Like many, one of my biggest fears is the dentist.
A bigger fear would be to end up in this situation:
As much as I fear the dentist here in Australia, I am terrified of needing one in India. So as I wrote my lists of things to do, dentistry was quite high up there.
My dentist saw me coming, and rubbed his hands with glee as I asked him to fix anything that was wrong, with a view to ensuring my teeth remained stable for a few years.
So far, I have had two appointments with my dentist, spent $560 and my teeth are no closer to being fixed. My dentist has been x-raying me, making plaster moulds of my teeth and putting a dental health plan together. Today he looked at me and told me he thinks he has a plan that is achievable in the next 7 weeks. Achievable at a cost of $7,625!
So now I face a difficult choice. Do I dig into my savings, earmarked for India, to make my teeth indestructable, OR do I take the risk and hope a street dentist in India can do the job if my occlusals wear down?
No matter which choice I make, I fear I will regret it.
I am also Australian born and currently live in Amritsar with my Punjabi Husband. I am so scared of the dentist on any normal day, so when I needed to go tho the dentist here in Amritsar for the first time I was petrified. The only reason I didn’t completely freak out was due to the fact that my mother-in law had some major cosmetic dental work done at a ridiculously cheap price by Australian prices. Her teeth look fantastic and have a movie star look about them every time she smiles.
So I took the plunge and had root canal done plus three new porcelain crowns to replace the rotting teeth up the back of my mouth. All of that dental work only cost me Aus $200. As one crown in Australia plus root canal surgery can cost up to $3500 each tooth, I kept putting it off.
So take my advice, ask around for a good dentist and you can have all the work you need done for next to nothing.
Its great to hear that I should be able to find a good dentist if I need one. I bit the bullet in Melbourne and had a lot of work done on my teeth before I left, but I suspect I will need more sometime soon.
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An old boyfriend of my Mum’s used to travel regularly to Thailand for cheap dental treatment – he swore by it.
As someone who has heavily disrespected the dental industry by never showing my face (or mouth!) for years on end, I’d say just get what you can get done under the Medicare program and forget the rest. You’ll be right! 🙂
I reckon at that price you’d be better off flying back in the event of an emergency. Just get the basics done and leave the rest to chance. I think he’s taking the piss.
Have you ever worn a plate? Are you sure you really need one? They suck.
Any chance you have a chronic health condition that means you see a specialist regularly??? You might qualify for the Medicare Dental scheme. Let me know if you want details xx
Thanks TT. I have qualified for the Medicare Dental scheme, which will thankfully cover part of the cost. I like your strategy for making sure I come home regularly 🙂
I’m loving your posts Ms India. Your dentist must have bought an expensive new holiday home he needs funds for…
M