Closing the loop on Dr. Ryan

All the data are in. I have no idea what to do.

I made my third visit to the House of Comedic Dentistry a week ago Thursday for my cleaning. Obviously the good doctor wasn't there, as he was in Belize getting hammered on rum drinks, so it was just me and my hygienist. This was not the ditzy hygienist who kept apologizing for messing up during my previous visits, this was a very nice woman named Camilla who used to live in DC and with whom I pleasantly bonded during my first visit.

Anyhoo, the short and long story is that I have no story. She cleaned my teeth, did a little extra work, gave me a toothbrush and floss when I left... it was exactly what you expect from a dental visit. She's comforting and funny, which makes her the exact opposite of everyone else in the office.

So now the question is whether I return. The popular opinion is that I need to get out of there as soon as possible. And if I thought I would have to interact with the dentist I would agree. But as I think about the dentist/patient relationship, well, there isn't much of one. It's all about the hygienist. That's who you spend time with. And to date my hygienist has not made a joke about being drunk or brought unannounced strangers into the room or gotten upset when I paused a procedure. She's a keeper.

The verdict will remain out. I have a follow up visit in December, and that will probably be the tiebreaker. Maybe Belize will calm the good Doctor down.