That's right...18 months. We opted for root canal treatment rather than extraction, because I like the idea of keeping my teeth.
If I was Thai, I would have told the dentist to yank the thing out, and saved myself the bother and expense.
'You can pull it out...but if I extract the one on the bottom with the hole, I should also take out its perfectly healthy mate on top,' said my dentist, a wealthy Thai-Chinese man who runs two clinics in the market where I live.
'If you take out one without the other, your mouth will cave in.'
Okay, so maybe 'cave in' is a tad dramatic. I can't remember the exact word he used. It was more than 18 months ago, after all.
Half a dozen visits would be needed, he said. In the end, he was to see me at least 10 times. At the end of most visits, he charged me.
The roots in my tooth were long, and were hard to fish out. It didn't hurt, but it was a long and drawn-out business.
'Patients come in worrying about the price, but I tell them that I charge them just a little at a time, so they won't run short,' he complained one day, after a patient called to cancel an appointment.
He was hovering over my mouth, waiting to poke and probe. I wanted to add: 'I am one of those patients worried about money, and at B1,000 a time it is still too much!'
Needless to say, my Thai partner also worries about the expense.
'Dentists and doctors here are the same. They keep calling people back, for months if necessary, so they can make more money. They prolong the treatment for no reason,' Maiyuu grumbled
On my last visit, the dentist declared that after months of poking about in my mouth, he had decided against giving me a bridge or a cap after all.
He would fill the tooth with temporary cement instead.
'Don't chew on that side. I will get you to come back every six months to check it,' he said.
Don't chew? That's another six months without use of one side of my mouth!
I should have complained, but I didn't. Less than 12 months later, my tooth is aching again.
Yesterday I made a new appointment to see the same dentist. This time, I will insist he finishes the job.
now, see part 2
Yesterday I made a new appointment to see the same dentist. This time, I will insist he finishes the job.
now, see part 2
If he puts on a temporary filling and expects it to last over some time, and on top of that he asks you not to chew on it, then I strongly urge you to change dentist. He is thinking for himself and not for the benefit of his patients. Always get a second opinion, this time for a nice lady. By the way it hurts you less if you visit the dentist more regularly for cleaning & monitoring, rather than on an ad hoc basis when things can be more complicated & expensive. That applies to your bf also.
ReplyDeleteI also think you should change dentists- this is apparently costing you more (before the cap!) than similar treatment I have had in first world countries, and his service and patient care sound questionable.
ReplyDeleteIt's unlikely insisting at this point will help you much in the long run, as it will involve loss of face.