Oh, Dr. Danielson. What would my life have been like had I not had the odd pleasure of having you…read moredo some orthodontic work for (on?) me.
Let's start from the beginning: Over the past few years, I've had really bad luck with my upper removable retainer. From sending it through my college's dining hall tray collector to digging through the trash after leaving it in a napkin, my retainer has left me with some striking memories. But as a new grad student at UConn, I told myself it would be different. No more losing retainers! No more shelling out hundreds of dollars to replace an overpriced smile enhancer!
I was proud that in my first year at UConn, my retainer didn't get lost. It did, however, break. Yes, that wire that holds the front teeth to the retainer just split in two (don't ask me how). So, I called around and asked a number of local orthodontists how much they charged for a replacement retainer. Dr. Danielson's office had the cheapest rate, so I went with him. Ironically, only days after scheduling my appointment to get my upper retainer replaced, my lower (permanent) retainer broke from one of the teeth it was glued to after I bit down on an apple. So, I requested a two-in-one appointment to get both my retainers fixed.
Dr. Danielson shares his office every other day with Dr. Yanni -- also an orthodontist -- so the days I could go to see him were limited. As I didn't know at the time about the shared office situation, I found it a bit odd that Dr. Danielson could only see me on Tuesday and Thursday. Still, I knew that as long as my retainers were fixed at a reasonable price, I was willing accommodate.
On the day of my appointment, my friend drops me off at Dr. Danielson's shared office, a cute little place in a small strip mall. I walk in and am greeted by the receptionist who, while not having met me previously, somehow knows who I am. I guess that either business is slow or I made an impression with my odd requests. As it turns out, no one else is in the office, so I'm asked to wait in the waiting room...because Dr. Danielson is still on his way. Mind you this is 10am, but the receptionist treats it like no big deal. After flipping through an entire magazine, in walks Dr. Danielson, a super sweet man but one who is obviously not phased by the fact that his appointment has been waiting for him for the last 10 minutes. I'm finally invited to come into the room and sit down on an examination chair. However, Dr. Danielson takes his time to get set up...mainly because he can't find his supplies. He and the receptionist -- who I now realize doubles as the orthodontist's assistant (???) -- chuckle and nonchalantly reference how they share an office with Dr. Yanni (the first time I learn of this) and mention how Dr. Yanni's staff consistently moves things around to the point where they can't find anything.
Dr. Danielson finally gets my upper teeth impressions done and glues down my loose retainer. I go to pay with my credit card, and am kindly told that Dr. Danielson only takes cash. A bit surprised, I am directed to the nearest ATM and take out $300 in cash. Nice. I was certainly aware that there were still businesses that only dealt in cash, but an orthodontist's office? I could only (nervously) chuckle to myself, as the entire experience so far felt like a back-room medical operation.
I was scheduled for a follow-up visit to pick up my retainer, and was given appointment reminder slip...with pictures...clearly meant for children. As if things couldn't get any weirder, the following week my bottom retainer detached AGAIN from the same tooth that it broke from a couple of days prior -- also due to biting down on an apple. I called Dr. Danielson's office and asked if I could get the retainer glued back on. No big deal, says the same receptionist, realizing that the woman I'm talking to must be the ONLY staff person other than Dr. Danielson who works at the office.
I go a couple days later for my follow-up, and no one is at the receptionist's desk. But as soon as I realize this, the receptionist/orthodontist's assistant calls me -- from the orthodontist's work area, plastic gloves in hand -- to sit down on one of the examination chairs. This time other people were in the waiting room (wait, did I just budge in line?), and Dr. Danielson is working on some girl's teeth. While finishing up on the poor girl, he's instructing the receptionist/assistant to set up the stuff to get my bottom retainer taken care of. I shouldn't have put it beyond Dr. Danielson to multi-task.
All said and done, I get a perfectly usable upper retainer and a lower retainer that is twice as secure...because it was glued down to twice as many teeth as before. No more apple accidents for me!
Why only 3 stars? I'm not quite sure. My experience was so bizarre, it seems unfair to have to rate it on the same scale as, say, the Dunkin' Donuts down the street. But it is what it is, so I gave my best shot at a rating.
