Cancelling orthodontist appt last minute, orthodontist is a stickler for sticking to schedule, worried...?

All right I know I'm going to come off scared, but I am!!!





I'm 19 and getting work on my teeth by an orthodontist. He's excellent at what he does and I trust him with my teeth. HOWEVER, he is nice but kind of a pr*ck.





He only sees adults and was kind of mean about seeing me, a 19 yr old, although he has seen my younger cousins. Point is, b/c of my age, he was like, "when I say jump you need to say how high" kind of deal.





Anyways, with finals and working 30 hours a week, I wasn't able to fit in getting a tooth pulled by an oral surgeon, and due to my own foolishness, I never cancelled the appt with the orthodontist. I'm worried that he's going to be a jerk, remember, he really is that type.





Point is, I'm worried about cancelling the appt this morning. Is there anything I can do to come off as less of an irresponsible teenager? Also, I'm worried that he might just drop me all together as a patient.

Cancelling orthodontist appt last minute, orthodontist is a stickler for sticking to schedule, worried...?
I agree with Amy.....YOU are paying THEM a large amount of money for a service ...you do not need to ever feel scared of your orthodontist....You have a life too and if you need to cancel then you need to cancel...You should give them 24 hour notice if possible, if not then there may be a small cancellation fee...if it is your first time cancelling, they should waive this fee....as life can be unpredictable..


Life is too short for mean people...I would try to find another orthodontist who is not a pr*ck ,if you have not begun treatment..


They are one of the most overpayed professions out there...Granted...I know they went through extended schooling..however....here in my area, their assistants do all the work and yet they charge 45 dollars for a missed appointment which ticks me off...I work in a dental office and we charge 15 dollars for missed appointments..( and that is after many warning letters.. ).not 45..seems ridiculous to me...! They charge outrageous fees and then have the nerve to charge outrageous cancellation fees! I dont know how they sleep at night...When I am paying 4,000-5,000 dollars in treatment for just one of my children, I expect them to bend over back wards for me...not to just breeze in and breeze out ...


I personally cannot stand high and mighty doctors whom belittle you or talk down do you...no way...there are plenty of nice orthodontists out there who will not make you feel this way....seek and you shall find! Good luck to you....Sorry I sound bitter...the topic struck a nerve....:-)
Reply:Just cancel it. You don't have to give a reason for canceling it. The only thing is they might charge you for not canceling 24 hours in advance.
Reply:Well... (reality check) You can either just tell the truth or you can say that the surgeon was not able to get you in. You DID know this before Monday morning, though, so expect the Wrath Of Khan to come down upon you.





If it's just an appliance check and adjustment, it will probably not be a hige deal to him.. If you are scheduled for a 90 minute appointment to get your appliances bonded into place, he will rightly be pi**ed off at you and may charge a cancellation fee, which would have to be paid before you can schedule a new appointment.





Then again, it IS possible to get braces "installed" sometimes without having the requested extractions done and then the tooth can still be removed with the braces in place. Call and tell them what happened, that you still have the tooth, and ask if you can still come in for the appointment.
Reply:Well, you can call them up and just explain how you "forgot" to cancel. Tell them about your finals. They may tell you there is a fee or sound a little annoyed that you canceled last minute or they may just say, "okay" and easy-breezy. I would think about switching to another ortho though. You shouldn't feel uncomfortable at all. You're gonna have a lot of questions or concerns and you have to be comfy to ask him. After all, you are paying them money for treatment.