Okay, here are some observations from my first trip to an African dentist. First of all, I live in a city of over 1 million people...this wasn't any bush dental facility. It was probably the nicest office of any kind that I've been in here in Burkina: big screen T.V., nice chairs. It turned out the dentist was a woman. I had no problem with that. Here's when I got nervous:
I was given a mirror as if every thing they did must be justified and approved by the patient. Not a bad idea, but it slowed down the process quite a bit. I'm not great with watching medical procedures either, and when she showed me the massive hole she had drilled in my tooth and told me to look in the mirror, it was, well, disturbing. How does the tooth stay together if most of it is gone like that?
The second disconcerting part was the “we-don't-give-anaesthesia-until-we-see-you-need-it” part. Luckily, I wear my pain on my sleeve, and after a few leg twitches, which I may or may not have embellished, I was given anaesthesia, without the privilege of that first stuff they sometimes rub on your gums so you won't feel the needle. She stuck the needle in 4 different places around the tooth.
Well, I'm not complaining. All in all I was relieved that I found a dentist office recommended by other ex-pats in Ouagadougou that was close to what I was used to in Canada, and that all turned out well for now. In fact, I found it rather amusing that at one point she criticized some of the work I've had done in Canada.
1 comment:
On my follow-up dental visit, more drilling was needed. I prepared myself mentally this time...no anesthetic! When the world is seeing all those Canadian hockey player types losing teeth and still smiling, I felt I needed to do my best to retain the stereotype that Canadians are still tough. - Jeff
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