Saturday, March 28, 2009

My first visit to the dentist

Oh boy I was scared to go to the dentist here. Last time I was in a medical place in a country where I did not fully understand the language, I failed to convey I wanted a full anesthesia before the Bavarian surgeon fixed my broken nose with his bare hands...
It turns out the experience was great. The office was all new and shiny and the staff was very nice and helpful. I asked for teeth cleaning, and the dentist counted my teeth (24), took her calculator and typed 24*120 rubles to calculate my total bill. I was very appreciative of this simple and reliable pricing model. I was also comforted by the fact that her financial incentive was in line with me keeping as many teeth as possible during the intervention. To seal the deal, I simply opened my mouth and let her work on my teeth.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Did you enjoy the sandblasting technique? That was new to me, but much preferred over the normal polishing wheels. It's also interesting that you have no fear of crossing rickety bridges in the Altai, but the dentist is what scares you. Have no fear, we aren't in Great Britain. Russians tend to have good teeth... even those gold capped ones appear to be straight and true.

Ian said...

24? Are you sure? I just counted mine with my tongue and I have at least 32.

Bruce Lenorf said...

I am one step ahead of you on the evolution path of the human species... who needs 32 teeth in the XXIst century, where the bulk of our nutrients come from chewy kolaches and sipping sodas?

Ed McGoldrick said...

I wouldn't feel comfortable as well if I were in a different country and then I suddenly need to see a dentist. But then, as long as they understand English then I shouldn't worry much. Now I wonder how different is the pricing model there.

About time for me as well to visit my cosmetic dentist. Colorado Springs' dentists have made it possible for me to get anything done without paying huge price.

Darcy Losh said...

You shouldn’t be afraid of the dentist! It is their job to keep our teeth healthy. They’re doing us a favor! Anyway, I just hope that you’d be able to conquer your fear.

Seth Webster said...

Well, it’s really normal for you to feel afraid of seeing a doctor or a dentist after that terrible experience! I think the best thing a person could to at times like this is that before he undergo any treatment or procedure, make sure that the both party have understood each other, what the dentist needs to do and your part, the way you want him to do it. ;)