Are they clean yet?

I admit it.  I've been putting it off for over 6 months.  I have been avoiding it event though I have just needed to simply get it done and then it would be over.  Rip the band aid off, to put it simply.  But my past experience has held me back.  I knew it wouldn't be up to my standards, so I wanted to avoid it.  Yet, as the one year anniversary of our move to Japan rolled around, I knew I couldn't go on any longer.

On Tuesday, I took a deep breath.  I sat down and started dialing.  On my third call, I found a dentist that spoke English, was easy to get to, and had appointments available for both my son and myself.  I was wanting to find a dentist that trained in the US and spoke English.  Even though all the dentists I found that trained in the US speak English, I found a different hurdle.  They don't accept the Japanese national insurance.  They have private practices and only accept direct payment.  The dentist I found wasn't trained in the US, but at least she spoke English and was only an hour away (versus 1.5+ hours like most of the other English speaking dentists).  As I exhaled, I made a silent wish that this would go smoother than before.

15 years ago, while living in Osaka, I needed to go to a dentist.  I broke a tooth and it needed attention immediately.  I called my boss (who always helped in health related situations) and she made me an appointment with a local dentist.  She came to pick me up and drove me to the dentist.  I wasn't in pain, but I was freaked out.  It was comforting to have her there. 

I hadn't gotten a cleaning while I lived in Japan before because I had heard horror stories and I knew my teeth could handle missing one appointment.  The rumors I had heard were that Japanese dentistry was about 20-30 years behind American standards of care.  Adults didn't go to the dentist unless they had pain.  Cleaning were not a common practice.  Between the rumors and my experience, I decided that I was not interested in going to the dentist in Japan.  But a broken tooth needs to be taken care of.

Upon arrival, I signed in and left my boss sitting in the waiting room as I was guided to the back room.  I removed my shoes and wore the clinic slippers, which never fit correctly and are extremely awkward.  I shuffled back to find a row of four dentist chairs.  Although I had been told they spoke English, I was handed a laminated paper with drawings of different dental ailments.  I pointed to the picture of a broken tooth and then indicated my pain level.  I sat down and opened my mouth.  They reached next to me and turned on a Bunsen burner, where they sterilized tools and then stuck them into my mouth.  Although I thought it was strange, it wasn't the part that bothered me the most.  The disturbing thing was that they didn't wear gloves!  They stuck their bare hands into my mouth.  I had never had a doctor or dentist put bare hands in my mouth before and it was unsettling.  They put some tooth putty on my broken tooth and told me to go see a dentist in America when I returned a month and a half later.  I'm not kidding. 

For 15 years I didn't need to go to a dentist in Japan because I lived in the US.  But then I moved back here.  And my teeth need their regular cleanings.  And my husband and son need to go see the dentist regularly, as well.  But when it came to making appointments, I procrastinated and procrastinated.  And I talked to people about my hesitation.  No one made me feel better.  One person even told me that dentists in Japan aren't even required to have any clinic hours before graduating!  That means they have never treated a real patient before graduating!  It isn't a requirement.

After procrastinating as long as I could, I knew I needed to face my fears.  That, and the fact that I now have a filling that needs to be replaced.  I can feel it when I'm flossing.  It needs attention.  My son's teeth need a cleaning and x-rays to check for cavities.  My husband is also in need of a cleaning (but he will make his own appointment, based on my recommendation).  When I called, the woman on the other end of the line asked when I would like our appointments.  I said "as soon as you can get us in."  She replied "does tomorrow work?  What time?"  Red flag!  Red flag!  Why does she have appointments available tomorrow?  I hushed my inner voice and asked about Thursday.  Yes.  She had appointments available.  She scheduled my son and I at 10:00 am and 10:30 am, respectively.  Wow.  Only 30 minute appointments?  That seemed short. 

This morning, we got up and were out the door before 9.  The dentist office is close to my husband's office, so we had an hour commute.  The office was located on the 5th floor of a mixed purpose building (store, offices, and apartments stacked on top of each other).  We arrived right at 10 am. 

After removing our shoes and putting on the very soft, fluffy slippers provided, I filled out two forms asking if we had any concerns and the main reason for our visit.  On my son's form I marked "cleaning" and for mine I indicated "cleaning" and "tooth pain."  We were taken back to the exam area where there were two chairs for patients.  The equipment was pretty new (no Bunsen burners in sight).  My son climbed right up and opened his mouth, much to the surprise of the dentist.  That's right.  Dentist.  No hygienist or assistant here.  She put on gloves (thank goodness that has become common practice!) and had him approve the flavor of the polish.  She quickly stuck a mirror in his mouth and announced "no cavities!"  She then polished his teeth.  Whish, whish.  She was done.  She wasn't even in there for 30 seconds.  She asked if I wanted him to have fluoride and I weakly muttered "yes."  Application took another 10 seconds and she was done with his cleaning.

We had the lovely view of

her discarded equipment on the balcony.

With raised eye brows, I sat down and received basically the same treatment.  Even though I pointed out which tooth had the failing filling, she didn't investigate further.  She put a small amount of a cream on the tooth and told me "if it hurts, call me." 

There was no flossing, no x-rays, no scraping, no gum line checks, no consultation.  I felt like my sonicare toothbrush did a better job taking care of my teeth than this dentist did.  I sighed and walked to the front desk.  We waited for about 5 minutes for the front desk person to finish entering everything into the computer and give us our bill.  I paid ¥2430 ($22) for my visit.  My son's care was free due to national health coverage for children. 

We walked out the door 25 minutes after we had entered.  That time includes: filling out forms, 2 exams, waiting for a bill, and paying.  25 minutes.  I felt so disappointed and disheartened.  I felt like I wasted my time and just verified my previous conclusion. 

I was so upset that I came home and got information for another dentist from another foreigner.  She's happy with the dental care that her family has received.  I'm going to make appointments tomorrow for as soon as possible.  There has got to be better care for teeth in this country.  Seriously! 

My husband may think I'm a snob regarding dental care.  But I plan on using my teeth for my whole life.  Care like this won't help with that goal.