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| I walked here every time because it was so close. And I hate walking far! |
The clinic was nice and clean, and the paperwork was bilingual, which was the only useful English available. However, even with my shit Japanese, I was able to get by. Thankfully, the doctor spoke some broken English as well. I was called into a common room with a few other chairs setup, separated by dividers. The doctor put me in the chair and took a look in my mouth. I also got an x-ray inside a cramped chamber that used plastic tongs to hold my head in place. The last time I got my teeth cleaned, in December, the doctors didn't find anything unusual with my teeth. I was, in their books, pretty healthy.
But this doctor was different. This doctor told me that I had not one, not two, not even three, but six cavities, all in the molar region. One of my fillings was also due for a replacement as the metal was getting dull. The cavities themselves were in the center crevices of the teeth, and about hairline width, so the doctor did some grinding and coating to protect the teeth. Before the actual cleaning, he did two of the molars on one side of my mouth. I'd have to go back for the rest on two separate occations.
Another two teeth were treated the second time. It was done in a separate room this time, although the same dental assistant was with me. Like most of the dental assistants I've known in my life, she was peppy and happy the entire time. The doctor came in to do the grinding, and she took care of all the rest. (As she said the last time, these teeth as well この歯もキレイになった。)
The third time was back in the common room, and with a tag team effort. When they took out the old metal from my filling and replaced it, they made sure to put the new coating over it so that you couldn't tell I had the metal in the first place. After that I was finally done.
While I would've appreciated having it all done at once, I was very impressed by the facility and staff, and the fact that I took non-work days/time to do it made it less stressful. The cost was also fantastically low. I had the cleaning and all cavity work done for about $90. For reference, a cleaning back home is almost twice that with no insurance. (Don't tell me that single payer isn't worth it.)
So I'll be back there for another cleaning in December. In the meantime, I should be much more careful with my teeth.
-wp
