The girls had dentist appointments yesterday, and man, was it an adventure.
First off, the appointment was originally scheduled for 1:45 for Julia and 2:00 for Madeleine. With COVID and whatever else, the appointment times got changed, so when I received a request to confirm appointments this week, Madeleine was listed at 2pm and Julia at 2:30. Julia also had a swim practice in Wellesley at 3pm, so I called the dentist to ask if I could switch the order of the girls to ensure Julia was done by 2:30. The office informed me that they would have both girls come in at the same time, but would have Julia's cleaning done first.
The protocol for this appointment was strict. I was to arrive 15 minutes early, having already received at text from the office 15 minutes PRIOR to arriving. Upon arriving, I was to respond to the text and then wait in the car with the kids for further instructions.
1:45pm
ME: (texting "5" to indicate I had arrived to the parking lot)
MADELEINE: Can I roll down the window? I'm afraid I'm gonna get really hot in the car and they'll think I have a fever.
ME: Sure. (opening all the car windows)
JULIA: Well aren't we gonna wait inside?
ME: No, it says we have to wait in the car for further instructions.
1:50pm
JULIA: But how will we know when to go in?
ME: They're supposed to text me, I think.
JULIA: Well, did they text you yet?
ME: Not yet.
MADELEINE: Mommy, maybe you should check.
ME: I did check. I haven't gotten a text.
MADELEINE: Well, Mommy, remember you might not be able to hear it.
ME: I've got my phone right here.
1:55 pm
JULIA: But aren't we supposed to start at 2? Maybe we're supposed to go to the door.
ME: It says to wait for further instructions.
JULIA: (drops both her retainers on the bottom of the car floor)
ME: Uh oh, you better pick those up.
JULIA: (wrangles herself around both her pool bags to try and get at the car floor)
MADELEINE: Any text yet?
ME: Not yet.
JULIA: But I'm going first, right? Because I have to leave?
ME: I called to make sure they'd put you first. If they have you get your teeth cleaned at the same time, I'll be able to drive straight from here to swim. If they do Madeleine AFTER you, I'm gonna text Daddy and he'll come pick you up and take you to swim.
JULIA: But how will we know when Daddy's here?
ME: He'll text me.
JULIA: (drops both her retainers on the bottom of the car floor)
ME: Again??
JULIA: It was an ACCIDENT!
2pm
JULIA: Maybe we should just go wait by the door.
ME: It says to wait for further instructions.
MADELEINE: Just keep checking your phone.
ME: They haven't texted yet.
JULIA: But we're supposed to start at 2.
ME: They're probably running behind.
2:07pm
I received a text saying to come to the side door. We made our way there, to find it locked.
JULIA: Why don't you knock?
ME: I think there's probably someone coming to open it for us.
JULIA: Just text them and say we can't get in.
ME: (texting to ask how we should get inside)
JULIA: Text them again and say the door is locked.
ME: I already texted them. Let's just wait.
JULIA: But -
The dental hygienist opened the door and let us in. We were led to a table at which we were all given hand sanitizer, and I was given forms to fill out.
JULIA: Mommy? I dropped my retainers under the table.
ME: Julia! Seriously?
JULIA: It was an ACCIDENT!
I looked under the table to see Julia's retainer case open with her lower retainer sitting on the dentist office rug. EW. And this is SO not how we're supposed to be doing safe hygienic dentist visiting.
Julia had to crawl under the table to pick up the retainers that she for some reason could not seem to stop dropping. Another hygienist came out and reprimanded me for not waiting outside until she came to get me. Apparently the hygienist who had let us in was actually supposed to be with a different patient. The hygienist assigned to US sent Julia off with another hygienist to get X-rays, made Madeleine hold Julia's retainers (thankfully, since Madeleine managed NOT to drop them every two seconds) and gave me forms to fill out. I sat down on the bench and was reprimanded for sitting down and had to stand back up to fill out forms. They hygienist told me she would walk me out and I would have to wait in my car.
When I got to the car, I realized that since I was banned from the building I wouldn't know when Julia was done, and therefore wouldn't know whether or not Ethan needed to come and drive her to swim. I called the front office.
OFFICE: Dental Associates, how can I help you?
ME: Hi, my daughters Julia and Madeleine are both in there right now having a cleaning. I wanted to know if they're getting cleaned at the same time or if it's one after the other?
OFFICE: They're doing one after the other.
ME: Okay. I had called a few days ago to make sure Julia could go first, since she has a swim practice, so when she's done she can just walk out to the lot. My husband will be here to pick her up and I'll wait in the lot for Madeleine.
OFFICE: Did you communicate this to the hygienist?
ME: (thinking: "no, because she was too busy reprimanding me and shooing me out") Uh, no, it was really rushed. But I called the other day and they said they'd make a note to be sure she went first.
OFFICE: Okay. Let me pass this along.
A few minutes passed and my phone rang. It was the dental office.
OFFICE: Hi, unfortunately it wasn't clearly communicated that Julia needs to leave early, and they've already started on Madeleine, so Julia won't be finished until at least three o' clock. I don't know...can you take her late to her practice?
ME: Uh, well, I think I'm gonna have to.
I then got to sit for 45 minutes in the hot car in the hot parking lot on a 95 degree day. The girls came out together at 3pm and I immediately started up the car, only to be told by Julia that the hygienist needed to talk to me. I got out of the car, put on my mask, and listened to all the extra appointments I need to make for sealants, orthodontics, and a tooth-pulling, then herded the kids into the car to drive Julia to swim, arriving late despite my best intentions.
I don't even want to think about the hoops we'll all have to jump through to manage the three other appointments I have to schedule!
No comments:
Post a Comment