Top 10 strangest dental patient requests

Last February, we published Jeanne Bosecker's web article What did you say?, which featured the craziest things she has heard from her patients while working as a hygienist. Bosecker provided her personal commentary on each patient comment and also shared tips on how to respond in a professional way, even for the most unexpected requests that come up.

Bosecker said dental professionals see a lot of patients and hear a lot of stories and while some of those stories might be ones you, the dental professional, view as funny, it's important to react appropriately or those patients might not come back.

"As hygienists we see and hear a lot of things in the chair," said Bosecker. "We have to remain professional and choose appropriate responses. I keep a journal of what patients say to me, which might make a great book one day. It also enables me to refer back and review how I handled certain situations in case they come up again."

On a similar note, the Chicago Dental Society conducted a survey at the 146th annual Midwinter Meeting that asked dentists to share some of the most bizarre requests they have ever received from their dental patients.

Can you beat these comments from CDS's top 10 list?

1.

"Can you give my dog braces?"  

2.

"Can I keep the teeth you pull out of my mouth? I'd like to make a necklace out of them."  

3.

"May I have an emergency cleaning visit? It's my high school reunion and I need a bright, white smile to face my old boyfriend."  

4.

Will you give me local anesthesia in my lips? I'm going in for permanent "lipstick" tattoos on my lips, and would like to avoid the pain."  

5.

"I just broke off my engagement. Can you prepare my tooth so that I can keep the diamond in it?"  

6.

"Pull my teeth and just give me dentures."  

7.

"I will pay you or your hygienist to floss my teeth at my office every day."  

8.

"Can you ID this set of dentures left in the bathroom of the bar I work at?"  

9.

"Please wire my mouth shut to aid in my diet."  

10.

"Can you extract my tooth without anesthesia?"    

Source: Disabled World