Back in March 2020 or so, I was scheduled to go in for a routine dental cleaning. The dentist office insisted on a myriad of "protective measures" which included the following idiotic and stupid steps:
- Call the dentist office from the parking lot to announce that you had arrived.
- Enter the office only when invited, wearing a mask.
- Review and sign a bunch of documents, agreeing to abide by the rules of the dentist office. Foremost among these was not having a cold, fever, or be sick in any way.
- Submit to a temperature check.
- Wash hands, making sure to turn off the faucet handles using the towel with which you dried your hands.
- Don latex gloves.
- Proceed to the examination and treatment room.
I refused to follow this chicanery and canceled my appointment 20 minutes before.
Fast forward to yesterday. I called that same office and asked what the current protocols were regarding Covid, given the recent announcement from the CDC (
). In short, the procedure was still the same. When Debbie (who has worked for this dentist for the past 45 years) said that the lobby was still closed and that it had always been a requirement for patients to wear masks, I flat out told her she was wrong. I'd been in that office at least 3 times in the past 4 years and not once was I ever asked to wear a mask, much less go through the bullshit she was now demanding.
She insisted that the office is a "medical" office and that they were going to stick with their protocols. She also insisted that other dentist offices in the area were likely to have the same procedures.
Fine, I said. Have a nice day.
I immediately conducted a search for another dentist, found one, and called the office. I asked if the dentist was accepting new patients and Wendy answered yes. Fine, I said, but I have an important question I'd like an answer to before anything else is said. She said okay.
I asked what their procedures entailed FOR FULLY VACCINATED PEOPLE regarding Covid. Wendy replied, rather hesitantly, that they had just that morning had a meeting about this and the upshot is, it's up to the patient whether or not to wear a mask. IOW, "patient's discretion." No mention of any of the other silliness I outlined above.
I congratulated Wendy that that was the answer I was looking for and that I'd like to make an appointment for routine care. No issues at present, just a cleaning.
After a few more details, the appointment was made and I can now secure regular dental care without going through the bullshit that my previous dentist office insisted on.
We are slowly coming back to sanity, but there will always be those who cling to their insanity. That's okay; I'll vote with my feet and my wallet.