Korean Job Discussion Forums

venus · Joined: 25 Oct 2006 Location: Near Seoul

I went to have a cavity filled yesterday at BaekPyengwon hospital in Ilsan.

I lay there in the chair and the dentist tried drilling the tooth at the spot where the cavity was and without a shot. Ovbviously I recoiled and shrieked in pain...

I sat upright, outraged and shocked and said

"you can't drill straight into a decayed part of the tooth without giving me a shot of novocain...!"

The dentist looked surprised and said that she was surprised THAT IT HURT and that this was normal in Korea.

I had to explain to her (me who has no dentistry qualifications) that drilling straight into a tooth, ESPECIALLY the decayed part - hurts like hell!

So she said okay, she'd give me the shot. So she gave me the shot and TRIED TO DRILL AGAIN STRAIGHT AFTERWARDS. The shot hadn't even begun to take effect!!!!

By this time I was very annoyed and scared. it truly boggled my mind that a dentist wouldn't know that the shots take about five minutes to kick in fully. I shook my head and muttered aloud 'this is crazy man, this is crazy... ' I seriously was worried for my safety and was debating whehter to leave and find another dentist or not.

She was again surprised and said ' you were just scared by the sound of the drill.' I explained that I was not scared by that and have been to dentists many, many times, but didn't she know that the local anaesthetic takes around 5 mins to kick in...?

She got angry now, which didn't help inspire any confidence in her as a dentist on my part. She said 'okay, I'll wait five minutes, stormed out of the room and started shouting angrilly in Korean to her co-workers!!!!!

Well after the five minutes, the shot had finally kicked in and the correct side of my mouth was fully numbed and she did a good job of the filling.

Scary though... Were I Korean I wouldn't have questoned her at any stage and would have had to endure the agony of having my tooth filled without local anaesthetic....

This is what you get with a culture where authority is not allowed to be questioned.

Dentists that don't even seem to know that a shot takes five minutes to take effect and that drilling straight into a cavity without it hurts... Because no one had probably ever questioned her before....

Anyway, please treat this as a cautionary tale when dealing with docs and dentists in Korea - if you think something is not quite right - always question. On many occaisions at the doc's I have turned down unneccessary anti-bio's, steroid shots, pain pills that were obviously unnecessarily strong for the ailment etc....

nomad-ish · Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 5:30 pm Post subject:

this is exactly why i avoid doctors here. koreans don't question anything when a doctor (or dentist) says so, and when u do, they get really insulted and sometimes, nasty. i've heard a TON of these stories... mostly with docs though Very Happy

oldfatfarang · Joined: 19 May 2005 Location: On the road to somewhere.

My funniest Korean story yet. I had the temerity to question why my visits to a prestigious K hospital were so expensive.

The lovely Korean receptionist (who asked the doctor why) was so embarrassed that when I went for my next appointment she hid under the reception desk. Sadly, this sort of humour doesn't come cheap at SNU.

davai! · Joined: 04 Dec 2005 Location: Kuwait

OP, sorry to hear that. Must have been awful.

I was at the dentist the other day. Fortunately, my one tooth's sensitivity to cold was alleviated with just an application of -whatever- but when he went to apply it he took off his mask, revealing the worst cigarette breath imaginable.

yuck!

howie2424 · Joined: 09 Jan 2003

She was a moron. The guy I go see, gives me the shot then invites me into his private office for a smoke and some English conversation before returning me to the chair for the filling.

ella · Joined: 17 Apr 2006

That's what comes from a university system where students bribe their way through.

Mr. Pink · Joined: 21 Oct 2003 Location: China

Surprisingly a lot of Koreans don't get shots when they get their fillings done. Its why you see their legs twitching like hell and you hear screaming. I think I had okay dentists. I told them flat out before I even took to the chair: I am not Korean, I have sensitive teeth, therefore, I want a double shot of freezing than you would give someone who asked.

After that, problem solved.

Also never had dumbasses not wait the 5mins for it to kick in.

Sounds like what a previous poster said: there are good dental schools and bad ones. The bad ones probably have tons of bribing...sad but true.

Jeju Rocks · Joined: 23 Aug 2004

I have had a few teeth fixed, both here and in Thailand without the needle. At first it felt a little rough, but overall it was not a problem.

Flash Ipanema · Joined: 29 Sep 2006 Location: Seoul

I once had a cavity filled without anesthesia in the States, but it was because my dentist said the cavity was small enough it wouldn't hurt. She was right.

normalcyispasse · Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 7:33 pm Post subject:

I had a very similar thing happen to me. The doc said that he couldn't give me anesthesia because I was white.
. . . buhh?
I had the filling done (painfully) and never went back to that dentist.

CentralCali · Joined: 17 May 2007

itaewonguy · Joined: 25 Mar 2003

you should go with the big brand francises like G7 or something..
dont just pick any small dentist on the block.. look for the best. and when you find one.. stay with that one.. end of the day its your teeth!

LaGringa · Joined: 04 Sep 2007 Location: Gyeongju

The doctors and dentists here don't clue you in on your treatment. So you'd better know what your problem is and how to fix it. I got used to this in South America and it really is a help here!!!

If you know what your problem is then go online to find the solution before you listen to a pro here. Make them send you for blood tests first, before loading you up with drugs or homemade remedies....particulary the Oriental Medecine docs. A lot of their homemade remedies aren't covered on the insurance plan so the treatment can be costly and you don't know if they're doing the trick without blood tests.

mindmetoo · Joined: 02 Feb 2004

My GF was telling me horror stories about women giving birth. I guess cesareans are frowned upon. Like the kid won't have a soul or some crap. Anyway, the doctors don't ask the woman. They ask the husband. Her one friend nearly died even after the doctors told the husband straight up a natural birth might kill her. But no. He wanted his kid born the natural way.

kimchi_pizza · Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:36 pm Post subject:

I just had that done today as well, but my dentist may've went overboard with the novocain. I received 3 shots in various locations for a small cavitiy and the entire left side of my face was numb.

Turned out to be a good thing 'cause I asked to have my teeth cleaned or "scaling" as they call it and THAT was painful. But only the right side of my jaw...

I left the dentist holding the right side of my face in pain and drool pourin down the left side. Whata sight I must've been...