Most days I feel
pretty dingy in Cambodia. I’m often sweaty, I’ve picked up some dust on my
daily commute, and sitting in traffic sometimes gives me some nice exhaust-scented
perfume. I really live a life of extremes. One moment we are sitting with
government officials at a fancy school event and the next I’m sitting on the
ground with dirty half-clothed children. Chaos is normal here, in many aspects
of life. And yet, going to the dentist here is actually a very relaxing time
for me and makes me feel quite like the princess.
So in reality, this
past week was only my second time going to the dentist since moving to Cambodia,
but let me tell you about my experience. While many health care experiences may
be less than up to par here, that is not the case with the large dental
hospital here in town. The dentists have been trained abroad and have newer,
nicer technology than my small town dentist back home. Some travelers
participate in dental tourism and have procedures done while visiting Cambodia.
The whole experience
starts by walking up the steps of the 10-storey building and having the door
being opened by a man in a suit who says, “Good afternoon,” with a big smile.
Yep, there is a door man at the dentist. In a suit. Then I am greeted by two
smiling ladies behind a desk. I say I am here for my 4:00 appointment and one
of them coolly says, “Melissa, right?” Then she tells me my appointment will be
on the seventh floor. I ride the shiny elevator up to the seventh floor, where
the doors open to a beautiful lobby, two sides of which are glass window panes
all the way around overlooking the city, a wonderful view of the city far
removed from the sellers, motos, and general chaos on the street.
I grab a cup of water
from the mini bar and sit on the plush couch as I wait. (Plush couches are not
part of everyday life!) After a couple of minutes a young dentist in a purple
uniform comes out and says, “Hello, how are you?” with a big smile. I follow
him to the dentistry room where he and two female attendants clean my teeth. In
America it only took one person to clean my teeth, but here it apparently takes
three people in purple scrubs to clean my teeth. They finish my teeth, raise up
my chair, and the dentist asked me, “How do you feel?” I said, “I feel great. I
love coming to the dentist and I love when my teeth feel clean.”
I head back out to the
lobby and the receptionist says, “That will be $20.” I should add that the
first time I came the receptionist told me after I paid, “And we have a small
gift for you. A cup of coffee.” I had initially thought that was a funny gift
after just getting my teeth cleaned. Then she handed me a gift bag containing
not a cup of coffee, but a coffee mug with the dental clinic’s name on the
side.
Anyway, for me trips
to the dentist in Cambodia are a semi peculiar, but an overall very enjoyable
experience. Let me know if you want to visit us and go to the spa, I mean the
dentist while you are here.
Note: While this
dentist is very affordable for foreigners and some Cambodians, it is not where
the average local goes to have dental work or a cleaning. I have seen shacks on
the side of the road advertising $1-$4 teeth cleanings, and by the looks of it
most of the children I work with have never been to the dentist.
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