I went into Dr. Aaron Cloward's office in order to get a crown today. Before getting the crown, I asked if I could speak to him about options of materials used on the crown. I had hoped to be able to get his expert opinion and then jointly make a choice with him. Because the crown was going to be in my mouth (and I was paying for it) and it was my first time to get a crown, I wanted to feel I was making a good choice on what material was used on the crown. As I began to ask questions and discuss the topic, he accused me of lacking confidence in him. The truth is, I actually had confidence in him and was seeking his professional opinion. I had only just begun sharing what little I knew about benefits of gold crowns. I had hoped to get his input on that. He then told me that I was very anxious. I told him I had just wanted to ask some questions about getting a crown. He then pointed to a clipboard on a counter behind me with a consent form that I had never seen before and accused me of not signing a consent form. No one had given me the form. I wasn’t aware of it until he pointed to it. He then asked me to leave. His exact words were; “I think we should part ways.” I was very surprised by this experience. I have always thought it was okay to learn about and make some choices about medical procedures being done to me. I had gone into his office expecting to have an intelligent, professional discussion with Dr. Cloward about the pros and cons of different material used in crowns and then make a decision together with him. Instead, I ended up being told by Dr. Cloward to leave his office. Dr. Cloward’s assistant and a young man training to be a dentist were in the room and witnessed this. I do not believe I had behaved unacceptably or disrespectfully towards him. I believe I was only politely asking about crown material. I did not lack confidence in him. I only wanted to make an informed choice. I feel that he falsely interpreted my inquisitive nature and was judgmental, cold, and hostile towards me.
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