Adventures in dentist visits

[Edit, 2011-09-20: Sorry, I forgot to publish this post last week. I wrote the thing but it didn't go online until now.]

It's no little-known fact about me that my jaw doesn't shut properly. Or maybe you didn't know that. Regardless, this has been an irritation of mine for at least the better part of the last decade... up until this week when I finally did the right thing and had my teeth ground down to a more bite-friendly size.

There are characteristics of Tokyo dentists that are perfectly in line with the eccentricities of the rest of this city. I want to say that I saw them coming but I really didn't. Most of what I witness was quite a pleasant surprise.

Since arriving here I've been to two dentists: one for a cleaning and the other for the aforementioned grind work. The first thing to say is that offices look nothing like those back home. They're more like day spas. The first guy I went to had an office with huge windows overlooking Roppongi Hills; the second featured soothing wallpaper music, real artwork, and a little water fountain. Made me feel quite important.

Don't ever pay for an x-ray again, especially a two-dimensional one. I got my head strapped into a contraption normally used to immobilise Hannibal Lecter while laser beams triangulated the coordinates of my teeth. Then a two-pronged x-ray probe circled my head, gathering every dirty little detail of my mouth. All this time For Elise by Beethoven was playing. A three-dimensional model of my teeth was ready within five minutes. I kid you not.

The actual treatment was dandy. The quality of a dentist differs from one person's opinion to another's. What I like is that in both instances, I had explained to me exactly what was happening and, more importantly, how much it would cost. This actually differs greatly from most other aspects of professional services in Japan, which are typically full of hidden costs.

Speaking of cost, none of this costs much as it is covered by public health insurance. Yes, that's right: I said public insurance (not extended). Cleaning: ¥1600; bite adjustment: ¥5000.

So I guess the lesson of this week is thumbs up for Japanese dentistry.