lao-ocean-girl

Yesterday I went to the dentist to have a check up and cleaning. Maybe I should have been a little weary when the dentist finished with her patient and then washed her gloved hands, instead of getting a new pair, before heading to me. I guess on the bright side, she DID wash it thoroughly, and her hands were never actually in my mouth. Still… it’s the are-they-doing-it-correctly-in-Korea? factor. My dentist at home would throw away his gloves even when he wrote in my chart with a pen, or touched an x-ray. The dentist came to me, and asked, "Where does it hurt". I told her it doesn’t hurt anywhere, but I wanted her to check if I had cavities. All she did to "check" was to use the air blowing instrument in between my teeth. How are you supposed to tell anything by that? I’m no dentist, but if there was a VIP card for people who went to the dentist enough times, I would be an official card holding member. If you want to know about root canals or crowns, ask Dr. lao_ocean, D.D.S. Anyway, what she should have done, was to individually check my teeth with the metal probey-thing and take x-rays of my whole mouth. There’s a lot that can go on under the surface. A few more shots from the air machine, and it was determined that I had no cavities. Hard to believe… I know I eat lots of sugary foods and snacks. (I’m still working on the Halloween candy Renee sent me.) I’m not looking for th dentist to tell me I have a cavity, I just didn’t think she was doing a thorough job… especially since she didn’t even check my upper teeth. While there I had her remove two old fillings and replaced them with resin (tooth-colored fillings). I was surprised how cheap it was! Only 50,000 won ($42 USD), while it was $150 when I did it at a small dentist clinic in California. So, I was pretty happy with that. Afterwards, the dental assistant came over and gave me a cleaning. While the fillings were good, the cleaning was the most painful I’ve ever had in my life!!! She used some kind of sharp metal instrument, that upon contact with my teeth, sounded like screeching metal on metal. She also didn’t take any caution in jamming that thing into my tender gums. At times, I wanted to sceam out, but instead clenched my fingers and curled my toes from the agonizing pain. Luckily it ended pretty soon, and I didn’t die. Still, after all that, I didn’t even get a fluoride treatment or even a free toothbrush or dental floss (to add to my collection). I guess the only real positive thing I can say about that experience, is that it was cheap. I’ll let you know where it is, if one day you’re feeling masochistic.