Definitely a disaster during my recent visits. I felt teased and disrespected. When I didn’t catch his words "anesthetic," he just repeated it and then asked me directly, "Do you have a partner who speaks English?" I felt humiliated and responded, "I can speak English." I believe the fundamental quality a dentist should have is patience.
I went in that day for a filling, which, in hindsight, was a rash decision. During previous check-up, I told the dentist that I occasionally feel sensitivity when exposed to cold air or when drinking something cold, but only occasionally. He just did a visual check and didn’t take an X-ray or any other thorough examination, yet decided to do the filling. I trusted the dentist’s professionalism, especially since I had that tooth filled about ten years ago. I thought it might need a refill. So, I agreed to the filling, but I didn’t expect the entire back of my tooth to be ground down and refilled. Last time, I only had the side filled. This was never communicated to me before the procedure.
When the procedure was almost finished, the dentist asked me to look in the mirror. I noticed one side of my tooth felt unbalanced. He said he hadn’t changed the length, but he could grind it if I wanted. At that moment, I didn’t fully understand what "grind" meant, and I almost forgot that grinding can’t be undone. He never recommended against it, and made it sound casual, as if it were as easy as losing a hair. Anyway, he ground it down, and that’s another thing that frustrated me—it made my tooth feel unnaturally curved.
At the end of the appointment, the dentist told me to rinse my mouth and repeatedly said, “You should be closer to the sink, otherwise, it will splash on you.” I was already close to the sink, but he insisted I move closer and even pushed me with his hands. I didn’t understand the necessity of this move.
I don’t know if I’m being too sensitive or exaggerating these things, and maybe this is just common here. All I know is that I don’t feel respected or well-treated as a person.
Reactie van/namens:
Van Leeuwen Tandartsen - centrum voor mondzorg en implantologie Leiden
Dear Madam,
I am very sorry to hear how you experienced the treatment in question by me in my practice. I firmly believe that you have completely misinterpreted my intentions towards you and the way in which I treated you.
It is crucial in the communication between dentist and patient that both understand each other well. If this is not the case, misunderstandings can arise.
When my patients have difficulty understanding me or when I myself have difficulty understanding someone, I usually only treat the person in question when there is someone present who can translate or help at times when there is ambiguity in the communication. That is why I asked you if you have a partner who speaks English. The question of whether I will anaesthetise the tooth in question is a question that one can expect from the dentist when a treatment is to take place. My English is good and it rarely or never happens that when I ask this question I have to ask it three times before I am understood. That is why I asked you if you have a partner who speaks English. It was never my intention to hurt you in any way..
After replacing the restauration you indicated that you had the idea that the shape was different than before I had replaced the filling. I told you that I had hardly changed the shape of the tooth and that I thought it would be better not to change anything else in the shape. While I was telling you that, I noticed that the tip of the tooth could be a little rounder and I told you this and then I rounded this tip off a little bit with a polishing disc. This was a very small correction. We than put the chair upright and suggested that you would rinse your mouth. Since your mouth was numb, we suggested you to get well above the spittoon while rinsing. Because you were not completely above the spittoon with your mouth, we carefully guided you a little further towards the spittoon by hand. Again, there was no negative intention at all.
It is unfortunate that I was unable to convey my good intentions to you and that you have the idea that I did not treat the tooth in the right way. Nevertheless, I firmly believe that I have treated you professionally and with the best intentions.
Kind regards,
Fred van Leeuwen
Duidelijke uitleg
1
Behandeltijd
1
Is deskundig
1
Aanbeveling
1
1.0
jantien 04 Mrt 2025 - 13:51Review voor de praktijk
Een prettige behandeling.
Duidelijke uitleg
9
Behandeltijd
9
Is deskundig
9
Aanbeveling
9
9.0
Lisa 03 Mrt 2025 - 20:32Mw. H. (Hafsah) Ahmad Mondhygiënist
Ik ben altijd bang geweest voor de tandarts en elke keer, bij alle behandelaars in de praktijk, ga ik met een goed gevoel weg. Je wordt professioneel en heel vriendelijk geholpen!
Duidelijke uitleg
10
Behandeltijd
10
Is deskundig
10
Aanbeveling
10
10.0
JL 19 Feb 2025 - 14:51Review voor de praktijk
Consistently providing professional and good care service
nauwkeurig ,terzakekundig ,vakbekwaam ,soms wat ongeduldig naar assistenten
Duidelijke uitleg
8
Behandeltijd
8
Is deskundig
9
Aanbeveling
8
8.3
El 10 Apr 2022 - 09:52Mw. H. (Hafsah) Ahmad Mondhygiënist
prima vriendelijk deskundig praktijk
Duidelijke uitleg
10
Behandeltijd
10
Is deskundig
10
Aanbeveling
10
10.0
Martin Langbroek 09 Apr 2022 - 17:24Review voor de praktijk
zakelijk, mag iets meer contact maken, iets te haastig,
Duidelijke uitleg
8
Behandeltijd
7
Is deskundig
7
Aanbeveling
7
7.3
Conny de Mooij 28 Mrt 2022 - 20:50Mw. H. (Hafsah) Ahmad Mondhygiënist
Ze is erg vriendelijk en houd rekening met mij
Duidelijke uitleg
9
Behandeltijd
9
Is deskundig
9
Aanbeveling
9
9.0
E. Demirbas 28 Mrt 2022 - 19:13Mw. S. (Sophie) Roorda Tandarts
Al mijn vragen worden serieus genomen en met voldoende uitleg beantwoordt. Erg blij met mijn tandarts!
Duidelijke uitleg
10
Behandeltijd
10
Is deskundig
10
Aanbeveling
10
10.0
M. Diepeveen 28 Mrt 2022 - 19:07Mw. Z. (Zamira) Lekaj Mondhygiënist
Vriendelijk, deskundig, aandachtig
Duidelijke uitleg
8
Behandeltijd
9
Is deskundig
9
Aanbeveling
7
8.3
E. Demirbas 28 Mrt 2022 - 19:06Review voor de praktijk
Er word altijd tijd voor mij genomen en mijn vragen genomen. Ik krijg altijd eerlijk advies. Na verschillende tandartspraktijken,ben ik hier eindelijk erg tevreden!
Duidelijke uitleg
10
Behandeltijd
10
Is deskundig
10
Aanbeveling
10
10.0
C. Salemink 25 Mrt 2022 - 19:20Dhr. F.W. (Fred) van Leeuwen Tandarts
Ontspannen, vakkundig en neemt je mee in het proces
Ze is een vriendelijke vrouw. En als ze de tandartsopleiding heeft gevolgd en afgerond dan acht ik haar capabel om mij te behandelen. Ze legde steeds uit wat ze van plan is te doen. En ze houdt er rekening mee of ik wel of geen pijn ondervindt. En of ik me wel of niet onprettig voelde.
Duidelijke uitleg
8
Behandeltijd
7
Is deskundig
8
Aanbeveling
7
7.5
F.J.D. Koemans 18 Sep 2021 - 05:05Review voor de praktijk
Prettige tandarts , alhoewel een afspraak maken voorover een jaar ik wat te veel van het goede vind.
Duidelijke uitleg
8
Behandeltijd
7
Is deskundig
8
Aanbeveling
8
7.8
M. Gogolová 17 Sep 2021 - 20:11Dhr. F.W. (Fred) van Leeuwen Tandarts
Professioneel
Duidelijke uitleg
10
Behandeltijd
10
Is deskundig
10
Aanbeveling
10
10.0
Nicole 17 Sep 2021 - 18:58Review voor de praktijk
Goed
Duidelijke uitleg
10
Behandeltijd
10
Is deskundig
10
Aanbeveling
7
9.3
Juliët 17 Sep 2021 - 18:18Mw. H. (Hafsah) Ahmad Mondhygiënist
Ik was bij de dentaal hygiëne, deze zal ik zeer zeker aanbevelen. Eveneens dr van Leeuwen, maar niet de hele praktijk en niet de tandarts, bij wie ik voor mijn controle ging.
Duidelijke uitleg
10
Behandeltijd
10
Is deskundig
10
Aanbeveling
8
9.5
L. Oomes 08 Sep 2021 - 19:08Review voor de praktijk
Prima
Duidelijke uitleg
10
Behandeltijd
10
Is deskundig
10
Aanbeveling
7
9.3
Miranda 07 Sep 2021 - 21:43Mw. H. (Hafsah) Ahmad Mondhygiënist
Prettige man die, zonder amicaal te zijn, een persoonlijke benadering heeft. Is rustig in zijn handelen.
Duidelijke uitleg
10
Behandeltijd
10
Is deskundig
10
Aanbeveling
10
10.0
M.F. Açikalin 02 Sep 2021 - 15:28Review voor de praktijk
Heb jullie zelfs onlangs nog aangeraden! Omar heeft rekening gehouden met mijn spanningen en de behandeling deed bij hem minder pijn dan bij eerdere mondhygiënisten. Hij was vriendelijk en geduldig.
Duidelijke uitleg
9
Behandeltijd
7
Is deskundig
10
Aanbeveling
10
9.0
F.J.C. Moerkerk 31 Aug 2021 - 21:56Review voor de praktijk
Dear Madam, I am very sorry to hear how you experienced the treatment in question by me in my practice. I firmly believe that you have completely misinterpreted my intentions towards you and the way in which I treated you. It is crucial in the communication between dentist and patient that both understand each other well. If this is not the case, misunderstandings can arise. When my patients have difficulty understanding me or when I myself have difficulty understanding someone, I usually only treat the person in question when there is someone present who can translate or help at times when there is ambiguity in the communication. That is why I asked you if you have a partner who speaks English. The question of whether I will anaesthetise the tooth in question is a question that one can expect from the dentist when a treatment is to take place. My English is good and it rarely or never happens that when I ask this question I have to ask it three times before I am understood. That is why I asked you if you have a partner who speaks English. It was never my intention to hurt you in any way.. After replacing the restauration you indicated that you had the idea that the shape was different than before I had replaced the filling. I told you that I had hardly changed the shape of the tooth and that I thought it would be better not to change anything else in the shape. While I was telling you that, I noticed that the tip of the tooth could be a little rounder and I told you this and then I rounded this tip off a little bit with a polishing disc. This was a very small correction. We than put the chair upright and suggested that you would rinse your mouth. Since your mouth was numb, we suggested you to get well above the spittoon while rinsing. Because you were not completely above the spittoon with your mouth, we carefully guided you a little further towards the spittoon by hand. Again, there was no negative intention at all. It is unfortunate that I was unable to convey my good intentions to you and that you have the idea that I did not treat the tooth in the right way. Nevertheless, I firmly believe that I have treated you professionally and with the best intentions. Kind regards, Fred van Leeuwen