When I got there and said I was healthy and I didn't need a mask, they told me I had to wait outside. So I left. And when they called me to say they were ready I went off and called them out for discrimination. Fuck them.
Update: I filed a complaint with their national website, received a call a little while ago about it, and got nowhere with the person on the other end of the line. At least I got another chance to bitch about how stupid it is that I was being discriminated against for being healthy.
Just to be clear, there are no OSHA mask regulations with regards to non-healthcare workers. OSHA is only concerned with safety issues that involve employment and not dealing with the public. OSHA Issues Updated COVID-19 Guidance to Match CDC’s July 27th Protocol on Masks
OSHA to date has only given guidance to non-healthcare settings of employment based upon CDC guidelines. These recommendations are not enforceable standards, but only guidance. Where employers get into trouble is with the state and local mask mandates in the workplace that have enforcement attached that can levy fines for noncompliance - especially when that business has to enforce those policies upon an unwilling public. OSHA is not involved.
As you stated, many dentists are small business owners if they actually own their practices. If they are part of a larger corporate structure, they are essentially a working stiff collecting a paycheck like most of us and can get fired for bringing trouble to the business. A small dental practice cannot take the financial hit of a large fine given that many continued to stay open as essential services during the plandemic. They only saw emergency cases and had to operate at a loss for that entire time. They were only allowed to reopen slowly and it took months to get back to an prepandemic operational level. They took it financially in the shorts and most never received the pandemic bailout money everyone was promised. They cannot afford fines from the city or county dictators - not to mention the Karens coming in to be treated that freak out when they see people not wearing masks and call the corporate office to complain. Honestly, like many small business owners, they are stuck in the middle of freedom loving Americans and the fear driven Karens that are backed by the full weight and enforcement of the governmental tyrants. Many dental offices are corporate entities and the staff have no control over policies handed down from some distant corporate headquarters.