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Published: August 22nd 2007
So I had been getting pretty bad headaches for about a few weeks until the screaming in my head finally overtook my apprehension about seeking medical care in a country where hygiene isn't exactly a top priority. The only positive prospect was that after years of paying about half my salary to the US medical insurance system for a sprained ankle gone wrong, I was finally going to get some care for close to nothing thanks to Thailand's universal health care coverage. I took off with only about ten dollars in my pocket. Here is how the scenario played out:
Amy: "Hi, my tooth has been hurting for a few weeks. I think I have a cavity"
Thai Dentist: "Oh, I think I have to check it out before I give you a filling"
Amy: "Um, yes please."
I wait in the waiting room while she finishes with previous patient. There is only one chair. I notice that neither the tools nor the gloves are changed before she calls my name. Slight apprehension starts creeping in. I take my seat. Right after I sit down, a young boy comes in. Without even having him sit down, the dentist just reaches in with pliers and yanks out his loose tooth. Gives him some gauze and sends him on his way. Of course I can only see a vague outline of this as they've put a paper covering over my face with only a cutout for my mouth. Apparantly eye contact is not this lady's bag. She takes one of her metal tools and proceeds to check my teeth. And by proceeds to check my teeth, I mean, she bangs on my back tooth once.
Thai dentist: "does that hurt?"
Amy: "no"
Thai Dentist: "Ok, you don't have a cavity"
Amy: "Um, wait. What? Shouldn't you maybe check it a little more?"
Thai Dentist (heavy sigh): "Ok, you go take x-ray."
I walk about five feet to the back of the room where a nice lady holds a piece of plastic in my mouth and x-rays me sans heavy protective bib that we silly americans are used to warning. Radiation shmadiiation. Extraneous organs and future child mutation be damned.
Final conclusion: No cavity. She thinks that "my braces were put on wrong (apparantly a fifteen year delay period will result in headaches. I'm bringing this one to the news when I go home.) and I should go talk to the person who put them on. Either that or TMJ, which is a stress related clenching of the jaw. I have only heard of this from friends who put in 100 hour work weeks at investment banks. Turns out that 7 hour days with small Thai children is the oral equivalent of that.
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abby johnson
non-member comment
TMJ
AMY- i am a little delinquent in my blog reading but i just happened to get to the dentist part and feel sooo bad for you. first of all i hate dentists especially that crackhead i went to our intern summer in nyc who nearly ruined my summer, life, and future. but then i read about the TMJ part from friends who work at investment banks and was so flattered that my pathetic experiences could touch you all the way in thailand. come home soon.