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!

Much Ado About Nothing - Going to the Dentist

I am not a fan of the dental drill. I've had issues since I was about seven. Despite having excellent dental care ever since then, I still cringe when I hear the high pitched whine of that little torture device. In fact, I'm a big scaredy cat when it comes to anything other than cleaning. My darling husband - brave in the face of almost every challenge - had dental work done here and they did it without anaesthetic. It didn't bother him at all, but the thought horrified me, even though I know most of the dentists here are trained in North America and Europe and are just trying to keep their clients' budgets in mind.  

Suffice to say that when a shingle-shaped chip came off my front tooth the other day, I wasn't happy.The tooth is mostly composite, a reminder of a childhood accident between my face and the wooden post of some playground equipment. (Thank you, Tony Nolie. No I haven't forgotten you.) Of course, this happened Thursday night, on the eve of the Easter long weekend. (Why don't these things ever happen when it's easy to get an appointment?) I wasn't going to go around for four days with a chipped front tooth, so I girded up my courage and glued the chip back in. It was a process and during the time, I imagined all the things that could go wrong, but it turned out pretty well, except for the crazy glue film over the tooth.

Imagine the upper front tooth (left) with a chip.

Our dentist had an opening on Tuesday morning, so I spent most of Monday fretting about the drill, not having anaesthetic and all the other things that come with a phobia. (Not to mention the fear that the piece would fall out again.) I had to explain to the dentist what happened and that I'd glued the piece back in place (much eye rolling on her part ensued...apparently the worst thing you can do is use super glue) and that I also can't sit for very long, due to my injured muscle and tendon. I hadn't got to the part where I was terrified of the drill and was working up my courage as she poked and prodded around my tooth. "Which tooth is it?" she asked. I pointed to it again and explained that it was a small piece right on the corner. Well, she couldn't even see the crack. All my hard work had paid off. She wound up just polishing up the tooth and then gave me a cleaning. (Now, what dentist in North America would say: "It looks fine, if the piece falls out again, call me," and then just carry on with normal business?) $40 later and I was on my way - no drill, no Novocaine, sparkly teeth and only slightly sweaty arm pits.

So what does all of this amount to? Ecuadorian dental care is fair, affordable and the dentists are (mostly) responsible. If I ever do need serious dental intervention, I'm going to be brave and confess my stupid phobia and trust that they'll take care of me. (PS, Thanks Ron, for the title of this blog installation!)