Korean Job Discussion Forums

[banjois]

I just got back from a dental consultation at one of the more well-known foreigner oriented clinics, and have a question regarding insurance coverage.

I'm getting an extraction, with an implant a consideration sometime next year when I've got the dough. I was told (after seeing the dentist, by a receptionist) that it wasn't covered by insurance. Something along the lines of, "A wisdom tooth extraction is, but an extraction for an implant isn't."

Which doesn't seem quite right. I'm not getting an extraction for an implant, I'm getting an extraction because it's abscessed and nasty.

I don't know. I guess alarm bells went off after she talked about a root canal on another tooth (I know, I'm a paragon of dental hygiene) was needed (with a hefty attached quote), after I'm 95% sure the dentist said he might be able to avoid a root canal and that if the tooth wasn't painful it was probably just a deep cavity that a filling could fix.

Thoughts? Anybody know the insurance regs in depth?

[Wildbore]

Stop going to foreigner oriented clinics, they tend to rape you on the prices. Go to a regular clinic and get another quote, you'll probably find it more reasonable.

[Swampfox10mm]

My wife found a place where her coworkers go to. They have an English-speaker on staff to assist. Cost is WAY cheaper than the foreigner place I was going to (Tuft's). As in at least 500,000 less for an implant.

Price for a Korean-made implant is 1 million. Price for the famous European model is 1.6 million.

Apparently, this place is a chain dental clinic. My wife said that other dentists in Korea have lodged complaints that this place does work for too little money and is hurting their profits. They sure are a busy place, and was very clean and high-tech. Better than anything I saw back home!

The only gripe I have about the place is that they wanted me to replace two perfectly fine amalgum fillings because "they look rotten" -- that's common Korean dentist sales-job crap. They're just fine, and have been fine for 20 years (although nearly every Korean dentist has complained I should replace them). If there is no pain, or problem showing on the X-ray, then I won't waste my money on that sales job again! Did that ONCE with another dentist, and three years later, the work they did failed and I had to have the tooth extracted (and now replaced).

Give these guys a try:

United Dental Hospital
www.udh.co.kr
153-789 Seoul, Gumcheon-gu, Gasan-dong, 470-5, Ace Techno Tower, 3rd floor.
(02) 6670-0000