Dental Or Relaxation Therapy?
Dental Or Relaxation Therapy?
As a relatively new American Expat now living in Chiang Mai, I must say that I came here with visions, through past experience, of what dental care and medical care should be like. Well according to my past experiences anyway.
I had the unfortunate experience of breaking a tooth eating dinner one night not long after arriving. And on top of that it was a Saturday night. Well I thought most of the night about what I would do Monday about my now broken, aching, tooth. I wondered what in the world kind of dental experience I would have. Would it be something I could write home about? How behind in medical technology they must surely be here I thought. Well was I in for a shock!
The next morning riding my bike on the way to my regular coffee spot, I noticed the dental clinic that I had seen people going in and out of before, was open. On a Sunday! That in itself was the first surprise. So I decide I will go in and ask about making an appointment to have my tooth examined. I was given a 9:00AM Monday appointment and off I went to have coffee all the while wondering what the next day would bring.
I had concerns about how things would go, not being a huge fan of dentists in general. I arrived for my appointment about 15 minutes early, and was immediately taken to the back and was pointed to a dental chair to have a seat. As I walked through the office to the back I could not help but be amazed at how beautiful and clean and modern looking this facility was. It eased allot of my anxiety right away. When I sat down I was greeted by no less than 3 women. One of them introduced herself as the dentist I would be seeing. I thought, so young? Anyway she made sure that I was completely comfortable, and that my "office sandals" fit well, remember we are in Asia where we do remove our shoes before entering. After making sure I was completely comfortable, she gently had me open my mouth so she could look at my tooth. After a quick look she suggested an x-ray. So she, not her staff, takes me to the x-ray room. I had the usual slide placed into my mouth to bite down on, but to my amazement, it was a digital x-ray. I have never had the experience before of being able to actually view the x-ray while it was being done. Usually it's the old develop, wait 15 minutes, see dentist, he looks at it and says something about tooth number 23 or something, and tells you what needs to be done. Well that has been my experience anyway. But, she and I actually looked at the x-ray in real time as we talked about what needed to be done. I was fascinated by the technology I was witnessing. After talking a few minutes, and this wonderful Thai lady dentist spoke perfect English, we decided it best I come back the next day because the work would be extensive and long, and she wanted me to take antibiotics 4 hours before my procedure.
The procedure that I would have was explained in great detail, with some humor, and great "bedside manner" thrown in. And a price chart was given to me detailing every cost so there would be no surprises. As we stood and talked I could not help but keep looking at how ultra-modern, and beautiful this office was. I have never witnessed one quite like it to be quite truthful.
The next morning again I showed up early again and was taken right back. She and the staff showed me around the office, kind of a tour. Everything was state of the art, clean, modern, and the office almost reminded me of a well-appointed office/spa combination. Patient care and comfort was designed into everything. I was then taken to the chair and once again made comfortable. A pillow was placed under my neck, and my shoulders massaged lightly by the technician. The dentist said it would take about 2 hours to prepare my tooth for a crown. Once again I was asked if I was comfortable, and I said yes laughing and saying that I felt like I was in a spa instead of a dentist office. She told me she would have to numb the area to work, and apologized for having to do that. She gave me an injection so gently I could not tell you when it started or ended. As we waited for my tooth to deaden we talked about her wanting to become a dentist since she was a little girl. She talked about her family, and her dogs. She asked if I was ready again and I said yes and she begin the process of filling my tooth and preparing it for a crown. As she said it would, it took exactly 2 hours. But during that time, I was constantly told everything she was doing. They made sure that the pillow under my neck was comfortable, that my feet were warm, if I needed to get up and stretch, or go to the restroom, which I did take them up on. But, the entire time she was doing this procedure she was absolutely the most gentle and caring dentist I had ever been to. My comfort was her total concerned. I even went to sleep for a while. I had heard the term "painless dentistry" before, but this brought a whole new meaning to that term. She finished and told me that my crown would be ready in about 3 days. I returned 3 days later, my crown was there, it fit perfectly, and I was in and out in about 45 minutes. I will say that she has a male partner in practice with her. I talked to one of his patients who had visited from Australia to have dental implants, and he explained his experience was the same as mine. So it was not just the "gentler, kinder, sex" care I got. It was Thai care I received. And he received. It is the Thai way. And the best part is it cost me about 1/4 to 1/3 what it would have cost in almost any other country.
This is why Chiang Mai should be at the very top of your list for dental procedures. You can have excellent quality dental care, and enjoy a wonderful vacation to beautiful Northern Thailand in the process, with a slower pace than Bangkok and certainly cheaper in almost every aspect.
This article was written by Arnold Rogers
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