Patient asked a young woman in pink scrubs where the dentist was 3 times. It took a 2-minute extraction to convince him it was her

A patient walked into a dental clinic expecting to meet a dentist, but when a young woman in pink scrubs introduced herself as the doctor, he refused to believe her — three times. In a July 27, 2026, Instagram reel, dentist Dr. Natasha (@nanjitwins) recalled how the patient kept asking when the “doctor” would arrive, even after she explained that she was the one performing his wisdom tooth extraction. It took her less than two minutes to remove the tooth, but even then, he seemed unable to let go of his assumption. The incident left Dr. Natasha questioning whether she did wrong in wearing the color pink as a doctor.

No cure for skepticism

He was a new patient. A few minutes after he arrived, Dr. Natasha walked into the dental clinic where he was seated and introduced herself. The patient reported pain on the lower right side of his mouth and requested a tooth extraction. After investigating the problem, the doctor reiterated that she was the dentist and that she was supposed to be the one to pull his tooth. “I am the dentist. I will be doing the extraction,” she told him. Instead of a neutral expression, the patient expressed doubt and skepticism. The interaction left Dr. Natasha wondering why the patient found it so difficult to accept that she was his dentist. She had introduced herself clearly, explained that she would perform the extraction, and even told him she had completed hundreds of wisdom tooth extractions. Yet he continued to question her expertise.  

Doctor's intelligence linked to clothes?

For Natasha, the experience raised an uncomfortable question about whether the way she looked — including her bright pink scrubs — had shaped his assumptions about her profession. After a bout of angry fuming and frustration, she called out to all the healthcare workers and urged them to not believe any intelligence that links a doctor’s expertise with the clothes they wear. “We are in the 21st century. Do not let anyone belittle you just because of what you are wearing or how you look,” Dr. Natasha asserted. And then came the part that made the encounter even more awkward.

Final straw

Natasha completed the wisdom tooth extraction in under two minutes. The patient tried to pass off his earlier comments as a joke, but even after the successful procedure, he still couldn't resist one final remark: “Wow, so you actually are the dentist!” Natasha understood the implication but chose to maintain her professionalism and let the comment slide.

'How a doctor dresses' is important to patients

Patients can form impressions of physicians based on something as superficial as what they wear. In a study published in BMJ Open, researchers recorded 4,062 patient responses across 10 hospitals in the USA. Over half (53%) of the patients reported that how a doctor dresses is important to them. Over one-third agreed that it influenced their satisfaction with the medical services and care. Sadly, however, the survey also found that female doctors were judged more on appearance than their male counterparts.

'It has nothing to do with the color of the scrubs'

Several healthcare professionals and other viewers joined the comments to share similar experiences and criticize the patient's assumptions. @raegants commented, “Bro is in tooth pain & this is his concern?” @maey.dha said, “Been there, experienced that. It’s outright ridiculous — the stereotype around how providers should dress up.” @maazakeen speculated, “It has nothing to do with the color of the scrubs. It’s gender, race/ethnicity and age.”

You can follow Dr. Natasha & Dr. Alisha (@nanjitwins) on Instagram for more personal stories and medical content. 

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