Recently a patient in Arizona decided to record a surgical procedure on his iPhone, and what he heard shocked him. After getting into a debate with Dr. Brown Harris over the cost of the procedure and the dentist finally offering a cheaper price, Donovan Cade decided to record what happened in the operatory. It must have been some kind of premonition, because several people can be heard in the 28-minute recording making rude comments and threatening to write vulgar words on his forehead.
Once Cade heard the recording, he contacted the Arizona State Dental board but they dismissed the complaint with no explanation. When the press contacted the dental office, they were directed to their lawyer. The lawyer’s response was that Cade was “mean” to the dentist and his staff and Dr. Harris has an outstanding reputation.
Unfortunately, the recording stands as testament to how a bad temper can get the best of anyone. Regardless of how the patient treated the dentist, abusing a position of power is never the answer. Having a patient helpless in a chair while a surgical procedure is being performed is a lot of responsibility and obviously this particular dentist couldn’t handle it. The right thing to do in this case? If the patient created a situation where your emotions took over, it is time to fire that patient and move on. It isn’t worth risking the life of a patient or your livelihood. Also as a patient if the doctor was that upset, the prudent thing to do would have been to move on and find another one.
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