Dentists around the world

I think my teeth are the only part of my body, which causes me to visit doctors frequently. The reason for this is, most probably, my passion for sweets and cakes.

In the last few years I have been at dentists in 6 different countries: Lithuania, Denmark, Germany, Ethiopia, Mexico and Belize. Tooth treatment in the last 2 countries I got just recently, few months ago. As it often happens in the beginning of longer trips, I got toothache not long after the start of Katja's and mine journey in Central America this year. However, the most interesting and the most exciting experience I have made 2 years ago in Ethiopia (Africa).

I had just a few days left before my departure from Germany to Ethiopia, where I started my hitch-hiking trip through East Africa. A huge tooth filling would fall out and I would urgently need to visit a dentist in Berlin. In about a week, when I would already be in Addis Ababa (the capital of Ethiopia), the small piece of another tooth would fall out. I was ready to face African dentist experience. My local friend would not be able to advice which dentist to go to, as he had never got much of teeth problems (he does not like sweets :).

I would choose the first dentist in town I have seen that day. My friends would explain that the dentists are facing tough competition these days, so their equipment is for sure more or less modern. The place I went did not seem to participate in the overall competition. I would come inside and ask directly: "Is the equipment you have in the office modern enough? The doctor would have no doubt: "yes, yes, it is one of the newest..." he would reply. When I entered the room, I understood - the modernity there was at least 10 years old. I got a little bit nervous. I would think his tooth drill will make all my teeth to fall out of the mouth. But (!), surprisingly, the doctor has never touched the drill during the treatment. He would grab a pencil-like tool and scratch the broken part of my tooth. Then he would place a bunch of ordinary loosen absorbent cotton into my mouth (I had difficulties to clean my mouth from it afterwards). Next, the dentist would blow cold air, in order to make the tooth surface dry. He would ask his assistant to prepare the filling, and would chuck it with a single throw on my broken tooth, fix a little bit the shape and use a special device (ultraviolet light, I guess) to make the filling solid. The doctor would ask if my bite is more or less comfortable, and after my positive answer he would announce: "the treatment is finished!" Suddenly, the dentist and the assistant would disappear, leaving me sitting on the chair. In few moments the assistant would bring a cracked mirror, where I could look at the result of the treatment. I would have no other choice as to make them happy by a big artificial smile.

Before I paid the service fee, the dentist would call me from the other room: "come on here!" I would accept his invitation and enter a room with a computer and an x-ray camera. The doctor was ready to make me a surprise: "I will show your tooth on my computer, for free", he explained. I would guess in 30 years of working experience, he had never had a white man as a client. Finally, this would be the Day, and he has a chance to show how cool is he. I suppose, not using a drill for preparing tooth fillings, is also kind of a prove of being cool and professional :)

At the end, after 2 tries he would get the right x-ray of my tooth, which we would observe together on the monitor. To tell the truth I was really amazed. It was the first dentist in my life, which would not use film and chemicals for producing an x-ray picture.

My one-time visit to this doctor ended paying about $22 for the whole service. I wish to reduce my passion for sweets and avoid frequent treatments of my teeth, even though it sometimes gives nice experiences.

Augustas