2 Guaranteed Questions People Ask When They Learn You’re a Dentist

If you’re a dentist, you’re bound to be asked these two interesting questions during small talk. 

Picture this: There you are, an innocent doctor of dental surgery, sitting in your assigned seat on an airplane. You’re attempting to read the latest Stephen King or Gillian Flynn thriller on your Kindle. But the person beside you is talkative and wants to chat. Cue the “profession” question.

This question can strike anytime, anyplace. You could be at the grocery store or the mall or the massage therapist (who you’ve hired to deal with the neck/shoulder pain caused by being a dentist).

Q: What do you do?

A: I’m a dentist. 

The 2 Questions People Ask Dentists

1) I hate the dentist. But you know what? I think there’s something wrong with this tooth?

For the next hour, the conversation is going to be about teeth. Most likely, they haven’t received a general check-up for the last 10 years or they have crippling odontophobia. Still, they’ve been feeling a pain in their “back tooth” and it’s so convenient that you popped into their life at this exact moment.

If you really think about it, this is a little (or a lot) weird. Very few times does someone introduce themselves as a gastroenterologist and the listener offers to discuss their colon. It just doesn’t happen. 

2) Want to hear my bad wisdom tooth/root canal/dental procedure horror story?

No, actually, we don’t. We don’t care if Dr. Hannibal Lecter-Kevorkian drilled a hole the size of the Atlantic Ocean through your jaw and then left wads of toilet paper behind. TMI.

But it’s summer and business has been slow, so:

“One the other hand … If you’re interested in some quality dentistry, I do happen to own a practice that will put all those dental fears behind you. We have warm blankets and hygienists as kind as Mother Teresa. No, scratch that. Kinder than Mother Teresa.”

The dental profession brings with it a whole host of funny/ridiculous situations. Check out our recent blog about the types of dentists you meet during CE.

Have any dental anecdotes you’d like to contribute? Join the conversation in the comments!