October chitchat

[flatcap]

[agate]

Today I finally got to the dentist, some 6 weeks after my 22-year-old partial denture broke. I just had too many other appointments lined up in recent weeks to pencil in the dentist. I don't like doing more than one outing per week as it's too tiring, and each week lately has included an appointment that I couldn't get out of.

So at last I'm on my way to getting some lower teeth again. I have the front teeth but only one lower molar, and it is very very flimsy and worn-down. It's been under careful surveillance for years.

I don't mind a diet of yogurt, soft cheese, soup, and rice dishes--oh yes, bananas, oranges, and juice--but would really like to go back to chewable foods. It will be 3 or 4 weeks more.

The driver on the way there was trying to talk me into complaining about the inaccessibility of the dentist's office. The paratransit drivers have to go to this building's back door, ring a bell or knock so that someone will open the door, then come back to the van and get me over to the entrance, where there are two steps. No manual wheelchair can do two steps. One, yes, provided someone is pushing the wheelchair from behind and can tilt it--but not two steps.

Granted, the steps are far enough apart for the wheelchair to rest on the lower one (just barely) while navigating the second step, but that step leads into the building's very narrow entryway. The drivers used to lift me somehow or other, wheelchair and all, but since I'm usually able to get out of the wheelchair, lately I "just" get out of it long enough for the chair to be lifted inside. Today I was so wobbly on my legs and feet that this wasn't easy.

Then there is the washroom. There is no way any wheelchair could fit in there. It always has to be parked out in the very narrow hall.

The driver today claims that this place is in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and says somebody should complain.

I thought that the ADA had some loopholes, like one exempting very small businesses with few employees--it might have been fewer than 20-25. Somewhere I thought I heard that but maybe I didn't.

This place has only about 6 employees in all--the dentist and about 3 hygienists or assistants and someone doing reception and billing. I suspect they would be exempt.

Does anyone know?

I told the driver that I wouldn't want to complain because the dentist would know who complained. He'd be able to figure it out because I've never seen another disabled person in there among the patients.

I added that if he knew I'd complained, I might find he was pulling some of my teeth when they didn't need to be pulled....

[flatcap]

Agate, I am sorry to hear that, particularly your last comment. If you are really worried about that, you should probably find a new dentist. It would be a hassle to transfer your records, I'm sure, but it might be worth it in terms of your overall peace of mind. Maybe not, though, considering all the work you already have in progress. You will have to decide.

Regarding the ADA/access issues, I don't know. Again, it might be worth it to find a new dentist, and again, you will have to decide. There must be dentists in your area that have made accessibility a priority. At the very least, there should be bathroom access. You would think any present-day dentist's office would take these things into account. It doesn't sound like complaining would accomplish anything in this case.

[Ikoiko]

Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever been to a medical office that wasn’t accessible.

[agate]

Ikoiko, there are loopholes in the ADA, and one of them apparently states that if a business would find it too costly to make the facility ADA-compliant, that business doesn't need to comply.

flatcap, I've thought for years about changing dentists. When I moved to this state, I began with a dental clinic chain. Then I changed to a low-cost place that billed itself as providing geriatric dental care. There were problems with both of these, and finally I found this dentist by asking my son where he went for dental care. The Yelp reviews for this dentist have consistently been outstanding, and in general I've had no complaints about the care provided, though luckily I haven't had much real work done--just cleanings, X-rays, exams, and maybe a filling.

[flatcap]

Agate & All,

I went to my new dentist today, which was the third time in the last month or so. The first time around, it was for perio maintenance, x-rays, and an exam. The second was for a small filling. Today, it was two more fillings on the other side. Now, I don't need to go back until March.

Everything has gone well at the new dentist's office. I am able to see my same hygienist from before she moved to her new job, and the doctor my case has been assigned to is great. He explains everything and never seems to be in a rush. In addition, they are not in the business of trying to sell you cosmetic procedures that you don't need.

One thing that reminds me of my previous dentist's office is the basic layout and approach to care. It is rather like an assembly line. It doesn't really seem that way when sitting in the chair, but it is nothing like the old days where it was one patient at a time. I was in and out of there today in about 30-40 minutes. It did seem longer, though.

Another thing that must now be standard is, there are no sinks to spit in or wash your mouth out. An assistant hovers over you instead with what amounts to a hose and vacuum cleaner to wash out your mouth. This is successful — or unsuccessful — to varying degrees. It all depends on the ability of the assistant. In this new practice, the first one was good, the second was great, and the one today was good. This beats the previous practice, where I would say the assistants were only okay, at best.

As far as the doctors go, I would say the new dentist is more or less the equal of the old one. The exception is, the new one is much less of a high-pressure salesman. Only time will tell how well their work stands up. At this moment, I have no data, so there is no clear winner.

[agate]

Sounds like a good dentist there, flatcap. Yes, those suction tubes that vacuum saliva out of your mouth periodically have been what's been used by all dentists I've seen in recent years. Probably more sanitary than the old way?

When you wrote:

Agate, I am sorry to hear that, particularly your last comment.

you probably were referring to this closing comment I foolishly wrote:

I added that if he knew I'd complained, I might find he was pulling some of my teeth when they didn't need to be pulled....

It was foolish because intended humor just doesn't come across in Internet posts without at least an emoji. When I said this in person to that driver, he laughed. He had the context of the conversation and the tone of voice as guides. That's missing on the Internet, which is one reason why emojis are helpful.

And that reminds me. You posted a link to a site for emojis a while back, and the other day I was looking for it but couldn't find that post where you gave the link. Please don't go to a lot of trouble but if you happen to have it handy or know approximately when you posted it, I'd like to find a way of including it in a sticky thread here--for instance, the Useful Websites thread.

[flatcap]

I think you're right about the sanitation issue. I guess swallowing whatever you have to while you're in the dentist's chair is worth it, but I kind of miss the old system. I suppose it's like public water fountains; those are going away, too.


I have bookmarks in my library for several sites in a folder I named "Smilies." I will list all of them here, beginning with the one I think you are referring to.


YourSmileys

Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...


Smiley o(^o^)o LOL

Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...


Vivaldi Forum - Retro Emojis

Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...


Vivaldi Forum - Animated Emojis

Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...


Hope this helps.

[flatcap]

Copy/Paste Test (from Vivaldi Forum - Retro Emojis)




Copy/Paste Test (from Vivaldi Forum - Animated Emojis)

[flatcap]

Emojipedia

Only registered and activated users can see links., Click Here To Register...

For whatever reason, I can't get this one to work here.

I have used emojis I copied from there before, so I don't know what the problem is.

I am listing Emojipedia in case others want to use their emojis on other sites.

[agate]

Wow, what a wealth of emoji sites! I'm going to be looking into them and seeing about getting them into that Useful Websites sticky.

I don't know if you were reading here at the time but long ago some of us here were unhappy about the emoji situation, and now we have the current selection, but many of them are no longer working as you've probably noticed. Nowadays there are so few of us here any more that any improvements we've wanted just aren't going to happen, unfortunately.

But having a few places to find emojis at our disposal would help.

[flatcap]

One thing about YourSmileys.org is, in a number of categories, the emojis come in different sizes.

• Those in size "S" are about the same as the standard smilies you find at forums like this one (some are the exact same emojis).

• Size "M" is big enough to see easily (for me, anyway).

• Sizes "L" and up are HUGE.

They also have a lot of what they call "Glitter Graphics." Most of those are pretty large.

[flatcap]

<snip>

[flatcap]

Still waiting for Halloween...

[Virginia]

I just make do with whatever emoji is handy if I happen to really need one. I am not a big user here of them, but sometime they convey a tone that is unable to be conveyed in typing words.

Agate, glad you got your dental work done - for now at least. If you are like me it is an on going thing. Like Ikoiko, I can't think of a medical establishment that I have been to that is not accessible. However if you like your Dentist that is a big thing.

I got my COVID vaccine Tuesday. I hardly even got a sore arm. Yesterday I was even more fatigued than usual, but today has been my normal.