Asian Dentistry

Mark told me something on the weekend that has left me slack-jawed with astonishment and I absolutely must pass it on or burst:

Last year, when Mark was in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, he tripped, fell and smashed a tooth. Horrible pain and disfigurement, so a Cambodian friend took him along to his local dentist to help.

Emergency appointment and he got done right away and the local dentist removed the nerve or something and put on a crown. Total cost? US$30.00.

Giving the location of the dentist's office in a poor end of town, and the fact it was a local operation, AND the fact it was so cheap, Mark couldn't believe it was a good job, so, when he was next in Australia, he had his own dentist check it out ... who said it was the BEST job of dentistry he had ever seen.

So, since Mark had many thousands of dollars worth of dentistry needing to be done, but being put off because of cost, he then flew back to Phnom Penh and got the same dentist to do the lot:

Seven crowns, a titanium implant and a false tooth, clean, scale, polish ... all up came to US$900.00.

He was thrilled so has been telling people about this miracle ... and Everyone-Well-Traveled has been saying "Duh!" because apparently it's been this way for about 8 years; that Cambodian dentistry has been ace-ing the field for that long, and the costs are only a fraction of what you'd pay elsewhere.

People have also passed on the news that Thai dentists are having the same training and are just as good, and, although everyone usually thinks you have to go to Bumrungrab Hospital, the most expensive in Thailand, to get this level of service, just about every dentist in Bangkok has these high-level skills, so all you really have to do is ask a local for a recommendation.

I have already done so and have already started planning for Christmas holidays.

So, Cambodian and Thai dentistry! Worth knowing, huh?