1 Star - First Time Patient Experience
Today I visited Tracey Dental in McKinney, TX, and if I could give this office 0 stars, I absolutely would. This was easily the worst experience I've ever had at any doctor or dental office.
When I first arrived, there was no one at the front desk, so I waited for a while before the receptionist finally came out and asked me to complete my paperwork. That part was fine, and I didn't think much of the delay.
Things quickly went downhill from there.
A dental assistant came to the door, looked at me, and barely acknowledged me before ushering me into a room with no greeting or professionalism whatsoever. Once seated, she simply said she would be doing my X-rays. She began using a handheld X-ray device and gave little to no direction while repeatedly shoving the equipment into my mouth.
I tried to explain that the top of my mouth isn't hollow enough for me to comfortably bite down on the device, but she completely ignored what I said and continued. The way she handled the equipment was rough and careless, and it became painful. I eventually had to stop her because she was literally hurting me.
At that point I told her, "I don't know if you're having a bad day or what, but it seems like you don't want to be here." Her response was defensive and dismissive: "I'm the dental assistant. I know what I'm doing. I like my job and want to be here."
I responded that her attitude clearly suggested otherwise, and she then tried to flip it around and tell me that I had the attitude. That was the moment I decided I was not going to tolerate being treated like that, especially as a first-time patient. I removed the bib, got up, and walked out.
I explained what happened to the receptionist on my way out and she apologized. After calming down, I called the office and asked to speak with the office manager but ended up speaking with the dentist himself. He was understanding, apologized, and even offered to still clean my teeth, but by that point the experience had already been ruined so I declined.
The point is this: patients take a risk when trying a new dental office, and being treated with disrespect and carelessness by a staff member--especially someone performing a procedure--is completely unacceptable. She's clearly in the wrong profession!!!
I sincerely hope the office takes a hard look at their staff and addresses the behavior of employees who are bringing down the professionalism and reputation of the practice, because this experience was a terrible reflection of the business.
I would not recommend this dental office. Save your time and money and go somewhere that values patient care and basic professionalism. read more