My dentist is trying to sell me something. I realize that may sound harsh, but consider the evidence: Last week, I received birthday cards from friends, family, the usual suspects. There was also a mailing from my car dealer, offering his annual wish for my happiness. Ditto for my stock broker. And now, my new dentist, whom I’ve see exactly twice, is getting into the act.

Why do professionals send such things?

Because they want our business. Birthdays are a fine excuse, or so they believe, to remind us of their existence. Because they genuinely care that, when we think of cars, investments and teeth, we should think of them. No doubt, these professionals wish for our happiness in the same benign, abstract way that one wishes others a good day.

The gesture reminds me of a bill that I received from a doctor’s office, which had a “comments” section following the totals.  Instead of a blank space, it read, “Have a nice day!”

Which seems like a slippery slope. If an otherwise serious document, such as a bill, can be reduced to a forum for sloganeering, what’s next?

It doesn’t lessen the medical skills of the doctor, but it does raise questions about his judgment and professionalism. And it bears a striking resemblance to the kind of mail I now get from my car dealer and stock broker.

If I’m not mistaken, few doctors or dentists would choose to be lumped into the same marketing milieu with car dealers and stock brokers. Not that there’s anything inherently wrong with either group; it’s that their line of work entails the selling of products, which seems at odds with the medical profession’s more genteel notions of itself.

Furthermore, this business of sending birthday cards is arguably a breach of trust, not to mention privacy. When a reputable company asks for our birthdate, we assume that it will be used properly for purposes of verification, ID and the like. We don’t expect that it will turn up in the form of frivolous communiques that actually offend some people. Nor should we have to request specifically that our names be excluded from the birthday mailing.

Granted, I’m a lot crankier than your average birthday card recipient. While I enjoy celebrating my birthday, I prefer to do so with the people I choose, not because a company decides to exploit my personal data.

— Joan Silverman’s work has appeared in The Christian Science Monitor, Chicago Tribune, and Dallas Morning News. She lives in Kennebunk.