Periodontist Scoffs At Tattooed Woman Asking For Sedation, Gets Shut Up

A doctor’s office should be a place of trust but for some, it can fill up with false assumptions and biases instead.

A few days ago, Reddit user Peach_Emoji_ turned to the platform to let out her frustrations after a visit to a periodontist, who acted in a very dismissive manner because of the patient’s tattoos.

This story highlights that people still run into prejudices in the healthcare sector, leading to discomfort and anxiety about their treatment.

Two dental professionals with a patient in a clinic, discussing treatment options.

Image credits: zoranzeremski / envatoelements (not the actual photo)

Text describes a periodontist dismissing a tattooed woman's concerns about pain during a consultation.

Doctor condescending about asking sedation, questions patient's pain tolerance due to tattoos.

Text discussing arm tattoos and their relevance.

Text excerpt about dental anxiety and assumptions due to tattoos.

Tattooed woman getting a tattoo in a studio with a tattoo artist in a red plaid shirt.

Image credits: astakhovyaroslav / envatoelements (not the actual photo)

Text discussing a periodontist's interaction and emphasizing care and respect in dental practices.

Text highlighting prejudice in medical systems shared by a tattooed woman's experience with a periodontist.

Image credits: peach_emoji_

Tattooed woman with floral designs on arms and neck wearing a black shirt with white undershirt.

Image credits: Ralph Rabago / pexels (not the actual photo)

According to a 2023 Pew Research Center survey, 32% of American adults have a tattoo themselves, including 22% who have more than one.

Overall, eight-in-ten Americans, including those with and without ink on their skin, believe society has become more accepting of tattoos over the past two decades or so, and 66% of those who don’t have one themselves say seeing a tattoo on someone else leaves them with neither a positive nor negative impression of that person.

However, 29% say it influences their perception badly.

And they aren’t the only ones who feel judged during their doctor appointments. One study found that 17 percent of patients have felt vulnerable to similar prejudice as the author of the post due to their “racial or ethnic identity, gender, socioeconomic status, weight or age.” What’s worse, these people were worse off health-wise than their peers, too — patients who feel judged by healthcare providers are less likely to access readily available preventive care such as flu shots and put off treating problems until they reach higher levels of acuity than others.

Other inked people shared their own similar experiences, revealing that this wasn’t a standalone case

"Person shares experience of being judged for tattoos during medical procedure in online discussion.

Reddit comments discussing a periodontist's condescending behavior and biases in medical treatment.

"Comments discussing experiences with periodontist and sedation for dental procedures.

Discussion about sedation with periodontist and patient experience with IV needles.

"Reddit post discussing experiences with periodontist and sedation for tattooed woman.

Chat discussing tattoo artist's dismissed symptoms linked to terminal cancer.

"Periodontist criticized; comments about bias in medical care and patient concerns discussed in text exchange.

Text conversation about a periodontist's reaction to a tattooed woman seeking sedation, sharing personal experiences.

Text comments discuss biases faced by tattooed individuals in medical settings.

Reddit comments discussing past negative experiences with dentists and dental anxiety.

Discussion about sedation during dental procedures with a periodontist, featuring patient experiences.

Reddit comment discussing experiences with tattooed patients fainting, highlighting periodontist issue.

"Text discussing periodontist dismissing requests for sedation from a woman with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Tattooed woman describes sinus surgery experience and inadequate pain management.

A text conversation about a periodontist's reaction to a tattooed woman's sedation request.

Text screenshot discussing a tattooed woman's experience with unnecessary testing during pregnancy.

Screenshot of a user comment criticizing a periodontist for dismissing pain after gum surgery compared to tattoos and childbirth.

Tattooed person shares experience buying insulin needles at pharmacy.

While most supported the author of the post

"Doctor with arm tattoos criticizes periodontist's attitude toward sedation request, expressing frustration.

Comments exchange about a periodontist and a tattooed woman, with users reacting to a situation involving sedation.

"Online comments discuss a periodontist's reaction to a tattooed woman requesting sedation.

Reddit comment by WaffleProfessor discussing a periodontist's behavior towards a patient.

"Comment on periodontist and tattooed woman sedation request, applauding a perfect response to cringeworthy actions.

Periodontist ignores tattooed woman's sedation request; she responds assertively in text conversation.

A few disagreed with some of the points she made

Comment discussing dental anxiety related to a periodontist's reaction to a tattooed woman requesting sedation.

Comment criticizing stereotypes of boomers and tattooed people.

"Forum comment discussing periodontist interaction with tattooed woman about sedation request.

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