Has to wipe the dirty needle on  his pants before injecting novocaine
Business cards refer to "Extractions: Dental and obstetric"
Shaky hands
Dentist has missing teeth
Straps your hands to the chair before drilling
Wears hearing protection earmuffs while drilling
Has to change the light bulb in the floor lamp in the corner before drilling
Adresses you by the wrong name
Smells like whiskey sours
There is a Makita drill box on the floor in the corner

 He's not wearing any pants.
 His dog has braces.
 He has a hook for a hand.
 He's wearing a necklace made of teeth.
 Picks his nose...'nuff said.
 His name is Josef Mengele, III.
 Circumcisions are a sideline.
 His office has bald tires.
 Asks if you "really need those lips."
 Three words: Silent but deadly.

 He's not wearing any pants.
 His dog has braces.
 He has a hook for a hand.
 He's wearing a necklace made of teeth.
 Picks his nose...'nuff said.
 His name is Josef Mengele, III.
 Circumcisions are a sideline.
 His office has bald tires.
 Asks if you "really need those lips."
 Three words: Silent but deadly.  

The dentist who treated me when I was a kid. When he'd drill, and it would
hurt like hell. I would tell him, and he would look confused. He'd say "I
can't understand it, there is no nerve in that tooth" and would go back to
drilling. What did I know? He was the guy in the white suit.

My present dentist, if it hurts he puts in some more mepivicaine. And he
stops and asks if it's comfortable.

OK, OK....I'll be serious:

I'm trying to think about common denominators for bad dentists .....things
that a layperson might notice, and I'm kinda coming up blank.  An awful lot
of smart people go to bad dentists for years.

OK, OK....I'll be serious:

I'm trying to think about common denominators for bad dentists .....things
that a layperson might notice, and I'm kinda coming up blank.  An awful lot
of smart people go to bad dentists for years.

I mean, I have my prejudices, but I can't take them too seriously.

Like: dentists who advertise.  Some of the real hacks around here advertise
heavily.  Buuuut....I've advertised, don't think I'm a hack.  And I know
some great docs with a half page in the phone book.

Dentists who delegate excessively to auxiliaries.  I used to watch one
DDS's assistants making dentures, start to finish, as I looked from my 10th
story suite into his 9th floor office in the next building.  Ethics
committee eventually ran him out of town.  Buuuut, overall, expanded duties
have enriched the profession, I think.  Where do yo draw the line?

Maybe this one: dentists who always seem to be in a hurry.  Yes, we're all
busy, but I favor health care providers - in any specialty - who pay
sufficient attention to my care.  If your doc works 4 operatories and
doesn't at least say hello when you're in for recall......I'd wonder,
myself.

Wears black leather, rIdes a motorcycle, picture of mom on the altar in the
closet.....

My personal "favourite": tx plan ENDS with a cleaning...

I'm not sure whether you will have fun with this or give an honest
answer. Maybe a little of both will be nice, but I would love to hear
what you think are the top signs you have a bad dentist. :)
posted at www.healthcareforums.org