“Serving overseas as a small-town boy from America is intense, stressful and humorous! Enjoy a light-hearted story with me from our last 20 years overseas!” – Matt
Dental dilemmas
Which type of medical appointment do you dread the most? Despite the rings and toys my childhood dentists gave me, I still dreaded the vulnerable and scary position of being placed on my back with a bright light shining on me.
Living overseas, we have had mixed experiences with dental work. We were in the routine of regular teeth cleanings, but overseas we found they were not a common practice. The dental hygienists seemed unprepared and uncomfortable trying to do them. I remember one dentist’s office used blue cleaning paste, which created a problem with their unskilled hands. They sprayed blue paste all over our faces and hair. We felt a bit dorky until we could get back home and clean up from the appointment.
We thought we had the problem solved when we started using German dentists and dental surgeons who are equal or maybe more skilled than their American counterparts. However, their skill and technology go a different route. For example, for teeth cleanings, the German dentist sets a timer and charges you based on the time it takes to clean with a scratching tool and a high-powered micro water blaster pick.
My worst dental mishap was breaking a tooth while eating an olive and biting on a pit (a common problem for teeth over here). One of my sons had a far more traumatic dental mishap when the German dental surgeon had scheduled a tooth to be removed from the roof of his mouth. Having left on vacation, the surgeon gave the job to another person in his practice who was not qualified. The other “surgeon” tried unsuccessfully to remove the tooth and ended up calling the German on his cell phone to have him guide the procedure by phone. After over an hour of trying (and so much blood that a dental intern started crying), they stopped the procedure and redid it when the German returned a couple weeks later. We were not charged for that dental mishap.
I guess dental mishaps motivate us to practice good eating and brushing routines in order to avoid going more than is necessary to the dentist.
Something similar ever happen to you? Contact me and let me hear your story!
mattsmishaps@gmail.com Matt’s Mishaps, PO BOX 114, Grabill, IN 46741
