Dentist's visit

So I finally got up and went to the dentist office this past Thursday, and let me tell you what an interesting experience. I had decided that I should go to the dentist because I had been told I had a cavity, and I should have it fixed, luckily for me there is a dentists office on every corner of this city, including two in my building. Really Korea should not be the land of the morning calm but rather the land of Hagwans and Dentists. I talk to my boss about setting up an appointment with the A+ Smile Dentist office and she explains to me that appointments are not necessary but that she will accompany me through the initial paperwork.

We head down and ask the receptionist to see if I can get my teeth fixed, and we are on our way. The good thing about being a foreigner is that everything I do is really simple, I just wave my ARCard (similar to SmarTrip) and I'm on my way. Except this time there is a problem. It appears that I don't have insurance! This is a problem because I do have insurance, but hell if I know with who or where my card might have been sent. They ask me to take a seat and begin to comb the Korean insurance database for one William Charles Dunkel. After a few minutes it has been determined that my insurance has been filed under my Korean name, Wii lii yam Dun ka ul. Mystery solved! My boss leaves me and I am taken back for xrays, and my check up.

I pass my Xray with flying colors, I do have teeth after all! It is now for my exciting time with the doctor...or not. I am led into the back and given a remarkably comfortable seat in a space age dentist chair. I am then told by the attending girl to wait for the Dentist, but that I have 3 cavities. I am surprised, I did not think that I had three but trust the experts right? What is interesting is that while I am waiting they have put up my xray on the monitor so I can see how cool my mouth looks, its a nifty screen saver, I'll tell you that. After a little while waiting the dentist shows up and explains that his English is bad and that I have gums. Now I understand that I have gums but he thinks it is important that he tells me. He also explains that we need to do a scaling. Now I am a little concerned because I have no idea what scaling is and I ask him what it will entail. He frowns, and once again explains that his English is poor but that he needs to scaling. He then asks me if I understand Korean, which I don't, then frowns in dismay. I offer to call my boss and have her act as translator to which he greatly accepts. When my boss shows up they start talking in rapid Korean, and she then tells me that I need a scaling. I ask her what it is and she finally explains to me that in Korea they call teeth cleaning scaling, and that also they want fix my cavities with resin that looks the same as normal teeth. After asking how much this will cost, and being told that I can get a discount it will be about 60,000 won for whole deal. Now that is a bargain! I am ready and raring to go.

Now that I am ready to begin the cleaning I am struck by a few things. First off the staff of the Dentist is all females from age 23-35 except the male dentist. Secondly all the assistants wear gloves while working with me, while the Dentist is sans gloves, even when he sticks his hands in my mouth. And finally, they like to cover the patients face with a blanket that only has a hole over the mouth, in a manner dehumanizing the whole operation, it was kinda freaky. I suppose all of this is the norm at a Korean dentists but it still seemed odd.

I managed to survive the entire ordeal and I have all my teeth so that's good. I will note that during the second portion of the cleaning cavity removal they took off the sheet so that I could see whats going on, and it was during this time that I noticed just how close you are the dentist and assistants. It is a strange sight having three heads staring intensely at you while not making eye contact, and as I was staring back at them I noticed just how dark their eyes are, its almost impossible to notice the shift from iris to pupil, but its there. That and that they all have very thin eyebrows. I suppose these are things you think when you are in situations like this. I am happy that I underwent the treatment and look forward to my next "scaling" if only my re-occurring nightmare of me losing all my teeth would stop. Oh well.

Until next time past timers,
Will out