Open Wide We couldn't put it off any longer. We were already several months overdue for our teeth cleanings. It was time to investigate the dental situation in Beijing. Now, as it happens, I have spent more money on my mouth in the last 25 years than I have on all the rest of my body put together. The bedside manner of my dentist and dental hygienist in the US is much more important to me than the bedside manner of my doctor. I even worked for a dentist for awhile, at the front desk, to be sure, but you pick up a few things. So it was my job, by mutual agreement, to pick the dentist. The dentist I once worked for had been to China years ago and she put the fear of God, or more precisely, of Chinese dentists, into me before we departed: "Whatever you do, don't go to a Chinese dentist," she said, "you'll see them on the street, pulling teeth, that's all they know how to do." Either times have changed or she exaggerated, as I have yet to see a curb-side dentist (barbers yes, dentists, no) and I noticed that most of the people in the train, in the hard sleeper section, at least, brushed their teeth in the morning, a good sign. But I still thought I'd feel safer, that bedside manner again, going to the dentist the other expats go to. So I asked an American friend for a recommendation. "Well," she said, " I know of two places, Beijing AEA (Asia Emergency Assistance, Ltd.) International Clinic, phone # 6462-9112, 24 hr. phone: 6462-9100; and the International Medical Center (IMC), phone # 6465-1384, 24 hr. number: 6465-1561/3. They're both expensive, but IMC is a little bit less than AEA." So I called IMC and made appointments for my husband and myself. It would be $50 apiece, the woman on the phone said, which is expensive but we had to do it and they could see us both at the same time, which was convenient. So off we went, tense, I admit it, but not convulsed with fear. The waiting room was reassuring: children playing with a nice selection of toys and books, pictures of the staff. I wanted to pay in advance, in case I finished before my husband, because I had an appointment later in the afternoon. When I asked how much it would be, I was told $95 apiece, $35 for the initial oral exam and $60 for the cleaning. I said "Wait a minute, that wasn't what I was told on the phone" and after some discussion the receptionist agreed to waive the initial oral exam, which got us down to $120, which was all I had with me. Our appointments were for 1 p.m. and no more than 15 minutes late, an assistant came out to ask which of us was going in first. "I was told we'd be going together", I said, "I was told there would be 4 dentists on duty so we could be seen at the same time." "There was an emergency," she replied. "Who would like to go first." Noticing that I was beginning to seize up, my husband graciously let me go first. The room was reassuring, the dentist, a middle-aged man from Bulgaria, had "sensitive hands", I was beginning to actually relax as he spent a good five minutes just looking in my mouth and gently probing. I am religious about my daily home care and am used to the first words out of any dentist's mouth being words of praise for my clean mouth and healthy, though recessed, gums. I was forming a smiling response in my mind when the dentist pushed back his chair and literally spat out "You're mouth is a mess! It is a mess! I've never seen anything like it! It's impossible! OUT, it must all come out! You know what your mouth is?" By this time I was shaking. "It's a BATTERY!" He proceeded to expostulate for the next 35 minutes on the metals at war with each other in my mouth, how nothing could be done for me, they were destroying the health of my whole body, American dentists were the worst in the world, none of them were capable of a single intelligent thought or they would never do what they'd done in my mouth and it was inexcusable that I had let them. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry and felt like doing both. Finally, after I had looked at my watch, aware I was going to be late for my appointment, he began to clean my teeth, grumbling to himself that it wasn't going to do me any good. The cleaning seemed very thorough and was quickly and almost painlessly done. He even had some advice about brushing that I know from past experience was good advice. I staggered out to the waiting room to pay and get out of there before I burst into tears. The receptionist, a different one, said "That will be $50," which was a pleasant surprise. We were back to the original price. I paid and nodded to my husband, who was already on his way in. Later that evening I arrived back at our apartment, still thoroughly depressed, half convinced that the dentist was right and wondering how I would come up with the $20,000 or so needed to re-do my mouth. "Hi, how was your teeth cleaning?", I asked my husband. "OK, I guess, but he wasn't very friendly, was he? He didn't say a word, just cleaned my teeth and ushered me out." I stared at him for a minute. "Robert," I finally managed, "next time you can go first." Next week: "Summer Palace in Spring" From the Editor in Chief: If you have some travel or work experience in China to share with us, we will be very excited to hear from you! Send your feedback by e-mail or regular mail to ASM Overseas Corporation. Thank you! And if you liked this column, please check Expats In China (International Community in China) for more interesting and useful information on life in China as a foreigner, including calendar of events, entertainment, housing, employment, classifieds, personal, etc. |
