"In the US, is it acceptable for an adult patient (aged 16+) to have a
friend, spouse, or family member with them in the operatory, if the
patient so wishes? Thanks."
_______________________-

In the US, it's usual for the dentist to own and run the dental office.
So each dentist sets the rules in his own practice.

Just as the dentist is free to allow or disallow "friends" in the
operatory (assuming local governmental regulatory measures allow such a
choice, which isn't always the case), the patient is also equally free
to choose a dentist who practices according to the patient's
preferences.

It's a simple matter of patients and dentists each selecting compatible
folks to work with.

- dentaldoc

Depends ......

It always makes me wonder if they have a hidden camera and whether
they work for the CDC or for Allen Funt.

In the US, is it acceptable for an adult patient (aged 16+) to have a
friend, spouse, or family member with them in the operatory, if the
patient so wishes? Thanks.

"Have them?"

In what way exactly.

Sue

When asked this question (and it happens often, as I usually go and
collect the patient _myself_ from the waiting room) I always approach
the subject in the same way:

"Let me think about that..."

And I walk with the patient into the operatory. Usually that is case
closed.

Once in a while, a lost soul just doesn't get the message and they
follow me into the operatory with the patient.

"Well....?"

"Huh?... Oh yes, I told you I'd think about it, didn't I?"

I reach into the top drawer and take out a test tube with a cork stopper
in it. Inside the tube, under the cork stopper, is a cigarette. I remove
the stopper using College pliers and delicately place it on the counter.
I utilize the same College pliers to delicately remove the cigarette,
and, placing the test tube on the counter I turn with an air of
importance to my assistant:

"Loupe..."

She hands me a rather over large magnifying glass, which I examine
intently, and then I take it and the cigarette over to the window. I
locate the sun in the sky, and I attempt to light the cigarette using
the magnifying glass, taking a few test puffs to see if it is burning
yet. After a few tries, I put both down and wash my hands to begin
working.

This _always_ results in a rather heavy silence, especially when the
request happens to come in the evening or at night.

This procedure is useful for conveying three (3) key concepts:

One, that serious things can happen in the dental office, so there'd
better be some respectful silence prevailing.

Two, that the visitor now questions my sanity seriously enough to not
overlook the importance of Concept One.

So there you have it: how I handle this situation.

Thank Youse

SP

Depends on the individual practitioners' philosophy.
There is no rule set in stone.

--
W_B

wubbabubbazG@RBAGEyahoo.com
Take out the G'RBAGE

Thanks for all the great answers - much appreciated :-)!