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I recently diagnosed a dental abscess for a long time patient and referred her to my favorite endodontic practice, Root Canal Experts. As most of my patients know, I am a general dentist but I limit my practice to fixing teeth and restoring implants, the things that I love to do and what I am good at so I don't perform root canals.
After the initial consultation with Root Canal Experts, the patient sent me an email stating that she wanted a second opinion and she wanted her x-rays sent to another general dentist. My response both in my mind and in my email was, "After 30 years if you don't trust my recommendation (especially where there is literally no money involved on my part), you need to find another general dentist to take care of you." I never mind when a patient has a cosmetic consultation and informs me that they are going for other consultations because that patient will be able to compare my recommendations with other dentists and their work.
I sent my patient a termination letter and the following day, she called in tears stating that she did not mean to offend me or question my recommendations. What she meant to say is that she could not afford to see the best at Root Canal Experts and wanted treatment at a lower cost.
Don't you think that it would have been better if the patient had actually called Donna and explained her situation? Using incorrect words without the opportunity to explain what you really mean is a problem with emails and texts. We THINK we understood what the other person is saying to us without seeing or knowing whether the person is being sarcastic, funny or simply misunderstood what he or she heard.
A 30 year relationship down the tubes and we all lose. SAD
