The tooth, the whole tooth, and nothing but...

Hello again!

What? You don't remember me? Aw, c'mon! It's only been 4 days or so since my last post. Besides I put a lot of research into the last post! I deserved a vacation.

I was not being lazy! :p

Anyway, today's post falls into the medical-type category - specifically, dental!

Dental clinics are everywhere, much like pharmacies.

Now, many of you had an image pop into your head when I said 'dental'. For some of you, that image involves unpleasant thoughts of drills and cranky dentists. Others of you remembered where I am, and are wondering just how good (or bad) the dental system is here.

...and at least 1 of you thinks the dentist office here probably looks like the inside of a tribal person's grass hut.

Tell me something... do you feel lucky? Well do ya'?

To be honest, some of them do. The one near our house (pictured) is basically a little stone hut. I haven't been in there, but it's recommended not to use a dentist like this unless it's a real emergency.

Why? Well, your two greatest problems will come in the form of communication and sterilization. They may not be very clean, as most Cambodians don't know about germs. Shoot, for that matter, many don't even know the world is round. Communication could be hard too, as they probably don't speak English and could... ok, would... wind up 'fixing' the wrong tooth. Good luck with that.

So far, my favorite one of these little dentists is called Hourt Chou dental clinic...and beauty salon. Yes, it's pronounced 'Hurt Choo', and yes, that's why I like it so much. :)

What? No, I didn't go to one of these places. I went...

...here!

Yes, like so many other situations, Eric and Ginny made inroads long ago to find the best possible places for things like this. I am blessed... well, really, my whole family is blessed by their expertise and the hard work they've put into Cambodia over the years.

Reception in the lobby.

Roomchang dental hospital is a cut above all the other Dentist offices here. Ok, it's actually a cut about EVERY dentist office I've ever seen.



Inside, you ride a glass elevator to whichever floor your dental appointment is on. Yes, they have multiple floors for the whole office.

You are supposed to wear the shoes, but not the bamboo...

Once inside, you are required to change out of your dirty outdoor shoes (yes, we have indoor shoes here. I haven't mentioned it yet but they are definitely needed.) and change into these nice, pristine white crocs.




This is a smart idea, as the entire furniture decor is also white, and dirty shoes or bare feet tend to leave marks. Big ones.

It was like a spa inside.

We had a nice view from the 8th floor too. Really, the whole place was like a spa.

View of the King's palace.

After checking in, they have you sit on one of the couches and offer you juice, water, coffe, and other things. After wandering around a bit, I settled near a window to take photos from up high. Aidan, of course, didn't want to sit still. What was his favorite thing about the waiting area?

Decorative boats filled with Mentos. Yes, that's pineapple and watermelon flavors you see. I don't think they are available in the States.

Our names were called, and we were led into spacious little rooms with state of the art equipment, and nurses trained in the highest forms of sterilization. They were quite friendly, and chatted with me about my opinion on Cambodia, and how long my family had been here.

Very, very clean.

After that, I got to meet the dentist and talk about the usual... flossing, why you shouldn't use toothpicks, and how bad the previous 3 (!) dentists I had were and why their work now caused me to have more work done. :) I escaped with only needing 2 fillings (ugh), and an appointment this coming Monday to get them done.

A proud set of chompers there.

What did Aidan escape with?

A clean bill of health, and a bag full of free t-shirts! Yes, they give free t-shirts to their clients. :) He also got a big toothy grin because he had so much fun.

So, whenever you come visit, if you need dental work, go here. They did such a good job, they were able to do a filling on Jess' tooth without Novocaine. Awesome... and not something I'm likely to try.

Well, that's all I've got for you on the dental system. Until next time, don't brush aside your dentist's warnings, and keep chomping away at what life gives you.

Not even the paintings like my puns... :)