Thursday, December 10, 2009

Dentist

Last night I broke a tooth on a potato. Don't ask me how. I think it's one of those Only-Stefanie-Can-Do-It things. I bit down, felt a pain, and suddenly realized there was something crunchy. UGH. So today I got to visit the world of Dentistry in Chile--a place I did not forsee experiencing so soon in my journey.

To be honest, this is going to be a bit short, because it wasn't that different from going to the dentist in the US. Same chair, same poky tool, even same bright light in your face. I got some novocaine, some drilling, and a filling and it's (almost) as good as new--I have to go back on Tuesday to have a permanent thing done, but otherwise the treatment was unremarkable.

What was remarkable was how personal the experience was. The dentist herself came to greet me when we arrived. She stayed in the room and chatted with us while the novocaine was taking effect. Her desk was in a different part of the same room as the chair, and she could make appointments directly for us. And when it was time to go, she gave us her cell phone number in case I had any pain over the weekend or needed anything--she even patted me on the back on the way out. After going to so many dental factories in the US, this was a shocking change. Sometimes culture shock is a pleasant feeling, and this was one of those times. Going to the dentist has always been so unpleasant for me because I always felt like the dentist was rushing back and forth between patients, trying to squeeze in as much as possible in the smallest amount of time. It always seems like dental offices need to make as much income as possible to cover all the overhead required to keep the patient flow so high--a sort of catch-22. I wonder if it'll ever go back to a more personal experience like this?

1 comment:

Hanna said...

Glad it worked out! Our dentist (in California) is actually pretty good about talking to patients. They make sure to call you later that day (if you get work done) to see how you are feeling.. things like that. It's nice having a good dentist! I used to hate going.. now don't mind it at all.