Visiting the Dentist in Japan...

Good: Walking in to the office and getting an appointment for the same day.

Bad: Waiting for 30 minutes after setting the appointment while they sort through insurance paperwork even tho I don't have dental insurance. I have a feeling insurance claims by dentists are one way they make money.

Good: Medical utensils come in sealed, sterilized packages.

Bad: The dental hygienist opens the bags and puts the utensils onto the metal plate with her bare hands, thereby erasing the benefits of sterilization.

Bad: The items that don’t come in sterilized packages look old and used. Think of an RF switch on a old Atari.

Good: She was friendly. Really friendly, like the type of really likes to talk to foreigners and really wants to go out of her way to do a good job for you.

Bad: When you ask to have your teeth cleaned, they ask, “All of them?†One half are cleaned on one appointment, the other half are cleaned on the next appointment.

Bad: They ask you if you have any cavities. It sort of feels like a chef asking you how to make the dish you just ordered.

Good: A filling only costs $20-$40.

Bad: More than 1 filling? That will be more than 1 appointment.

Good: You don’t need English to get through the appointment. The simple body tensing technique is a universal signal which means, “That f’ing hurts.â€

Bad: The dentist has worse teeth than you do.

Bad: They use metal fillings.

Good: Novocain.

Bad: You leave the dental chair and wait in the waiting room while the Novocain is taking effect. Then you go right back into the same dental chair 10 minutes later. What’s the point?

Bad: They only clean the sides of your teeth, not the top.

Bad: What’s flossing?

Bad: Forgetting that you have to wear slippers on a day when you’re wearing dirty socks.

Ugly: The dentist’s breath covers up the smell of your feet.

Good: After multiple trips you feel like your teeth are in pretty good shape.

Good: The dentist lives next door to me.

Good: The appointment starts about 10 minutes after the scheduled time. In the US you wait like 45 minutes after it’s supposed to start.

Bad: Braces are considered a luxury and aren't covered under any insurance.

 

England doesn't deserve the stereotype it has, I suggest we give it to Japan.At least from the sound of it I'd rather invest in some home dentistry rather than go through them.

 

Heh, same with my dentist. :-(

The bad thing is that he does as if his breath smells like peaches & roses.

 

one of my best mate is a dentist. I ll make sure he reads this!

 

I waited 60 minutes for my appointment at the eye doctor last thursday. Within this pleasant hour only 2 people left the chamber of death while my ride took no more than 5 minutes.
Fortunately its not the same with my current dentist, when I had to spend a visit to my last one though it has always been a trip into boredoms dark cellar of doom.

 

I don't really trust the dental industry in Japan at all... I had a few good/bad experiences at the dentist too...

Good: cute, young female "dentists".

Bad: dental clinic laid out like a barbershop, with patients' chairs side-by-side. No dividers or privacy at all.

Good/Bad: novocain/anaesthesia injector is an electronic gun that plays synthesized "When you wish upon a star" as it injects.

Bad: said anaesthesia hurt like HELL as it spread and froze/numbed the nerves in the gums/teeth. Felt like my mouth was getting consumed by fire.

Bad: all the "dentists" could say was "Itai desu nee...." to comfort me.

Bad: "filling" was more like some kind of malleable paper/plaster mixture.

Bad: my regular dentist back in Canada said afterwards that the above filling in Japan was shoddy work, and they didn't even disinfect the hole before filling it, so the filling got infected.

I don't think I want to get fillings in Japan ever again... unless someone knows a STELLAR dentist in the Tokyo area?...

 

Don't talk to me about Japanese dentists. Last year I spent EVERY Saturday for a consecutive 4 months going there ! Yeah, the nurses where so sexy and one was always asking me to eat dinner with her. The place was ultra modern and clean and waiting times were next to none (unlike poor Eric). But, The dentist didn't seem to give a shit about how much pain you went through. Only the nurses offered any anesthetic!. Also I can't understand why one job a day rule is enforced. I paid for the treatment so why come back again and again?

Yakumo

 

In my school, there was 1 person with braces (out of 1000 students). Compare that to holland where 1 out of 2 people has had braces :nod: . Thank God for dental care.

 

Yakumo, you should never deny a cute nurse a night out, you know that

 

I hate the dentists so much because i didn't like my last dentist, he would always try and make me open my mouth more than what i was physically capable of and he didn't really seem very friendly .

Never deny a cute nurse a drink or night out. yes, when, where would be my first few word to a cute nurse asking me out for a drink or whatever

 

Nice report eric.
As a dentist, I'll try to explain a couple of points.
"Bad: You leave the dental chair and wait in the waiting room while the Novocain is taking effect. Then you go right back into the same dental chair 10 minutes later. What’s the point?" Easy: he can cure another guy while you wait for the anesthesic to make effect. You saw what I call a "15 minutes" dentist. One patient every 15 minutes, whatever you do. It has some good and some bad points, but personnally, I hate working this way, you can't feel like "hmmm, I did some sexy job". My technic: first appointment, check up + scaling. Second appointment, drill all the shit out, make the small fillings (those which don't need to go to the laboratory), prepare the teeth for prosthesis and so on and then, impression. Third appointment, you get your new teeth, I get my cash.
The second appointment can be like hell, though. My record was ten hours long but boy, the guy's mouth was like shit and he arrived telling me something like this: "My daughter gets married next sunday, I need to be sexy". I was going to propose a temporary prosthetic treatment when a strike of genius hit me "what if he gots all his new teeth for next sunday ?". He accepted the idea of a veeeeeery long appointment and I can tell you he was so happy he talked about me to everybody at the wedding lol

"Bad: The dental hygienist opens the bags and puts the utensils onto the metal plate with her bare hands, thereby erasing the benefits of sterilization."
Well, if she had her hands properly washed and disinfected, I wouldn't worry that much.

"Ugly: The dentist’s breath covers up the smell of your feet.": That reminds me two of my teacher at the uni lol. One of them had ugly teeth, I mean, UGLY. The other one, well, I guess his bathroom had some problems. Problems that lasted the three years I had him as a teacher lol.

"Bad: When you ask to have your teeth cleaned, they ask, “All of them?” One half are cleaned on one appointment, the other half are cleaned on the next appointment." Dunno if it's the same reason than in France. In our country, scaling costs around 40 bucks which are refunded by the national health system. As they know some people has TONS of shit, they allow you to do it in two times (2x40 bucks), so most of the dentists do it this way (just a matter of money). I don't

 

Who said I never took her up on the offer :dance: It's just that with a baby now you have to draw the line before you have too much fun, if you know what I mean :crying:

Yakumo

 

oh come on, if you don't see it , it didn't happen

 

Getting your wisdome teeth pulled:

Good: The tooth in question will be gone
Bad: They might have to cut your tooth in half to get it out, and Japanese dentists (just like doctors) are stingy with the anesthetic. In short, Japanese dentists suck. I need to get my teeth cleaned though.

 

You know, I would put up with all that bullshit if I could get decent treatment so cheap. Last time I went to the dentist it cost me $500. That's why I haven't been back since.

 

Cost is relative. As Japan-Games said, something quite simple (like two fillings) will require you to go back. I went to these fuckers and it took 4 trips to get a proper cleaning. Yes, 4 fucking trips. I'm in the wrong business.

Also, dentist shit is covered by national health care. In short, it costs more than $20-$40. If you have no job, sure, it's free. As you climb up the corporate ladder, they really take a fucking bite out of your ass. The irony? I almost never got to the doctor.

 

Seriously? Braces are almost expected for a kid around here. Hell, I had them as well.

 

I haven't been to a dentist since 8th grade. =(

 

After reading this, I'll make sure to get all my dental work done before I ever accept a job in Japan.

 

4th grade for me. I used to HATE the idea of going to a dentist. Can't even afford it now, since dental insurance is hella expensive for me nowadays.

Who here brushes there teeth at least once a day?