mamasue

We actually ha d a good time in Hungary.... we were picked up from the airport, given a free apartment to stay in.... did all the 'touristy' things, and had a great time!
We stayed in a city called Balaton Heviz... a spa town, so there were many tourists there
I also had the bonus of being able to speak fluent Hungarian, as my mother was Hungarian....
But... everybody we dealt with spoke fluent English!!
I would definitely go there again!

The_English_Bride

I thought it was because they actually had to go through med school like other docs, kinda.

Bob

that too

Auld Yin

Perhaps that says more about the quality of Israeli dentistry rather than the state of his teeth.

JulieinAustin

Couldn't possibly be that the dentist here was on the fiddle then..

Norri

Heaven forbid

The_English_Bride

I totally have a phobia about going to the dentist and it took me a little while to get back into the swing again out here. I've always gone every six months back home (despite almost having a panic attack each time). I finally booked an appointment because I had some pain and it wasn't half as bad as seeing a dentist back home - the guy was actually nice to me!

Nah, I think dentists are fine back home. I've barely had anything done to my teeth except braces, and the dentist out here said my teeth were in excellent condition. I will say he wanted me to have surgery for the pain I went to see him about, but I think that was needed.

I can't believe that so many people have gone to see a dentist here and been told they need to have all this work done (or re-done). I think sometimes you have to get a second opinion just to be sure. The cost involved would bother me, but i think i'd be more annoyed that they wanted to do work on my teeth that wasn't needed.

neil

What people think of your teeth in the US is totally superficial. American friends have commented that I have great teeth but the reality is not that great in that I have more fillings than I really should - yes, they might look OK, but that's not the point and they seem to miss that.

My dentist is great, he does keep trying to get me to have my wisdom teeth out, but every time I point out they're not causing me any trouble he doesn't really push it. He does point out that they could cause problems, but for me that's not a good enough reason.

Steerpike

The issues of self-confidence are hard understand. It's easy to say that it is a superficial issue, but if your teeth look good, you can't really comment on what it's like to have teeth that don't look good. Mine are a mess and I'd feel better if they were more attractive; just like I feel better after a haircut or a shower ...

Just two things to keep in mind - do it before you get too old because the healing time gets longer, and do it while you still have good insurance!

scrubbedexpat091

After seeing all the pain my mom and other friends who have had root canal's done and the issues and pain over the years, I always refused them. I just say I need to pay cash, dont have the money and no insurance and they will drop trying to do more exspensive work.

Downside is you loose the tooth but mine were all in the back not visible so not a big deal.

But dental care is too exspensive in Canada/US to go for preventive so I only go when I am in pain....

Because they have advanced degrees which result in either a doctor of dental surgery or doctor of dental medicine.

Before one can enter dental school, they already posses a undergraduate degree.

Same reason vets (doctor in vet. medicine degree) are called doctors.

I'd say the least doctor of all degrees are the various forms of academic Phd's.

Steerpike

I'm more than happy to have my tooth extracted; it's also in the back and has no 'visual' relevance. However, the dentist keeps telling me you don't want to lose one tooth because then the adjacent teeth will move, get looser, etc. I'm not sure whether to give this much credence . but it has a ring of truth to it. I have an appt. this week so I'll be determining my options.

Regarding preventive - I'd highly recommend a cleaning once every 6 months, and of course a good 'home regimen' of flossing. I didn't used to floss, and didn't get cleanings; I had a LOT of problems. Nowadays, in general, with flossing and cleaning, I've been almost trouble-free (the tooth in question above is a cracked tooth, originally filled decades ago). Also - I had terrible bad breath due to poor oral hygiene (trapped food, basically) - my g/f was good enough to politely tell me this one day, and once I started the flossing and cleaning, I could tell the difference.

augigi

Good timing on this thread. I've had one filling my whole life and NO dental problems.

Broke a tooth while travelling with work last month. Called a dentist near work when I got home and he had me come in and had a look (Visit #1). Said to make an appt to come back for a filling - did and got the composite filling (visit #2). Came back for a cleaning (visit #3). Came back to get my upper amalgam filling looked at as it was hurting me. He pulled it off and said there was decay underneath laying on the nerve and proceeded to do a root canal (visit #4). Went back later that week for rest of root preparation and sealing (visit #5). He says I need 2-3 more visits when I get back from my vacation to Australia to get a crown fitted.

From no dental problems to root canal and crown, and 7-8 visits to the dentist within 6 weeks! Are you kidding me?

Have temp filling over it now and it's killing me - will probably go to my dentist back home in Aus and get a second opinion.

This US dentist also told me my bite is crooked and wearing my teeth down and I need some fancy corrective work. What a crock of crap. Definitely going to find a new dentist - feel like I'm at a used car dealership when I'm there, and I hate when they don't tell me upfront how many visits it will take and what is involved. Like being a girl going to a mechanic - you have to take their word for it!

scrubbedexpat091

Probably depends on how ones mouth is set up. When I had all my teeth they were crammed in there tight, so when I lost one molar on each side one from an accident and the other just shattered, the other teeth moved back but because of the lack of room, they just became nicer looking and more straight, and it allowed room for the wisdom teeth.

Auld Yin

I'm more than happy to have my tooth extracted; it's also in the back and has no 'visual' relevance. However, the dentist keeps telling me you don't want to lose one tooth because then the adjacent teeth will move, get looser, etc. I'm not sure whether to give this much credence . but it has a ring of truth to it. I have an appt. this week so I'll be determining my options.

There's no doubt that an empty space will result, in time, with the adjoining teeth moving and loosening. Having a crown, bridge or implant would negate that but I think the decision to have it done vs an extraction and ending up with the space is much dependent on your age. If you're relatively young then I think following dentist's advice is correct but if older, it's probably not necessary. When I had the first extraction of my adult life a year ago my dentist said a bridge/implant wasn't an urgent necessity at my age.
ps. I'm auld.

Paulycarts

From my experience i have lost a few back teeth and none of my other teeth have moved at all and it causes no inconvenience whatsoever