Thursday 5 November 2009

a year or so back i took liam to see an orthodontist, the very same one who treated me twenty years ago, who i never saw and whose attitude my mother was not impressed with. the practice was busy and impersonal and when i didnt want to commit to $7000 dollars worth of treatment in hurry the man got testy and rude. i hadnt liked him from the start of this new encounter and i certainly didnt like him now.
a few months back i told my dentist that i wanted a referral to someone else. my request sparked an interesting coversation in which my dentist asserted we choose to spend time with people who reflect our values and he would not employ anybody he did not personally like.
today i took both the boys to the alternate orthodontist. it was in an office building and looked to be an expensive property but not lavish or overdone. i was shocked when i was called in to watch proceedings and found that there were signs of humanity in the room. one wall was made of glass bricks so the room was bright and the natural light was gentle. there was a sofa by the glass wall, not a vinyl chair placed as an afterthought, not even a sterile vinyl lounge trying to be welcoming. this was a fair dinkum couch. in blue fabric. nearby was an elaborately carved chinese style side table with a newspaper on top and traces of dust in the woodwork.
as i observed the close proximity of the orthodontist to his nurse i mused on their need for good quality deodorant, then i thought that being in an airconditioned room all day might be fairly forgiving, this led me to notice the movement of air in the room and i noticed with astonishment that there was a door open to a balcony. who ever heard of fresh air in a sterile building full of professional suites?
yes, this was a practice i could like

13 comments:

  1. Sounds good to me. I'd be happy taking my kid to a down-to-earth place like that. My mum wanted me to have my two front teeth straightened when I was young but the dentist thought it was unnecessary, they were only slightly crooked. Nobody's ever commented on them.

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  2. Verrrry well described, Kylie. Sounds like an office I would like, too!

    Oh God I hated braces. But I hear they have made great improvements since the old days.

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  3. Things have definately changed since our days of orthodontists.
    Helen's was on a payment plan which worked out to be about what i was getting from the goverment family allowance. Then i got most of it back from health funds. So in a way the goverment was paying the monthly fee. Helen's orthodontist was a lady. it was run like a well oiled factory. Like you said the rooms were bright and inviting and parents were able to go in with them. Until helen reached that more inderpendant age. Even though she has the braces off she still has a wire behind the top and bottom teeth and has to go back every six months.

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  4. I suppose it's easy with medical people to take whatever you get with the assumption that they're all bad. Also, visiting different ones can be expensive, and often comes at a time when you need help more or less urgently. I'm glad you hung in there.

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  5. That sounds nice, which is amaaazing..

    Firstly Seven. Thousand. Dollars. :o

    Secondly, I had braces for 4 years :( my aged orthodontist lived in a haunted looking stone mansion, and everything was creepy, even the room with The Chair. That woman was a dragon, I was so terrified of her. *shudders* I hope Liam fares much much better!!

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  6. I heart your blog, great post ^^
    I'm now following you with rss feed, I bet you'll love mine and follow me too till death! ;)

    @ MaisonChaplin.blogspot.com

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  7. megs!
    i never hated braces.....
    i'm gonna hate them ore now, i think

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  8. jo,
    i havent even discussed the payments with this one yet!

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  9. snow,
    yes it was a bit extravagant to try a second place but i'm hoping it will be a good thing in the long run
    and that other guy just wasnt going to get any more money off me!

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  10. abi,
    sounds a bit grim!
    the guy i saw as a youngster looked just how i remembered him and it was twenty years later, which just goes to prove that it was his attitude that was the dominant feature

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