90 Day: The Single Life star Veronica Rodriguez is now going viral for another reason. She had a not-so-pleasant experience at the dentist’s office and said she’s now on the hunt for a new practitioner.
Rodriguez (@vepyrod) said that the “blood boiling” experience she had with the staff of her usual dental place caused her to leave her appointment before she even got her teeth cleaned.
“I literally, just, leapt off the chair at the dentist’s office and literally nobody stopped me,” she said.
In order to calm herself down, Rodriguez said she wanted to rant on TikTok about what happened. She doubled down on her frustration in the accompanying video caption. “I may have overreacted, but the vibes at this dentist office were very very wrong.” As of Saturday, her TikTok had amassed more than 161,900 views.
What happened to Rodriguez?
The former reality TV star said she went to the dentist for her bi-annual cleaning. She noted, too, that she’s gone to the same place for 12 years. But as soon as she walked in, she said she noticed that everyone at the front desk “was new and different and young.” She said she was also told that her usual dentist wasn’t in the office that particular day.
But Rodriguez said she was turned off by the new staff. In part, because one of the women was loudly talking about a recent “hook up.”
“The first thing I hear when I walk in is, ‘Oh yeah, I totally hooked up with him last weekend,’” Rodriguez recounted.
Then it was time for Rodriguez and her daughter, Chloe, to get their teeth cleaned. Rodriguez said that their usual hygienist cleaned Chloe’s teeth, but a newer woman (whom Rodriguez wasn’t familiar with) did hers.
Things started off on the wrong foot when the hygienist was adamant that Rodriguez needed X-Rays, despite Rodriguez saying that she got them done six months prior. After the X-Rays were finished, Rodriguez said she disclosed that she was experiencing sensitivity in part of her mouth, near her gum line.
Cleaning conflict
After a prolonged period of the hygienist apparently “checking” Rodriguez’s teeth and gums, Rodriguez said that the worker rudely recommended that Rodriguez get a cleaning every three to four months. Rodriguez said she couldn’t do this. Due to scheduling conflicts and the fact that additional cleanings aren’t covered by insurance.
Rodriguez said she also pointed out to the hygienist that the “whole poking and prodding thing has never taken that long.” At this point, the hygienist apparently explained that the gum inspection needed to be performed “by law, every year.” She accused Rodriguez of skipping the past two years.
“I come here and I’ve been coming here for 12 years,” Rodriguez responded. “So what you’re saying is you guys didn’t do your job, right?”
Rodriguez added: “My job is to show up. My job is to put my butt in this chair [and] to make the appointment. It’s y’all’s job to tell me what my teeth need. I’m not a dentist or a dental hygienist. I don’t know these things. That’s why I come here.”
Rodriguez said she abruptly ended her appointment early after the hygienist made a snarky remark about how Rodriguez needed a deep-cleaning but “didn’t want” to get one done. She said the hygienist pleaded with her to let her finish the job, but Rodriguez was adamant that she was done.
“You took X-Rays, made my gums bleed, and then shamed me for it,” Rodriguez said. “People don’t want to come to the dentist to begin with, but you physically hurting me and then insulting me… is really not going to get us anywhere.”
No recourse for her bad appointment
In the end, Rodriguez said she just didn’t feel comfortable with the new hygienist. In fact, she called the worker “belligerent” and “argumentative.”
“I literally didn’t feel safe,” Rodriguez said.
In an attempt to remedy things, Rodriguez tried to locate an office manager, but he or she was apparently tied up on the phone.
Eventually, Rodriguez said she wanted to leave, so she went to check on her daughter, whose teeth had been cleaned but not checked by the on-call dentist. As a result, Rodriguez said she tried to figure out whether she and her daughter would get charged because neither of their appointments were technically finished. But she said none of the front desk workers (including the one who had joked about her prior hook-ups) had any answers.
And to make matters worse, the office manager apparently refused to speak to Rodriguez who said, as she left, that she jokingly dared the office to bill her because she would take them to small claims court.
“The really unfortunate part is that now I need a new dentist,” Rodriguez said. “I really think that if the dentist had been there today, all of this could’ve been avoided.”
Are dentists a scam?
According to Vox, there are a number of really good dentists out there to pick from. Still, it noted that there are some unethical dentists “who provide unnecessary treatments and products simply for profit.”
It’s not clear this is true of Rodriguez’s experience, of course, but a number of people have questioned whether suggestions for things like deep cleanings are really needed. According to Moon Family Dental Care, “deep cleanings, also known as scaling and root planing, are typically reserved for patients with advanced gum disease or significant plaque buildup below the gum line.” It added that some dental offices will push for these procedures by using fear-tactics on patients.
Because of this, Moon Family Dental said it’s important to seek a second opinion from an independent, private dental office before committing to anything out of the ordinary.
Some TikTok users who watched Rodriguez’s video said they agreed.
“I worked in the dental field for 11 ½ years,” one person shared. “They’re all a scam.”
“I swear the dentist has become a money maker,” another added. “It’s always something with them.”
Viewers recount similar dental-related horror stories
Other viewers who watched Rodriguez’s video said they’ve had similarly bad experiences at the dentist.
“This exact thing happened to me in Albuquerque a week ago almost verbatim,” one woman said. “So many x-rays and when I said I’d had enough they tried to shame me. I walked out.”
“I walked away from my dentist of 17 years because of a new hygienist that berated me over flossing,” another shared.
“Same thing happened to me,” a third person shared. “Attitudes changed and money was their concern, not my teeth.”
Some users guessed that Rodriguez’s dentist “went corporate” or had sold their practice. This could explain the new workers and insistence on unnecessary procedures.
“Probably a corporate buy-out,” one person guessed.
“Sounds like your dentist sold the practice to a corporate dental company! This is what happened with my longtime dentist,” another user said.
@vepyrod I may have overreacted but the vibes at this ddntist office were very very wrong #rant #dentist #nowwhatdoido ♬ original sound – Veronica Rodriguez
“It sounds like your dental practice got sold or bought out by a corporation and they’re cleaning house,” a third viewer added. “So they’re treating you like a new patient.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Rodriguez via TikTok comment.
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