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Monday, April 9, 2018

In Search of a New Dentist

The one thing that Ron and I make sure to do is maintain our teeth. Dental care, in Ecuador, is reliable and inexpensive, but a bit different from what we're used to in Canada. The very first thing we noticed is that the dentist doesn't require a set of x-rays. They just poke around, prodding at suspect areas and doing a visual assessment. If something major is going on, most will send you to an x-ray technician to get the low down on what's happening below the surface. I have yet to get a dental x-ray here.


I'd hate to be afraid to smile.
Anyhow, Ron's tried out a few dentists, mostly because the one we started with tried to "up sell" him on replacing some old fillings. Another dentist he visited said everything looked fine, so Ron was feeling a bit put upon. Don't get me wrong, we don't just flit from dentist to dentist, this process took more than a year to complete. The second dentist was more expensive than our usual. Perhaps, that's why he didn't feel the need to up sell us on other services.(Besides, isn't that what whitening, braces and veneers are for?)

Recently, we heard of a new dentist from a friend. As it was that time of year again, we made an appointment and headed over there on Easter Friday. (No holidays for a young go-getter, I guess.) Anyhow, the young fellow mentioned a couple of places where I'd lost enamel (gum recession!) from heavy brushing (it's been that way for a while) and he recommended taking care of it before too much more time passed. This wasn't a complete surprise, as other dentists had mentioned this as well, but without offering a solution. The young doctor mentioned that the colour of the exposed tooth was changing which is a strong indication that attention was required. He had been incredibly gentle during the cleaning, which weighed in his favour.
Keep smiling that smile!\
Anyone who knows me really well, knows that I'm terrified of the drill. Naturally, I was gutted. He explained the procedure, which made me feel even more nauseous and nervous and, yet, I agreed to come back the next Monday to have him take care of the three spots. He promised me no drilling, just polishing. In passing, he mentioned that most people don't require freezing. That about did me in, but he seemed quite earnest and swore that he would crack out the Novocaine at the first sign of discomfort.

No matter how goofy!
Needless to say, I survived the process with only some minor discomfort and sore gums. (And one small sore where the mouth piece that kept my mouth open rubbed. This almost always happens to me.) To be honest, while those particular spots never bothered me (pain-wise), I'm glad to have filled in some gaps that bugged me aesthetically; avoiding cavities is even better.

For the two cleanings, one front tooth polishing, and three "cover ups" (for lack of a better description) it cost us $120. Not too bad. Have we found our new dentist? Maybe, we'll see. But if you're looking for a dentist, or perhaps just a change, check out Christian Brito. His office is just off Parque de la Madre. Contact: cristian.rbrito@gmail.com or call 0995 942 109. He does speak English well, so no worries for those of us with less than stellar Spanish skills.

Have a dental recommendation? Let me know in the comments!

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