"Erev" Thanksgiving Dental Thread....

[PCIntern]

Just a word or two before this remarkable holiday weekend:

1. We received no fewer than 6 calls asking if we were going to be open on Thanksgiving day. when we said, politely, "No, we are going to be celebrating the holiday with our families", we were met three times with the equivalent of: "But it would be convenient for ME to come in in the morning" with the attendant brusque hangup when we just didn't really respond to that with an assent to their wishes. This, for the record, is the MOST calls of this type we have ever received before Thanksgiving. Because I am Jewish, I get about 15-20 before Christmas requesting the same 'service'. And to answer your obvious question, only about 1/3 to 1/2 from Jews. Depending upon when Hanukkah falls. Weirdly, b/c we don't close for Hanukkah...unless it's on a Sunday. (That's a joke)

2. The City of Philadelphia is dropping Delta Dental which covers about 1/4 or the employees and switching over to another plan which has much worse remuneration and higher co-pays. We are inundated with work from the City Employees, even though we assured them that we take the other plan and would work out payment plans for the somewhat higher co-pays. don't expect many posts from me in December b/c I'm working 20 hours a day under duress. On edit: The City is saving 27 million dollars...that's 27 MILLION DOLLARS (If you saw the movie 'Twins' you'll get the joke...by switching...but it means that the working stiff is going to be picking that up, probably 50 cents on the dollar)

3. And to answer your other question, since this is an 'eating' holiday, everyone and their sister has been calling us for 10 days for IMMEDIATE ATTENTION...and I mean IMMEDIATE!!!!!, even though they've had the problem for 4-6 months...not hours, not days, MONTHS...but you know how it is...and I, being the humanist that I am, don't say no. My staff on the other hand, is not quite as humanistic as I am, and what they say about some of these folks is unprintable...even for DU.

4. I wish everyone here a wonderful Holiday (or Time Off if you don't celebrate), and a restful time.

Your friend,

PC

[Behind the Aegis]

1. Selfishness NEVER takes a holiday.

I am not saying you or your staff are being selfish, but your patients.

Have a wonderful holiday.

Remember, Hannukah is early this year!

[PCIntern]

2. And to you and yours, BTA...n/t

[Ruby the Liberal]

3. Wow - enjoy your day with your family

Sounds like it is going to be the last time you will have to relax for a while!

[CTyankee]

4. Hey, we have an erev on our street. There are many orthodox jews in our neighborhood

(we are close to the shul that Joe Lieberman attended when he used to actually LIVE here). I didn't even know what an erev was until my neighbor explained it to me. On Saturday morning our quiet little street is full of people walking and pushing baby strollers to go to services...it's a nice feeling of diversity (I have black and gay neighbors, too, another good reason to live in Westville...

[PCIntern]

5. How about gay blacks who happen to be Jewish?

We actually have quite a few filling out all portions of the Venn diagram here in Philly...we have a very large population of black Jews. Many know Michelle Obama's cousin in Chicago...many are very connected in both communities...fascinating.

[CTyankee]

10. Not that I know of. My husband is a white former Congregationalist from the

midwest who converted to Reform Judaism. Does that count?

We also have a nice mix of older/younger residents. We're retired and it helps to have that 16 yr old kid next door who will gladly shovel the snow on my walk...

[PCIntern]

17. It's a great country...it really is...

that's why I get so upset with the RWers ruining it. If we sucked, I wouldn't care. But the potential is enormous...

[Speck Tater]

6. Shouldn't this have been "Thanksgiving Dental Floss"? I never heard of "Dental Thread." nt

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. Haj Sameaj... and enjoy it with the family

and yes, selfishness never takes a break... and I mean your patients.

At least some of them.

By the way, we got some of the worst calls, as a medic, on Christmas eve and christmas day...

As well as some of the best. I used to tell my kids... well I don't celebrate so take lots to see who goes home.

[PCIntern]

13. My Dad's night job was a postal worker

and he used to work Christmas and Easter for regular salary instead of Premium time in order to allow regular folks to take the day who otherwise would have had to have worked. He 'only' did that for 38 years...

[Catshrink]

30. Mine did it for 33 years!

Another PO baby, eh?

[Bluenorthwest]

8. You do understand that everybody's clients are annoying

and demanding don't you? Is this a thing you think happens just to you, and your staff, or just to your profession? That the rest of us adore say, you and your wife when you are being customers? Just saying. Thanksgiving. Whine with your turkey?

[PCIntern]

9. Hey...

Have a nice holiday Mr. Disruptor Malcontent.

On edit: No one's ever allowed to say anything on DU anymore without the peanut gallery starting in..

Well, I'm not leaving and I'm not interested in aggressive bullshit. Nice try.

I don't often 'ignore'...but you're on...

[kickysnana]

11. My, my aren't we snarky today. Hope you feel better tomorrow. n/t

[Catshrink]

12. Gee, who pissed in your corn flakes this morning?

Oh, and another thing. Maybe you don't "know" PCIntern but he bends over backwards to help his patients get affordable dental care, spreading out payments for them and working long hours. My dentist? not so much.

[PCIntern]

14. "the heck with" these people who do this...

The other day I mentioned in a post that I had a thread entitled "I miss Ted Kennedy" or the equivalent and was immediately unrec'd. We're loaded with morans...

[Catshrink]

19. Agreed.

We had a thread in the Lounge a couple weeks ago about microbrews and a couple of idjits started in about beer snobs. Why even bother to post? Must be a latent meanness virus that erupts every now and then.

Do have a good TG, PC. You're one of the DUers I truly admire -- for your posts and your good work.

[PCIntern]

22. thank you Catshrink and...

i personally thnk that we're loaded with disruptors who just 'subtly' pick apart posts. It's an automatic gainsaying of whatever someone says. Very 'sophisticated'.


they're hiding like this guy is:

[Catshrink]

26. It's like this has happened around here:

[nadinbrzezinski]

28. Oh that is a cute photo

[Catshrink]

15. Hey PC

I hope you enjoy your well-deserved day off.

(If grocery stores aren't open or on limited hours, WTH makes people think a dentist would be open? I don't get it.)

[PCIntern]

16. ...because....

just because...there's Malignant Narcissism rampant in the society.

before Christmas, I'll post a long and almost funny story about a Christmas day a long time ago...I've posted it before, but it never ceases to amuse me to post it again...and again...and again...

See what I mean about 'narcissism'???

:hi:

[proud2BlibKansan]

18. Can I come in for a cleaning tomorrow?

:evilgrin:

[PCIntern]

20. sure...wait at the door tomorrow.

I'll be there on Monday at 5:45 A.M. and you're first!!!

Actually, I'm certain I'll be here for emergencies before that...but don't tell anyone upthread...

[Catshrink]

21. Hey school's out, why not?

[Mz Pip]

23. It's certainly annoying

to have people make unreasonable demands when you're trying to enjoy a relaxing holiday with your family.

Sadly, it is not limited to the medical profession. My teacher friend had a parent of one of her students call her as she was sitting down to eat Thanksgiving dinner insisting on a telephone conference about his son who was in her class.

Another friend, who is a plumber, got a call from a woman demanding that he come out on Christmas Day to unclog her drain. When he asked her how long it had been that way, she told him that it had been clogged for several weeks. He said no.

However I would love to give a big hug to the rural vet who took the time on Thanksgiving years ago to see our old dog who started peeing blood.

Seems like the holidays bring out the best and the worst in people.

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

[Vinca]

24. Could I consult with you on a very pressing question?

Do dentists get a deal on giant rolls of dental tape? I've had it paying nearly 5 bucks for those puny, little, plastic containers of the stuff.

[PCIntern]

25. that's a great question...

we get very little in the way of samples these days.

1. We pay mightily for toothbrushes...my bill a couple years ago was about 6000.00 a year and I stopped for a variety of reasons, not necessarily obvious. One was theft...

2. Floss and the like is also very expensive for us...virtually no samples from the manufacturer.

3. Toothpaste is another matter...I have hundreds of tubes of Colgate and Sensodyne which I give to needy patients or charities which distribute.

4. We get 'deals', but not as significant as you might think of 1000 yards of floss, etc. It's costly...

[PCIntern]

27. Off to dinner...

be back later!!!

[alarimer]

29. People are assholes.

I think that is the only explanation.