Should I Hit on My Dentist?

Dear Brenda,
 
Last week, I hit it off with my new dentist, who I have seen twice.  He seems close to my age and I am very, very attracted to him. In the short time we have spent together (as patient and dentist) were both laughing a lot and the way our eyes would connect was unreal.  The receptionist even started telling me information about him out of the blue, which seemed odd to me, but it was kind of nice as well.  While I am interested in him, I am also a professional and I would not appreciate being hit on at work.  So I have no idea what I can do that is appropriate, but still puts the idea in his head that I am interested.  I do like the guy to make the first move, so I was thinking of maybe just making an off the cuff comment to the receptionist just to kind of plant the seed.  Your thoughts?  I have another appointment on Monday but then I probably won’t see him for 6 months. 
 
Thanks,
 
Impatient Patient
 
 
 
Dear Impatient Patient,
 
 
 Hold on there, lovely!

While your dentist might be drop-jaw gorgeous, hitting on someone you pay to provide a service is a tricky situation that most professionals I have spoken to say they’d like to avoid.   Even if your dentist does look forward to your appointments, you have not spent enough time together to know if he’s just an attractive-and taken/uninterested- flirt or if he genuinely wants to kiss that mouth he’s cleaning. Either way, I’d bet my left molar no professional goes running to his staff to set him up with someone, so the receptionist might simply be a gossip or have a crush on her boss, herself.  Before you go fishing for information or dropping crush bombs, consider the idea that this man runs a business and he might not want the woman who answers his phones knowing in his.
 
Here’s my suggestion: Be patient while being his patient and feel free to chat him up while you’re in the office (but keep mum on any feelings to him and his staff).  Once you have completed treatment, if you still feel a vibe, you can take the chance and ask him out to coffee or out for a drink.  If he says yes, congrats, and if he doesn’t, you help to avoid a truly awkward situation.  In addition, don’t hold your breath for him to hit on you, regardless of how he feels.  He’s a professional, and if he cares about his reputation (and avoiding potential lawsuits) he’s not going to ask his patients out.
Good Luck!
Brenda

To contact Brenda for Private Consulting, please email Cinderellawasaliar@gmail.com