A Trip to the Dentist

Grab a snack, or your favorite drink.  Sit down and cozy up for my story of visiting the dentist in Hungary.  It's long and full of cultural experiences.


First, of all you might be wondering why in the world I would want to see the dentist here at all.  Well, I do try to take good care of my teeth and I'm generally very faithful about having a cleaning every 6 months. (I realized it had been more than 6 months and I should go in.)  I had also heard that Hungary has very good dental care for a very low costs.  I've heard that their is a 'dental tourism' industry here.  Not kidding, some Swiss come here for dental work because it good quality for less money.  Upon hearing that it is good dentistry, I felt that I would be safe or ok for me to get my teeth cleaned here.  I don't have dental insurance and it would be a lot less for me to get a cleaning here than in the states.  

I scheduled an appointment going off a recommendation of another short-term ICSB staff member.  So, I looked up the website and called the office.  After making the appointment, which took a bit because they had to find someone in the office who spoke English to help me, I needed to figure out how I was going to get there.  The office was just in the next town over about 10-15 minutes away by car.  Finally, a co-worker said she could bring me.  I was SO thankful.  If she hadn't I would have taken the bus and it would have been a real treat finding this place.

My appointment was after school at 5pm. She drove and we were looking for the place.  It took us a bit to find it once we were on the right street.  It was a shock to me how different it was even in just finding it.  In the US we are used to dentist offices being in office parks or nice looking buildings with good signage so you can find it easily- good advertising, right!?  My co-worker recognized the Hungarian word for 'dentist'. (Hmmm...didn't think I'd need to know that.)  It was the correct address but looked nothing like a dentist office I'd been to before.  I'm not sure what I was thinking, but this was definitely not in my mind.   It was in an old communist cement block apartment building.  Yep, an apartment building.  We walked in the door just below the sign and there were no sign indicating where it was in the building.  It was just an old apartment building.  

Apartment building with the dentist office

This was the sign on the outside of the building.

We entered the building to find no signs as to where the office was in the building.  We exited  the building and asked the man who was smoking outside where the dentist office was.  Thanks again to my co-worker who spoke much better Hungarian than I do.  I probably would have done charades or just started crying by this point and left if she wasn't along.    Back inside the building, up to the 2nd floor and the door on the left.  Here it is...

The door of the dental office

I was relieved and pleasantly surprised at how nice it was inside.  I didn't take any pictures inside.  We went to the desk.  My co-worker told them I was there for an appointment.  They got someone who spoke English.  My co-worker left and would pick me up when I was finished.   They asked for my name, birthday and address.  Yep, that was it.  No HIPPA forms to sign, no family medical history to fill out.  I was a little nervous that I might have to fill out forms that I didn't understand.  So, I was actually thankful.  Then I had to wait.  And what did I do while waiting, read the magazines in the office of course.  Well, I didn't really read them but at least National Geographic has good pictures.  It was about a half-hour after my scheduled time when the dentist was finished with another patient who went in just after I arrived.   I walked into the "exam" room.   It was probably a bedroom in this once apartment. So not too big.  There was a sink and cabinets along one wall.  A dentist chair in the middle with a small sink next to it.  There were tools and equipment on trays, etc.  I climbed in the chair.  

She asked if I was there to just have a check.  I said a check and cleaning.  She did a check.  That was pretty normal.  She said she didn't find anything.  Phew...  That was a relief.  Then she started the cleaning.  She pulled out the suction straw hooked it on my lower jaw and them pulled out an electric tool that sounded a bit like a drill.  What was this....this is not what I was expecting.  Ok, it wasn't a drill but I could tell it rotated and had a bit of a point to it. (I found out later from my aunt who is a hygienist that it was an ultrasonic instrument.  They are used in the States too.)  She used this tool that also squirted out water too to clean my teeth.  No using the normal equipment that picks and scraps away the plaque from your teeth.  This tool did hurt a bit.  It wasn't comfortable that's for sure.  It felt like it was grinding/buffing off a layer of my teeth.  I kept thinking to myself, "Was this really a good idea to get your teeth cleaned in Hungary?"  Finally, she was finished with this tool.  I was instructed to rinse using a cup of warm water at the sink next to the chair. 

Ultrasonic Cleaning Tool similar to the one used on me.  

Ok, now for the polishing.  I was relieved with this was fairly similar to the polishing in the States.  It seemed pretty normal.  However, she didn't spray or rinse my teeth with the little water gun.  I had to rinse my mouth in the sink and it was more challenging to get out all the little pieces of the polish grit.  That was it... I was done.  I went to the receptionist and again the dentist helped to translate. I paid and then exited the office and called my co-worker to pick me up.  

Would I go again?  Yes, but probably a different dentist that doesn't use the ultrasonic tool. 

Here's my pearly whites after being cleaned

Well, there you have it.  My first Hungarian dentist experience.  Not traumatic.  Not terrible.  Just different.  Just another cultural experience.  I knew it would be different but just didn't have a clue as to how.  There was no way I could prepare myself for this experience.  I am very grateful that God orchestrated it for my co-worker to bring me.  If I had ventured this experience on my own I probably would have given up finding the place, and left in tears.