Curious George Goes to the Dentist

Every time I do something for the first time here I feel like I am in a Curious George or Amelia Belidia book, embarking on a mundane task that they consider a new adventure. With all of the bureaucracy and ridiculous rules in this country, I try to take everything in stride. The dentist was no exception.

No one actually enjoys going to the dentist, but I felt that after being here for half a year, I should give one a try. I got the name of one of the clinics in my health plan and made an appointment. I arrived and waited at the reception area to check in, which of course is also the area to check out, to find out where to go. I was waiting my turn to speak to a receptionist when this man just cuts in front of me and sits down. Eventually the woman behind the counter told me what room I need to wait outside of. As I arrive the door opens and there stands the dentist and an assistant. The dentist says: “So, why are you here today?” I was surprised to see the dentist right off the bat and even more surprised to have him ask me what I was doing there. I said: “Well, I haven’t been to the dentist in a long time and I want to make sure everything looks good.”

Like many people in this country, this dentist talked fast, worked fast and didn’t give me much time to ask questions. Of course he did proceed to speak to me and ask me questions about myself with his hands prying my mouth open. After taking x-rays and glancing in my mouth for a second or two he says “everything looks great. just make an appointment with the hygienist and get your teeth clean.” “Make an appointment? But I just did?” Lesson to be learned: in this country one has to make a separate appointment with the dentist and the hygienist. The dentist’s assistant was very sweet and actually managed to convince a hygienist to squeeze me in so I wouldn’t have to return another day.

Going to pay was a whole other experience. While healthcare is supposedly free in this country, you always seem to be paying. I signed up for a premium package that I pay every month and entitles me to certain services…but only up to a point. Example: I get one free check up with a dentist per year, but that does not include x-rays. Of course, you cannot opt out of the x-rays because that is part of the diagnosis. Then the cleaning is 50% off but does not include the fluoride, etc…. By the end I walked out of there with clean teeth, a sizable receipt and a few lessoned learned.

There were no stickers on the lights above my head, no magazines in the waiting room and no tooth brush that I got to take home after the hygienist taught me how to brush, but I survived my first dental experience. Until next year.