I appreciated the earnestness of the woman’s attempt to inform someone of their upcoming appointment. She dialed the wrong number and found me. The idea of a missed doctor’s appointment reminded me of another element of the dentist shakedown I experienced in November. The dentist who claimed I needed 4 root canals, two crowns, and that my wisdom teeth needed to be sawed down had a sign in her office saying that patients will be charged $25 for not showing up. Doctors have every right to levy such a charge but it is rare that they do, and rarer still that the threat is posted for all to see. She was bad news, that dentist. I got a second opinion from a midtown dentist who just laughed outloud at the notion I needed any kind of dental work besides a cleaning. That’s my new dentist.
