As our recent dental appointment was coming to an end, Dr. Roger’s asked me for a moment of my time as he had something on his mind to discuss.Hmmm. I have to admit that his request gave me some pause… for concern.I did a quick mental review of our recent encounters and couldn’t come up anything amiss.I should mention that Dr. Rogers is a relatively new patient to my office and perhaps he just wanted to clarify his treatment objectives. (It is possible that for some people, an hour is not enough time in the chair and he just wanted to stay just a little bit longer). Or perhaps like many people having dental treatment, he had difficulty speaking with his mouth filled with cotton rolls, suction, water and of course, my hands, and he just wanted to finish a garbled thought.Whatever the situation, I was about to learn what the good doctor had to say. So, at the point that he was ready to be dismissed from the chair; freshly rinsed, seated up, cleaned up (yes, we can make a mess sometimes) and de-bibbed (I believe I just coined a phrase), I sat down next to Dr. Rogers, as my assistant left the room. (A person’s privacy should always be respected and if someone, anyone, requests “a moment of my time”, my staff and I have the sensitivity to recognize that private time is what is needed and private time is what is provided without the need for spoken words.)Dr. Rogers looked into my eyes and said with earnest sincerity, “You have a wonderful office with a staff that is filled with kindness. They make me feel like part of the family and I want you to know how much I appreciate being here. Having been in practice for more than 40 years, I know what it takes to run a medical practice and you have built something quite special and, I just wanted to let you know.”What an uplifting moment! We must be doing something right. Needless to say, I have shared Dr. Roger’s sentiments with everyone. Including you.
