When I (Female 60) was a kid I had a traumatic root canal done by a dentist who didn't give the numbing agent time to kick in-and it used to take a LOT longer than today- before he started work on the root canal. When I repeatedly told him I was in pain, he assured me I wasn't because the nerve was dying anyway.
It was 30 years before I went back to a dentist and that was only due to my wisdom tooth becoming impacted. My new dentist was a wonderfully kind and compassionate person who introduced me to Nitrous Oxide and had no problem providing it for impacted wisdom teeth (All four of the buggers impacted, one after another) filling cavities, and performing subsequent root canals I have needed due to years of dental neglect.
Without Nitrous, I get high levels of anxiety and on one occasion when my regular dentist was injured and out for 9 months and the substitute dentist said "I need the syringe now." I immediately vacated the dental chair by leaping almost a foot in the air before hurtling across the room like an action hero. I have to have the nitrous or I'm a wreck, and sadly, my Guardian Angel Dentist has retired.
So the day before Thanksgiving my tooth gets slightly sore, becomes screamingly painful on Thanksgiving, and the day after but I can't see a dentist until Monday. Every Dentist in town was closed. So I see a dental business, the kind that seems to operate like fast food syndicates, they take an XRay and say I need to see an Endodontist. First opening they have is Late January. Now, my tooth isn't as painful but it still hurts and the pain is actually spreading. I ask if there is anything sooner and they can make me an appointment this morning. I say fine. All is well in Dental land.
So I get to the Office and am greeted by two cheerful receptionists, one of who gives me two pages saying "We didn't know for certain what the Dr decides on, so we gave you an estimate for having one root canal OR having two."
i blink. "Root Canal?"
"Didn't they mention this on Monday?"
"Uh, No. Absolutely did not. This is 100% new information to me. You did say root canal, right?" This is something I usually build up my courage for.
"Well, you don't have to have it done today. The Dr will advise you and it's up to you to decide if you'd rather come back."
OK. I can live with that, just one question: Do they have nitrous Oxide?
At this point a third party intrudes, a rather scowly Dental Tech who tells me it isn't needed.
"So, you don't have Nitrous Oxide?" I'm preparing to flee.
"We do. It does cost extra, though." The receptionist soothes.
"Wasted money." says scowly Tech.
So we go back, dentist does dentist stuff, tells me I definitely need a RC. I buckle up and say OK, as long as I can get Nitrous. He says it isn't really a necessity; I give him a brief dental history and he says no problem. Tech can get started on that and he'll be back in a few.
Scowly tech stumps off, comes back dragging the Nitrous along like a disreputable acquaintance....then says I'm hanging onto the past and I shouldn't use the Nitrous instead of facing my fears. For the next five utterly surreal minutes she argues, scolds and refuses to give me the Nitrous saying I don't need it while I repeatedly tell her that as long as the dentist is working on me, I need this to keep calm. Finally, with a look of utter disgust, she gives me the nitrous oxide. Heaven. My anxiety is floating away, my body is relaxed, and the Christmas Carols playing on the office radio are starting to sound incredibly profound.
Dentist comes in and starts work, everything is fine....until it isn't. All of a sudden I'm wide awake, a throbbing knot of anxiety, and two inches close from crawling out of the chair. Scowly tech turned off the gas, or turned it so low it's not having an effect. I frantically communicated this to the dentist who tells her to turn it back on. She never does. For the remainder of the root canal I'm a mass of near panic attack. Fortunately, the Dr really is very good and quick and finishes up quickly before I propel myself from the chair.
I stagger out of the chair, she smirks at me and tells me to follow her to the front office and then, when I turn to get my coat, walks off without me, leaving me to wander around the office until another tech sees me and kindly shows me the way out.
Now here's the thing: Would I be unreasonable if I left a rotten review on their website outlining her awful behavior? I think she's a mean, malicious human being, but what if she is the sole support for her mean, malicious family or something? She might end up getting fired or something, and just before Christmas. But she was so argumentative and hateful and I just cannot believe that the Nitrous Oxide just conveniently ran out in mid-treatment or something and it never resumed when the Dr told her to turn it back on. Would like some feedback before I decide what to do, please.