There's this thing that bothers me about visiting dental and medical clinics. You make an appointment, you show at your appointment time, and you wait. Why? Clinics don't get a lot of emergency cases, so these instances should be rare. I can understand that sometimes there will be delays, but from what I've seen, a ten to twenty minute wait past one's appointment time is the rule rather than the exception.
There's no excuse for this. When it becomes obvious that customers are usually being made to wait past their appointed time, scheduling changes should be made so that this delay becomes the exception rather than the rule.
There are two things that make this worse. First, if they are running behind, it is their obligation to tell the customer when they check in, and give them the option to reschedule; but I have never heard of any healthcare or dental clinic doing this. Second, when the customer is called in to their appointment ten, or twenty minutes late (I have had it be as much as fifty minutes late on occasion) no apology or even acknowledgement for the delay is offered. The complete failure to mention let alone apologize for the lateness indicates an attitude of utter contempt for the patients' time and ultimately for the patient.
How are the people who run clinics able to get away with being this crass? The only reason clinics get away with this rude treatment of their customers is because it has been common practice in the US for so long that no one expects anything different, so no one complains. No other businesses get away with treating their customers like this.
There are exceptions, though. The medical clinic I go to usually has me in the exam room with the doctor (after the nurse has taken my vitals) within five to ten minutes of my appointment every time, even when I scheduled the appointment earlier that same day. This clinic shows clearly that it's possible for clinics to stick to their schedules.
Next time you have to wait more than ten minutes after your appointment to see your doctor, complain. Not necessarily to your doctor, but definitely to the clinic's administrators. No one deserves to be treated with contempt, least of all people who might be suffering from some illness.