That hits home for me. My daughter had a filling fall out twice before she was even eight, and it made me super wary about who we saw next. I totally get the urge to keep notes—I started jotting down what each dentist said, too, just to make sure I wasn’t missing anything or being talked into stuff we didn’t need. It’s tough not to second-guess everything after a letdown, but honestly, your approach sounds smart, not paranoid. If anything, I wish I’d been more pushy with questions from the start.
It’s tough not to second-guess everything after a letdown, but honestly, your approach sounds smart, not paranoid.
I hear you on that. After my third crown in two years—same tooth, mind you—I started keeping a “dental diary” on my phone. I’d jot down things like, “Dr. X said the bite was fine,” or “Asked about sensitivity, told it’s normal.” Turns out, it helped me spot patterns (and, honestly, some contradictions) between what different dentists told me.
Funny thing is, I used to feel a bit silly pulling out my notes during appointments, but after one dentist tried to convince me I’d “never mentioned pain before,” I was glad I had proof. Maybe I’m a bit more skeptical than most, but I figure if I’m paying for it, I get to ask as many questions as I want—even if it means sounding like a detective.
I do sometimes wonder if I’m overthinking it, but after a couple of expensive redos, I’d rather be the “annoying patient” than end up back in the chair for round four.
I totally get why you’d want to keep track of everything. I’m about to get my first crown and honestly, reading about all these redos makes me super nervous. I already feel a bit weird asking so many questions, but hearing your story makes me think maybe I’m not being too much after all.
A friend told me she kept a note on her phone too, and I thought it was overkill at first. But now I’m starting to see the point—when you’re anxious and sitting in that chair, it’s easy to forget what you wanted to ask or what they said last time.
It’s kind of comforting to know other people ask a lot of questions and even double check things. If anything, I wish I’d been more “annoying” at my last cleaning, because they rushed through and I felt silly speaking up. Next time, I’m definitely going to try your approach... even if it feels awkward at first.
Honestly, I relate to that awkward feeling of asking a million questions. Last time I was in the chair, I had this whole mental checklist, but the second they started talking about numbing stuff, my brain just... exited the building. I think having notes is genius, not overkill at all. If anything, it’s wild how much you forget once you’re actually there. And yeah, I’d rather be “that patient” than leave with regrets or confusion. You’re definitely not alone in wanting to double check everything—sometimes it’s the only way to feel a little less anxious about the whole thing.
Man, I totally get that “brain exited the building” thing. I always think I’ll remember to ask about like, the type of filling or whatever, but then I’m just nodding along and trying not to drool. Notes help, but sometimes I still blank out when they start talking in dental-ese. It’s wild how fast the info just... evaporates.
