Foo - No Pics, but I'm saying "What Da Hell?" anyway

The wife notices a small chip on one of her teeth. Can't recall how it might have happened, but once noticed it is annoying (you know how you can feel these things with your tongue and can't quit playing with it).

She makes an appointment to see the dentist. Hasn't been for a while, so probably good to get a check up and have this chip filled/filed or whatever.

Her appointment is first thing, so she is waiting patiently when the receptionist apologises that the dentist will be a bit late as he is stuck in traffic.

He? Wife has made an appointment to see a female dentist.

Receptionist looks a bit nervous and says that Dr Leung passed away almost A YEAR AGO!!!

Name is still on door, stationery and everything else. Hell, the diplomas are still on the frigging wall!

Wife walked out as she was a) a bit freaked and b) seriously worried about the professional ethics of this. The new Doc even phoned her and asked her to come back, but no dice.

You would think that if you called a medical practice (or any professional practice) and asked for an appointment with a particular person that you would be told if they were unavailable or "no longer with our practice". Surely Docs move office enough (or die, as in this case) for folks to be able to give you the truth.

Wife is now working out what the HK dentist organisation is called so she can file a complaint!

Wow!

Chinese dentist. Need we say more?

Chinese dentist. Need we say more?

Appointment at 2:30?

You have to wonder if the guy who took her place was a real dentist or was just using her certifications. :twitchy:

Chinese dentist. Need we say more?

Um, racist much?

My father was a dentist; been retired for quite a while now. His name is still on the door (although he does own the building). Everyone in town knows he is no longer practicing, but the practice is still though of as his by most of the patients. The current head dentist has no wish to remove Pop's name. It gives the practice 50+ years of name recognition. Kinda like the law firms that are named for the original partners two generations dead.

Um, racist much?

Not really. I live in the Bay Area... it really isn't allowed. :)

A dentist from HK did my dental implant. His wife will likely be our son's dentist when he hits that age (soon, soon). Stand-up couple. I even recommended the guy to a co-worker. But it is possible that not all dentists share the same... ethics and morals.

My wife's dentist let her know a whole year in advance that she was leaving the practice, before handing her off to the next dentist.

I'm sure the new guy is qualified (might have even been working alongside the now deceased doc), but it is the seeming dishonesty that is the key here. The new guy may have bought the practice or legitimately taken control of it (and the patient lists), but you'd think that when you made an appointment for a particular doc you'd at least be told if they were available.

If my wife had been told - when making the appt. - that the original doc was "not available" but another doc could see her, she probably would have said "OK". You might not blurt out "they're dead" on the phone, but something would be nice.

The trading off another person's name is a bit goulish.

Appointment at 2:30?

An oldie but a goodie!

It just keeps getting better!

Wife is home from work and I have more details....

New dentist is husband of ex-dentist, who it turns out committed suicide. He apparently has NOT TOLD THE KIDS yet (one or two very young - perhaps 2-3 years old we think) and has told them that mommy is off studying or some such.

This guy is deep in denial - and I'm not talking about a river in Egypt!

I don't see anything wrong with the practice's practice, actually.

I worked for a place named after the founder, who was dead for two generations. I even had an interview with a dead guy...when I was called for an interview, the old lady admin said the dead guy's (not the founder; a generation later) name by mistake. I came in asking for him and the whole office stopped cold when they heard me ask, as he had died only a few weeks prior. The admin realized her mistake and got the right person, and I got the job, heh.

It just keeps getting better!

Wife is home from work and I have more details....

New dentist is husband of ex-dentist, who it turns out committed suicide. He apparently has NOT TOLD THE KIDS yet (one or two very young - perhaps 2-3 years old we think) and has told them that mommy is off studying or some such.

This guy is deep in denial - and I'm not talking about a river in Egypt!
Oh, dear, hopefully he doesn't have your wife in mind for his replacement wife/mommy!!!

Wow, that's terrible.

No pics either, but I got video

(NSFW - language)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRBLmogRL4c

I believe the phrase "that's just messed up" will suffice.

It's not just messed up - it is a whole world of wrong.

This guy has even paid the yearly registration fee to the HK dentists board for his late wife. She's still a registered dentist!

... A registered ZOMBIE dentist?!

... A registered ZOMBIE dentist?!

Maybe there is a big market for that. You need good teeth to eat brains.

Update:
Wife emailed a dentist friend of ours who was once a prof. at the medical school here and knows the rules and local customs very well. He was shocked and said it was waaaaay out of line. However, he had seen this before. He was going to let us know how best to lodge a complaint with the dentist's board here.