To think that a dentist running 45 minutes late is taking the p*?

[TigersEnglandChick]

Just had to leave the dentist without being seen for the second time.
In October I had an appointment and had to leave as she was running nearly an hour late and I couldn't sit around waiting. Luckily I was able to get another appointment and that day she was 'only' running 20 mins behind

Today it was DD's turn. The appointment was at 11.00 and I had to get the car home for DH by 12.00 - it's a 20 minute drive.
At 11.35 there were still 2 people ahead of us so we had to leave without being seen.
I've made another appointment for tomorrow (luckily) but I don't think they'd refund me the petrol money for our wasted 25 mile trip today, do you?

Whenever I've done a Parent's Evening I've always had the attitude that you've given someone a time and you should stick to it - if the previous appointment is over-running then ask them to re-book for when you have more time; it's not rocket science!

Any bets on how far behind she'll be running tomorrow?

(BTW - this is my first foray into AIBU, am nervous )

Depends on why the dentist is running late.

If the patient(s) before you were themselves late to their appt, YANBU,

but if the dentist is running late for clinical reasons, YABU.

I have just started my own thread about something similar, it drives me nuts, especially since I had to wait because another patient was late herself turning up....

I am actually always really reassured by dentists (and doctors or hairdressers) that run late. I'd rather they take their time and do the job properly TBH.

It is a PITA though.

if there is a history of running late, maybe you should not have given yourself a small window of time to get there, ahve teh appointemnt, and get home?

i presume that all docs/hospital/clinic appointments will run late due to other patients being late or appointments overruninng

i think you should try to factor in extra time

Drives me nuts too. Maybe you could arrange with reception to have the first appointment of the day if it continues to happen.

Lulumamma - that's what makes it all the more galling, tho this bit isn't the dentist's fault ... we did have plenty of time until DH's boss decreed that he had to go to a meeting this pm so he needed the car back. The meeting only came up yesterday! So maybe I'm taking a bit of my frustration about that out on the dentist...

I take the point about other patients being late but if there is someone who needs 'work' doing then surely they should be given a longer appointment; and if they have only just discovered that 'work' needs to be done then why can't they be made to come back another time?

I think early morning appointments are the way forward - tho once many years ago I had the first appointment of the day with my doctor and still went in 15 mins late

This dentist is not in Norfolk is she?

Mine is exactly the same. She is Spanish and seems to work to Spanish time! I was the first patient one afternoon for root canal surgery - now you are supposed to have 2 appts for the procedure but not her, she just kept going until it was all done. The receptionist phoned her a couple of times to say patients were leaving as they couldn't wait, her response "I have started, so I will finish!

Depends whether they're trying to cram in too many patients or if there has been an emergency.

I've had to have emergency dental treatment, and as i was in agony I'm eternally grateful that I was fitted in, although I'm sure someone else was delayed because of it.

What if an earlier patient had signs of cancer, fainted, had a panic attack ? You don't know what's made her late and what's she's had to deal with before you.

i can see why that would be frustrating then !

i always try for the first appointment of the day too

As this is AIBU I feel obligated to disagree (In the nicest possible way!)

If your appointment was 11am, and you had to get the car home by 12, with a 20mins drive you would have to leave the dentist by 11.40. Even if the dentist was on time, you were cutting things a bit fine.

I think its just realistic to expect that doctors and dentits are likeley to overrun.

I think that the fact that it has happened twice means it would be a coincidence if there had been an emergency ... tho not impossible ... but (and I know I should have said this before) from the reaction of the receptionists - eye-rolling, head shaking, knowing looks etc - I'd say it's just the way she is.

Unavailable - I take your point but the need for the car only cropped up yesterday and the appointment was for DD who takes about 45 seconds to have her appointment as she stays in her pushchair and barely opens her mouth ...

i'm not being facetious but asking someone to come back later to discuss their sons homework problems may be a little easier than asking someone to come back because a tricky dental procedure has over run, so to that end i don't think you can expect dentists to keep strictly to all their appointed times.
the fact that it would appear to be a regular occurrence however is of a concern as it points to disorganisation and poor time managment, and on the facts that it has happened more than once yanbu.
i would however with all doctor or dentist appointments expect a half hour wait due to the nature of the business.

having been a scheduled 'having work done' (root canal) patient that ended up taking twice as long as scheduled (and believe me it was no fun - there's just no way of knowing how tricky it's going to be until you're right on in there) i think yabu.
but if it is a habit, maybe you should fill in the 'comments' book that they should schedule an extra 5 minutes for each appointment. everyone after me that day would still have been delayed lol, (not least by the fact that i think the dentist needed a lie down after he'd finished ) but it would save the tutting generally.

I know mayorquimby, I was meaning that if they looked and saw a problem (like a cavity that needs filling or something) there and then, they should make another appointment to come back rather tahn do it straight away.

I think up to half an hour is fine and acceptable.
My grievance is with waits of 45 mins or an hour are not acceptable.

Perhaps some of the blame should lie with the receptionists as the delay was evident when I arrived and I wasn't warned about it.

YABU, it is quite common for appoitments to take longer than expected (eg an extraction that turns into a surgical). It only takes one of those to throw out the rest of the day. Once you are running late it is very hard to get back on track.

Sorry - that should read ...

My grievance is with waits of 45 mins or an hour, which are not acceptable.

Even though I feel your pain, because I do a fair amount of tutting and blowing myself at this kind of thing - I do think YABU a bit.

We all know that doctors and dentists overrun, it's the nature of the beast I'm afraid. I would have rescheduled when I found out that the car had to be back at 12 - there is now way that I would have allowed such little time.

Maybe tomorrow I'll suggest that they include a 20 minute 'buffer' every couple of hours to combat delays.

Thanks for your opinions - I'm off to RL

Tiger I doubt they would do that tbh. Dentists only get paid when they are working, it isn't viable to block out 1/6 of your day that potentially you won't be working and therefore won't earn anything.

Twas tongue in cheek, COV

Must go now ...

YANBU - I find it an almighty pain in the arse too. If it was an emergency then perhaps they should get the receptionist to tell everyone so they would be more inclined to wait patiently. My dentist's receptionist is very huffy if I'm ever 1 minute late, but the dentist is always running very late and it's a real pain.