ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
A Betoota Heights dentist has revealed today that he often likes waiting until patients are seated in the chair and his fingers are in their mouth before he tries to engage in some polite conversation.
Until they’re in the chair, Dr Wally Taylor BDSc (Hons) (UQ) of Wally’s Tooth’n’Gum on Davidson Street, says he likes to remain completely silent while the dental hygienists to the preparation. Only when he’s ready to go, he starts talking.
Dr Taylor told The Advocate that it’s one of his favourite parts of the job.
“I like to keep it light,” he said.
“I put the mouth mirror on their tongue and ask if they caught the Broncos game on the weekend. That’s if they’re a bloke. If they’re a woman, I usually ask what they do for a living. It’s pretty funny to see them try and speak. It’s even better when you stop and take your fingers out of their mouth and they have to say what they’re going to say while everyone waits. You can see it stresses them out. Especially the ones who are already a bit anxious,”
“It’s all good fun though.”
One of Wally’s patients, local real estate agent Ben Bennett, wasn’t surprised that this was something his dentist did on purpose.
Mr Bennett said he was in for his routine teeth whitening and bruxism mouthguard replacement on Monday when Dr Wally began chatting to him.
“He’s got a finger between my top and bottom jaw and he’s expecting me to talk about Reece Walsh,” he said.
“He’s asking me questions about how much the dental practice would be worth. What kind of BMW or Audi I’m leasing or have some dreaful high-interest loan out on. Asking me where he should invest in Betoota. I’m like, ‘Mate, I can’t speak with your fucking fingers in my mouth’ so he just takes them out and waits for me to answer,”
“Seriously, I appreciate the customer service and he was good to my DVA Gold Card-holding grandmother for years but Christ on a bike, saving the chit-chat for when I’m swiping my health fund card. We can both laugh at how much they rip us off, those health fund bastards.”
More to come.
