Sick leave policies & questions

My work schedule is a total joke. I found this amazing dentist who takes my insurance, but he only sees patients in the morning—and there isn't a single day I can actually make it in.
I'm out of PTO, and honestly, I have zero interest in paying full price at a private clinic when this guy could do everything for free under my plan. But I'm in a bind because my tooth is killing me and the gum is starting to swell...👎
Can a dentist actually sign off on a sick note? Looking at the policy, it says stuff like "Dental Caries, unspecified: up to 5 days." It seems like you can get up to five days for something like this, so if anyone has been through this, how did you handle it? Are dentists actually willing to write those kinds of excuses?
I’ve worked forever and have never once called in sick, but this is ridiculous. It shouldn't be this hard to coordinate basic healthcare with a regular job.
thanks

Just give the dentist a call, lay out the whole situation, and basically beg them to get everything fixed up within that five-day window...

I mean, if they won't do it, then they're just straight-up trash.

If you're dealing with a toothache that requires emergency surgery, you're definitely entitled to sick leave,
but my sense is that your primary care physician handles those requests rather than the dentist itself.
So, once you've coordinated a time with your dentist, you should probably check in with your doctor to get the paperwork squared away for those days off.

My buddy actually told me the same thing—to get my appointment set up with the dentist first, then hit up my primary care doctor to get a sick note signed.

thanks guys