First time at the Dentist, all over again

Today I went to the dentist for a routine teeth-cleaning. It was like going to the dentist for the first time, all over again. What will happen? Will it hurt? How does it all work?

I decided to try the dentist at NMC Specialty Hospital, a 1-minute walk out my back door (pictured right). The picture to the right is an idealized version; to get a truer visual, imagine sand outside instead of green grass. I had Dr. Mohammed and it went quite well, although slightly different from what I'm used to.

I've never visited a dental clinic housed within a hospital, so that was unique. I wandered past the pharmacy, gift shop, and general surgery unit to get to the dental clinic on the first floor. Then I filled out my paperwork at reception and waited to see the Doc. The visit started and ended with a formal sit-down at the Doc's desk, where he actually spoke to me about my dental concerns (mostly concerning cost) and took a few notes. Then it was on to the cleaning.

Step one in the cleaning was to spray my whole mouth with topical numbing solution which worked extremely effectively, as evidenced by my subsequent lack of ability to pronounce English. Is this really required, just for a cleaning? I think it is not, and I have come to conclusion that dental patients around here must be real softies.

After that, it was your normal stuff; scrape, rinse, polish, rinse, air polish, rinse, done. I've never had an air polish - that was interesting. I walked out of there feeling good as new, teeth as clean as ever, for 500 dirhams. I was hoping it wouldn't cost that much, but I was pleased to be able to afford it at all, because in the States if my dental care wasn't covered by insurance, I just wouldn't go. Too expensive. Here, I feel that $136 every six months is a reasonable price to pay to ensure good dental health and toothy longevity.

I'd definitely go back for a filling, and probably even dental surgery. All in all, a success.