I just want to pop back in and say thanks for all the ideas. Love the purse hook idea especially, because there is definitely space for that! The others...like TVs and fish tank...there's just no space. The waiting room is small -- basically a square about 10'x10' with 6-7 chairs and a bookcase. All windows on one side and a reception desk on the other, so no logical spot for a TV or fish tank. I like the idea of mobiles on the ceiling in the treatment area, will look into that! The dr. has a large collection of art/prints all by the same artist that he wants to use, so they will be hung throughout the space. There is one wall next to the open doorway to the treatment rooms -- it is about 3' wide and the wall perpendicular to it (to your right as you enter the treatment room) is about 4' wide. So it's a little corner spot that I need to use in a way to "stop the eye". (The dr said some patients like to peer down the hall to the treatment rooms -- from their vantage point in the waiting room -- and say hello.) I thought about a tall tree decal because that would be big and colorful and take up a lot of space. Other ideas? It can't be a coat rack or coffee machine because we don't want people congregating over there (it is just beyond the reception desk, maybe 9-10' from the waiting room seating. Depending on what's left in the budget, I could also see about getting an artist to actually paint a tree there. (This ties in with the dr's art collection, which are mostly landscapes.) What do you think?

Joseph C. McMurray is a good implant guy/oral surgeon. My dentist sent me to him for a single implant. Haven't had it done yet but I am very comfortable with him and friends who used him were very satisfied. Most dentists don't do implants, They send you to an oral surgeon for the prep and then order the tooth/r teeth for you. Many dentists do dentures though. Not in house but through the lab. Be careful with the "we do it all cheap" implant ads you see. You get what you pay for. If he hasn't done so your DH should go to a dentist to see what would be best for him. They are getting away from yank and replace these days. I had a horrible mouth 20 years ago and expected to be in dentures by now. I will probably die with my teeth. DH went to dentures back in the c dark ages when he was only 20 years old. Regrets it now.

Ritaweeda, I would have more confidence in her opinion if she had actually checked my teeth thoroughly. She didn't, just a quick glance. My old dentist actually used instruments to check the integrity of my teeth and old fillings. She also is the one who would checked my gum health, not the hygienist. The new dentist also didn't tell me which teeth specifically where affected, just 7, and then told me I needed to go discuss it with her office manager regarding pricing to fix them. When I said how is that possible, I just went to the dentist a year and a half ago (I thought it was but turns out it was 2 1/2 years) she told me I had a lot of "dark cracks" that she would fix if it were her teeth. So is it staining from tea and coffee or decay? When I got in the office to discuss the pricing, I told the office manager I wanted a second opinion and asked for a list of which teeth were affected. There were 10, not 7. Then I'm thinking not only are they trying to scam me but my insurance company too. My old dentist would have told me exactly which tooth/teeth had a problem and told me my options. I have an appointment early Monday morning with my old dentist so we will see. I also decided not to go back into the other dentists office for my xrays. I'm angry, and these days I don't always hold my tongue like I did when I was younger.

Well, I went to my dental appointment yesterday, that I had scheduled back in December. Here’s how it went down: 3 weeks ago, they called to confirm my appointment, we assured each other we had not had symptoms of, been diagnosed with, or been in contact with someone diagnosed, with Covid. They told me all their new procedures. 2 days before, they sent me an electronic confirmation and form to fill out about my Covid status like they did 3 weeks ago. 1 day before, because I hadn’t really read the email and filled out the form, they called to remind me and to get my credit card number to pay in advance, if I wanted. I did, and I filled out the form. 6 hours before, they sent me the digital form again to fill out. 0 hour, per their instructions, I entered the empty waiting room not a moment before or after my scheduled time. The hygienist was waiting, masked. In the chair, I rinsed 30 seconds with a hydrogen peroxide and water solution, spit into a cup that was promptly disposed of in hazardous waste. Didn’t spit into the little chair-side sink. I took off my glasses (as I usually do) and she gave me goggles. She took my temperature. The hygienist put on her face shield. She also wore glasses, and needed flip-up goggles with “loupes” on them for close work. Poor thing, there were at least 5 layers between her eyes and mine. She positioned a “pressure machine” that I guess worked like a shop vac (sounded like one) to suck up any droplets. The instruments were...I can’t remember, they told me three weeks ago, but some were disposable and some went through an intense process with days between uses. The rest of the appointment went as normal. When I left, the receptionist slipped me my receipt under the plexiglass shield at the desk. I felt comfortable. One thing I noticed: no magazines in the waiting room, since no one will be waiting in there for a good while. This will probably kill the print magazine industry, which was already struggling, and which was recently hurting from the drop in advertising. And for those of us who still get print magazines, where will we take them when we finish with them? I often left a magazine behind when I would go to an appointment.