Dear readers, I have such a funny story to tell you today. I hope you get as good a laugh out of it as my husband and I did.
Laughter is, after all, one of the healthiest things anyone can do, so I’m sharing this story with all of you in the hope that it adds a boost of wellness to your day!
So here’s what happened ….
This morning, as I was getting ready to leave my dentist’s office after a 9am appointment, the receptionist hands me an envelope with my name on it. She told me the day before over the phone that it was a gift card which was the office’s way of saying “thank you” for some referrals I’ve sent their way in recent months.
Very nice. A classy touch, I thought to myself.
So, I get in my car and drive home. I didn’t open the envelope because it just didn’t cross my mind to do so at that moment.
Boy, am I glad I waited!
After I arrive home, I go into the house and start putting my keys, etc on the kitchen table and notice the envelope again.
I thought it would be nice to share this with my husband, so I walk into his office and tell him about the gift card and begin to open the envelope so we can be surprised and delighted together.
I’m thinking it must be movie tickets or a certificate to a local restaurant or something like that which my husband and I can share on an evening out.
You can imagine my shock and surprise when I pull out the gift card and it is none other than a gift card to (drum roll please) …
DUNKIN’ DONUTS!!!!!
I am not making this up.
For the first few seconds, my husband and I were too stunned to say anything. We just stared at each other with our jaws agape.
And then, we started to laugh, and laugh, and LAUGH!
Oh my, that was so funny. A dentist giving a gift card to Dunkin’ Donuts! The irony of it is almost too much to comprehend!
After we finally stopped laughing many, many minutes later, I finally gasped enough air to ask my husband, “What am I going to do with this? I don’t eat donuts and I don’t drink coffee?”
Always my knight in shining armor, hubby chimed in that Dunkin’ Donuts now shares space with Baskin Robbins, so he can take the kids out for ice cream with it.
Wonderful, I thought. Ice cream for the kids. What a way to promote those cavities (and some repeat business)!
Sarah, TheHealthyHomeEconomist.com
Wow! NEVER had a dentist give me anything except a plastic ring when I was a kid…I am a bit astonished at your story AND all the other similar ones here! 😀
sounds like they were just being nice. not everyone is as educated regarding nutrition. hopefully no one who works there reads your blog as you come off super elitist with this post.
If my post comes of as elitist, so be it. Dentists who give out gift cards to Dunkin Donuts need to be publicly shamed for such irresponsible behavior. There’s a difference between “being nice” and encouraging destructive behavior which is exactly what this dentist is doing, nice as they are. Would you say the same thing if a doctor gave out a carton of cigarettes as a thank you to a patient for referral business?
By the way, in addition to being amused, I was also a bit insulted by the gift card as the dental office knows well that I am into health and nutrition.
My dentist must be one of the tightest with his money in the nation from what I’ve read above. We’ve been going to him for over 30 years and he’s great, but only gave the kids a couple of stickers after their visits and my husband and me zero from all the referrals over the years. One day he kept me waiting for ONE hour and I was so livid he kiddingly asked me if I’d like a sticker. I blurted out in anger, “How about a discount!” (we have no dental insurance) Ya know what? He did; $20.00 off my cleaning! Now that’s a treat I can live with. So, BTW….what is in Baskin Robbins ice cream?
What’s ironic is that there’s a Dunkin Donuts ad (part of Google ads) right under your video as I read your post! 🙂
I own a business that sells to dentists, so I am in their offices all the time. One of my customers keeps Hershey’s miniatures at the reception desk all the time. I asked once if they were trying to drum up business, and to my surprise they answered yes! At least they were honest about it! I laughed about that for days.
they don’t know you very well do they?
The last conventional dentist I went to served fresh baked cookies, coffee, juice, and water. If you walked in during the baking time, it was very tempting to grab a cookie, or two! And yes, I thought the same thing you did, Sarah, about cavities & repeat business! (but I still kept going there)
Honestly, I think you should call or write to the dentist and thank him for the gift but tell him that you find it ironic that he’s giving you a gift that’s not healthy for your teeth. Then maybe you should send him a copy of Price’s book.
This is a funny story, and we love the occasional sweet too–donuts are our favorite– but I personally think we need to educate our health care providers on what is appropriate! Dentists shouldn’t be giving out anything with sugar in it. *Rolling my eyes and shaking my head.*
Sarah,
That is so frustrating. Can you make a comment to them so that if they respect how you live a healthy lifestyle maybe in time they will start to think more in the lines that that wasnt a smart idea. may I ask if you or your kids have a lot or any cavities? Seems like you would want to see a holistic dentist. your comment that they do great work must mean they fill cavities?? I truly believe grains are the major cause of tooth decay. after I switched to raw pastured whole milk, cream , butter, lard olive oil and dont eat cane sugar. no cavities and no tooth pain or sensitivivity.
My favorite dentist when I was a kid ALWAYS gave me a gift certificate to Dolly Madison Ice Cream Shoppe after my appointments. Which I had a lot of, because I always had cavities. He said the ice cream would make it feel better and also that the calcium was good for my teeth. I didn’t care either way, it was yummy 🙂