Korean Job Discussion Forums

dongdongju · Joined: 09 Apr 2003

Just went to a Korean dentist who said I need to have all my fillings removed and replaced by him. He also said I have some tooth decay that needs treatment. Since I cannot believe him on the former point I am uncertain whether to believe him on the latter.

Does anyone know a *foreign* dentist in Seoul--or an *honest* Korean one? If so, I would be truly grateful of the chance to get a second opinion.

Thanks.

jjurabong · Joined: 22 Jan 2003

William Beckerson · Guest

Yeah, them old fillings are junk. My tooth broke because of them and the dentist told me the other one is pretty weak to boot.

He's probably telling you the truth. And regardless, dentistry is so freaking cheap here compared to Canada that I'd get them done just for the hell of it.

Jasmine · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Hongkers!

It's cheap because it's primitive and scarrry!!!

I'm in the middle of a root canal at the moment - only two more trips to go.

My dentist doesn't wear gloves, doesn't change instuments with each patient, and today, my tongue got caught in the drill when he was filing my tooth down - yowch!

I hate dentists to begin with but Korean dentists are a different breed...straight out of the middle ages!

Also, I heard that you have to request novacaine...is it true? Mine gave it to me as I was sh*tting my pants in the chair before he took the nerve out!

Sure the price is good but I worry about all the diseases you can pick up here... Confused

jjurabong · Joined: 22 Jan 2003

Jasmine,

Not all Korean dentists are like that - why on earth would you continue to get treatment at a place that doesn't change implements between patients?

Please don't assume that that is representative of Korean dentists - although I agree the experience is not up to par with our standards, there are good dentists to be found here. There are also some pretty swanky new dental clinics south of the river that are super clean (talking seoul here) and modern.

I've just had my 3rd root canal here and although my dentist has done it in more visits than I think is usual at home, I haven't had an ounce of pain - not an ounce....and I'm a big scaredy cat. Smile

He sometimes asks me about a few English expressions, and then tells the secretary to give me a 20,000 discount.

My (long-winded) point - look around, there is better to be had here.

Marathe · Joined: 07 Feb 2003 Location: Spider Hole

captain kirk · Joined: 29 Jan 2003

hey, jurrabong! you had three root canals done and not an ounce of pain. who is this korean dentist you went to?
i went to a dentist and he said i needed a root canal and i said yeah, right. this dentist had just done a 'percussion test' which is very gentle (not). so he just put a cushion sort of filling laid on top of the nerve, or something. and that was 10,000 won and has lasted until now; four years. so go figure.
and so who's that painless root canal dentist? now i like root canals!

jjurabong · Joined: 22 Jan 2003

Ok, well here's my dentist story:

The dentist's name is Lee Tae Ho (DR. Lee's Dental Clinic) in Yeonhui dong near the foreign school. I hadn't been to the dentist in the 7 years since I'd been in Korea, as disgusting as that sounds, purely out of fear and mistrust of the Korean dental system. However, I wasn't liking the way my gums were looking, so I thought I should go. I wasn't super impressed with the building - old wallpaper, no private bathroom, so thought I would just have a little exam and never return. I explained to him my fear, and also that I have a low pain threshold, and so that he should always consider that I would probably need novocaine. He took an hour, no kidding, just to examine and explain what I would probably need done, answering all my questions - kindly. So, I decided to go ahead and have the xrays done, and then he went through those with me, and a demonstration with a mirror, to show me what he would work on. I was so reassured of his honesty and competence, that I scheduled appointments.
I've been going once or twice a week for about 3 months, and just finished up the third crown. He gave me lots of novocaine for the painful stuff, and even used a topical ointment to freeze the gum before he gave me the needle. I went about 5 times just to get the "medicine" in the tooth changed, so I think that that was killing the nerve thoroughly before he cleaned the tooth out. All three crowns were comfortable right from the getgo even though he warned me I might have pain or discomfort for a while. The only pain I experienced was during a scaling performed by his assistant which was pure hell. Then again, I hadn't had my teeth cleaned in 7 years.

I can't rave enough about this guy - When choosing my crowns, he showed me samples with prices, and didn't pressure me into choosing more expensive ones. And as for the gum thing - he said he would only consider gum surgery as a last option, and first wanted to see if deep cleaning and treatment of the teeth would first help - which it has.

His English is fine, and I did feel that he gave me special treatment. He seems to feel that foreigners don't trust Korean dentists and so I think that he went out of his way to spend time with me to establish trust.

Only drawback - the building is old, and not the sparkling, bright modern clinic one might expect back home. Gloves are used though, utensils are changed between patients, a sterilizer is in plain view......
If you just need a scaling though, be warned that the dental assistant is hell on wheels. Smile

Sorry for the length of this post - I just thought that people would like to know the details before deciding to either see this dentist or to know what level of care is available before settling for less.

captain kirk · Joined: 29 Jan 2003

hey, thanks for the info! and was this very expensive?

jjurabong · Joined: 22 Jan 2003

Hi there
I have no insurance and so I paid total about 2,000, 000 including consultation, office visits, cleaning and 4 crowns. ( One crown was to replace a cracked tooth). I chose white crowns at 300,000 each, though the cheapest offered was 200,000.
After all that money, you can bet I'm brushing carefully these days. Smile

William Beckerson · Guest

I got a gold cap for my broken molar for about 300,000 won. In Canaduh it would have cost me $1500.

Horay for Korean dentists.

the_beaver · Joined: 15 Jan 2003

jjurabong, do you happen to have that dentist's phone number?

Howard Roark · Joined: 02 Feb 2003 Location: Canada

don't believe everything they tell you. if you think you'll be going home in a few months, wait.
i went to a dentist in korea when one of my teeth was bothering me. i thought it was a cavity and i might need a filling. this guy told me i needed one root canal and crown and one filling in another tooth, he even showed me xrays. grand total 1 000 000w. no way i said. i'll wait. when i went home (canada) i went straight to my dentist. he took 3 xrays and did a thorough exam. he told me my teeth were in great shape and i didn't need ANYTHING done!! he said the minor pains i had been having were probably due to my wisdom teeth coming up. i found out later my friend had visited the same office, he told her she needed dentures!

i wouldn't spend a cent without a second and third opinion.

captain kirk · Joined: 29 Jan 2003

good point, howard roake! it's just between you, the dentist, and your mouth. if the dentist wants to make some money, then your mouth is a goldmine.

Jasmine · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Location: Hongkers!

Help! Help! Help!

Today was the last day of my root canal - had the porcelain crown put on and everything...

but my whole left side of my lower jaw feels tight. Is this normal? I can't get flosss between any of the surrounding teeth - let alone the tooth with the crown.

I'm concerned about my other teeth becoming crooked. Is this normal or should I go back straight away?