they stating exactly what treatment I wanted. I've told plenty of people I'm having it/have had botox in the past but that's not the point and I'm thinking they've probably done this to plenty of others in the past who could find this really upsetting. AIBU to have expected more confidentiality?

that is very poor and regardless of your reasons for the enquiry nobody should have to listen to w private enquiry being hollered around the reception area.

Awful OP 🌸

just out of curiosity, what is the neck fat jab you were enquiring about? asking for a friend 👀

I had no idea you could go to a dentist for a brow lift.

Thanks for your reply BlueButtercups. The treatment can be known as Aqualyx I believe but my dentist offers a version called Desoface, been looking at having it done for ages and thought I'd finally bite the bullet but didn't expect the world and his dog to know I was going to have it!

Are you sure the call was being taken within earshot of patients, or is it possible that there weren't any patients in the waiting room at that time?

At our surgery it is 'one in one out' at the moment, with anyone arriving early being asked to wait outside.

I don’t think anyone will give a toss about who’s having what done to their face at the dentists.

Yep you can now! It's just with botox, although I don't know if it will work as only ever had it in my frown lines but it seems to drop my eyebrows a little when I have it done, hence wanting a lift to them!

Yes I was just going to say our dentist isn't having anyone in the waiting room, you have to wait in your car to be called - so possible there was only the two staff in there?

The thing is, it was over the phone so you can’t be 100% sure who else was in earshot

At my dentist, the waiting room doesn’t exist anymore. You’re called in from you car and immediately see the dentist.

So no patients would be able to overhear phone calls at my dentist

Having said that though, I did complain about the receptionist at my GP doing this. This was pre COVID and she was shouting out my blood test results in front of 3 other receptionists, about 7 patients in the waiting area, and several staff/customers in the adjacent pharmacy who were looking at us. Literally no care for confidential medical information at all.

To be honest hardly anyone is allowed in a dentist's waiting room at the moment and I doubt who happened to be there to overhear would care anyway!

Well it's not really my point whether people don't give a toss, I'm a nurse and if I told someone who didn't give a toss that mrs smith down the road had been into hospital recently for her whatsit would that be OK?

You do have a point fourminutestosavetheworld before covid the waiting room is usually always packed! I didn't think that it may have been empty, although I could hear a lot of talking in background which could have just been the staff

I had a vaguely similar experience. Whilst sitting in the waiting area for botox at a place I'd been previously, the receptionist was chatting to another women I didn't recognise as their staff. The regular receptionist said loudly to the other woman 'she is awaiting botox downstairs' and pointed at me! There were other patients in the room, but in a slightly different section. I pulled the regular women up and turns out the other women was on a trial for a new job there. I pointed out that it was embarrassing and unprofessional.

In your situation, I'd be having this treatment done away from your local area where everyone knows your name! Surely its only every few months, so the extra travel would be worth it! Have you been in touch with them since? What did you say to the receptionist at the time? Is she hard of hearing, hence the being so loud? you know the circumstances more than us, but if her speaking loudly and being unprofessional is common, I'd write to the manager.

I'm not too bothered by others knowing as my close friends and family know I've had it before but I was a little taken back thinking that a load of people from my town would have heard my name and what I was enquiring about, but I was wondering if this may have been a common occurrence and others might be really upset by it all.

I didn't say anything about it at the time to be honest! it wasn't until I got off the phone I thought well that was a little inappropriate but could very well be the case that there where no other patients around so she's not really done anything wrong.

@onanislandfaraway

you're not being unreasonable at all 🌸

and thank you Im gonna google that lol ☺️

On our dentist’s web and fb pages, under our team members, it shows exactly who to contact for concerns and complaints. I’d complain about privacy issues and poor protocol.