A Trip to the Dentist

I get four teeth cleanings  a year and I am due, and won't be home for six weeks, so...I made an appointment at a place I passed frequently on the Thae  Pae Road. When I told people I was trying this, they all said, "and you got this dentist via a recommendation?" But no, it looked nice and clean and they were up front with their pricing. After all, it is only a cleaning, right?

My appointment started with the removal of shoes at the door. When was the last time you were   barefoot in front of your dentist? I filled out a short questionnaire that included my birthdate and passport number, and had the info of three others before me clearly visible. Two Americans 24 and 35, and a German, 45. Teeth whitening? I made up my own passport number, but perhaps could have sold the info of the others?

 They said up front it would be 600 to 1000 baht depending on the condition of my teeth. That is $18-$30, less than my co-pay at home. Lucky me, the dentist herself (who was shockingly young and beautiful) proclaimed my teeth cleaning to be worth only 600 baht.

Instead of goggles and an apron, they placed a cloth donut over my mouth. Dentist can get in, but any mess created is absorbed by the cloth. She used an ultrasonic cleaning wand...this is what my periodontist uses, which I believe is state of the art and not used by "regular" dentists in the USA. She did a tiny bit of mechanical scaling with an instrument and 20 minutes later we were done. It was not entirely pleasant, but not horrible either. My teeth are clean, and it cost $18.00. I'm not sure if I am yet ready for major dental work in Thailand, but am definitely headed in this direction.