Of homicidal waitresses and sadistic dentists

So much for promises, eh? I have been offline for a couple of days, thanks to a faulty computer which won’t connect to cyberspace. Not sure when things will be back to normal.

In the meantime, the Noramly family adventures continue. A diabolical dentist tortured my daughter, more of which in a moment.

As for me, I suffered the ultimate in restaurant poor service last night, and was lucky to emerge unscathed. I kid you not: a waitress pulled the chair away as I went to sit down, with the result that I came an almighty and inelegant cropper spreadeagled under the table. Honestly, service these days…

As I have on separate occasions fractured two vertebrae in very minor incidents, I consider myself lucky that I had no more than a bruise.

Believe me, we didn’t tip.

As for my daughter, she went to have the nerve removed from a tooth (in Melbourne) and ended up in a dermatologist’s office being treated for a severe burn that removed 2 cm long x half cm wide of skin from her face and is probably going to leave a scar near her mouth. The lip was also affected, but seems to have healed ok. The dentist shrugged it off and said she must have been allergic to something. (Huh? To what? They put things in your mouth that take the skin off your face?) He paid for the dermatologist consultation, so I guess that is some kind of acknowledgement that he was to blame. The dermatologist said, nope, that’s a burn. Because of my daughter’s skin colour, scarring is usually very noticeable. Moreover, she has flawless skin.

I am in two minds what to advise. I am not one of these people who immediately jump up and down and say, Sue! Sue! when someone makes a mistake. No one is perfect, and we should go through life accepting that sometimes people eff up, just as we do ourselves.

But firstly, it sounds to me as if she was not told the truth about what happened. Her cheek and mouth were numb, so she really didn’t know what was going on, but she did feel that something was not right at the time. Secondly, the only thing that I can think of that might conceivably have done this kind of damage is that they used something out of the autoclave that was too hot and when pressed against her skin for a prolonged period, produced a burn mark of those dimensions. Which sounds more like torture than a normal dental procedure.

Is there anyone out there who has any other theories? Anyone heard of anything similar?

In the meantime, I’m looking behind me. People are out to get us….


Comments

Of homicidal waitresses and sadistic dentists — 10 Comments

  1. Think it’s hom-i-cidal, actually. Unless there’s something about the ‘waitress’ you aren’t telling us, heh.

    Keep an eye on the back though. Sometimes problems triggered by a fall like that take a week or two to show up. 😮 (If so, go back to the restaurant with a meat-cleaver to make your point.)

    As for your poor daughter – yes, it sounds like one of the dentist’s tools/instruments was to blame. His paying the dermatologist’s bill is a good start. But if it looks like there could be long term scarring then yeah, it probably is an idea to seek legal advice about possible compensation – if only to pay for cosmetic surgery that could help reduce the damage. 😮

    Sorry you’re having such a rough time.

  2. Very glad you didn’t break anything but yes, as the veteran of many many falls (ok, most were off horses, but still *g*) I too think you should keep an eye out for trouble.

    As for your poor daughter … that’s disgusting. And I absolutely think she needs to sue on this one. She could be scarred for life, and being on the face that’s disfigurement. That’s huge. And also, this dentist needs a wake up call. He can do it to her, he can do it to a lot of other people. Maybe he already has. Perhaps she needs plastic surgery to undo the damage, in which case … he should pay. At the least I think she should contact the Dental Association and report the malpractice. Is there photo evidence? Has she consulted a medical practitioner who can confirm the injury is in fact a burn, and not an allergic reaction. (what a crock)

    You are a peaceable type I know, Glenda. But sometimes, you have to get mad and not take crap. I think this is one of those times.

  3. Do keep an eye on your back for a week or so. I know from painful experience that injuries don’t always show up immediately.

    And the advice for your daughter here is wise. She needs to get as much evidence as she can to make sure that she doesn’t get railroaded. Ideally she needs an admission of liability and the dentist paying for the dermatologist’s consult is a good start. I’d advise her to get everything she can in writing and to always take a witness to consultations. If she’s lucky the dentist will accept that he has to pay her costs but if not she then has a body of evidence to work with.

  4. You need to take action about the dentist. I grew up with dentists (my Dad was one) and have never heard of such a stupid thing. It was their fault and it’s important to chase up.

    I had a similar chair failure at the biggest (not in size, but importance) meeting I ever attended. It was a gentlemanly gesture, the guy next to me said, and he was sure I was fine. I ahd made my big speech and the chair wasn’t there when I went to sit down.

  5. Hey Glenda both things are terrible. I can understand how you must feel about your beautiful daughter too. I’d be crying sue the bastard too. He has insurance so she must seek treatment costs and if there is any…I mean any…scarring…she should also seek compensation.

    I feel for you too. I hope mushroom soup wasn’t on the menu…Hugs Donna

  6. Mein gott, this is the country some people say they want to migrate to ? if this happened to me here I’d sue in no time flat. Every once in a while you wonder whether the entire world is full of third world countries.

  7. Much later: My daughter just corrected me. All this happened in USA, not Melbourne, Australia. She has filled out a grievance sheet with her dental insurance company, so we shall see what happens. I’ll keep you posted.

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