Dentist Visit

Dental Care in a foreign country can be quite interesting. You hear stories about all the bad things that can go wrong and how behind the times we "Americans" think other parts of the world are, but you rarely get a chance to experience it. I went to the dentist a few months ago for a pain in my mouth. After several visits we determined one of my fillings had a small fracture under it and the filling needed to be replaced. When I started the process I asked about a rumor I had heard. I asked "Is it true that dentist don't use Novocain in the Netherlands?" I was re-assured time and time again that they do and that I wouldn't see any difference in dental care. I can tell you that from that point to now I would say the dental care here has been outstanding and more advanced than in the states. They all use digital technologies and different more efficient processes. I know a little bit about this as I have built several dentist offices and had to prepare for all the technology they use.

Then I go in today to have the filling replaced and my teeth cleaned. I sit down the first thing out of the dentist's mouth is "you want to do this without Novocain, right?” I think I had the dear in the headlight look. I said "what? I thought you used Novocain hear." When the truth came out, he had squeezed another patient into the schedule and he didn't have all the time he needed but he could get it done if he went without the Novocain. He sold me on it with "when in Rome be a Roman. This is how the old school Dutch do it." The challenge was thrown down so I said, "LETS GO FOR IT." I will tell you that it was done in 20 min and it didn't hurt any worse than the actual Novocain shot. I was amazed. Then it was time for the cleaning. They don't use the old pick and scratch method here. They opt for the industrial, diamond-encrusted sander that is so pointy that they can shove it down below your gum line so far that you swear they are at the root of the tooth. This is when the pain started. Now I know why the Dutch teeth look so bad. If they got them cleaned every six months, by the time they were 30 the teeth would be sanded away. Wow that was an experience.

All and all I think I like the lack of Novocain. You can leave the office and have a drink, or eat, or talk right afterwards. You don't feel like your face is the size of a balloon or that you are going to get called a chipmunk for the rest of the day. Amy has her checkup and cleaning on Thursday. It will be interesting to see what her experience is.