Going to the Dentist

[Carolyn 1]

Hi all,

My husband never went to a real dentist in Morocco.

Once in Morocco he broke two teeth--yes, opening a bottle with his teeth . So, he went to the tooth man in Djmaa al Fna (a big open market in the Marrakech medina). I'm going to try to insert a picture here:

Ok, so a big strong guy held him down while the tooth man extracted his teeth with a pliers--no novicane, no painkillers, etc. He paid the equivalent of one dollar a tooth!

When Simo came to the US, I brought him to the dentist for a broken tooth but I had terrible dental insurance. With insurance, we ended up paying $300 to get a tooth pulled. Simo thought that was highway robbery and hasn't been back until today.

So now he has good insurance, and he went in for a cleaning/evaluation. Needless to say there are some issues. He apparently needs 13 fillings, one of his wisdom teeth pulled and his gums are not looking so good (oh, if only he would quit smoking!)!!

Ugh. I don't know how much this is going to cost us out of pocket, but it sure ain't pretty. We may need to prioritize and do some next year (we may hit the max on the dental insurance for the year).

My thoughts: if you have the opportunity, try to get any dental work done in your habibi's home country...it is MUCH cheaper (though I don't think dentists are very common).

Cheers,

Carolyn

Edited August 13, 2007 by Carolyn

[doodlebug 3]

omg the toothman picture!!!

If I were on speaking terms with my parents I'd love to send that picture to my dad since he's a dentist.

[Henia 11]

Hello Carolyn. Thanks for sharing that. I know for me... I could never afford all the dental work I need/ed done in the US. Quoted thousands and thousands of dollars. But in Algeria I started to work on my teeth, which I had neglected in the past. So far, I have had a root canal and cap (gold ye baby) removal of 2 wisdom tooths had have been totally broken, work on my front teeth that had been chipped and discoloured. And I am in the process of getting braces. Elhamdullah so far, I have only spent $130 for all this work with the same technology I would find in Europe or US... with pain killers (unlike the pic you posted) LOL....But it is true, from what I have seen most NA do not take care of their teeth. Such a shame, since the care is much more affordable then in the US.

I have also gotten glasses (designer frames with ultra thin lenses) for about 1/8 of what I ever paid in the US. And contact lenses years supply worth for what I paid in the Us for only 2 boxes. We are also looking into Lasik surgery too... for about half the price! Living in a third world country isn't looking so bad after all!

Edited August 13, 2007 by Henia

[Carolyn 1]

So you think that maybe we can justify a trip to Morocco to get Simo's dental work done?

Hmm...maybe Springtime?

[Henia 11]

So you think that maybe we can justify a trip to Morocco to get Simo's dental work done?

Hmm...maybe Springtime?

Well, I donnow your current holiday (time off) and finanical situation... but in my opinion you could pay for a plane ticket for what you would spent in the US for hus dental work. I know for myself, just the tooth removal, root canal, cap and fixing my teeth (plus X-rays, etc) in the front they had quoted me almost $3000. And here I got it fixed for $130. And in the end, with braces, I will still be paying less then in the US. In fact, my daughter is getting work done too... basic thou. I end up paying less....Soooo ye, I am very very pleased. And I would definately come back to Algeria (even moooooore cheaper then in Europe) As I know in the past, I came back to Europe for dental work. But here it is even more cheaper and worth it ....

If I were you... I would save the money (unless it is an emergency) and go around late winter, early spring ...Btwn Jan - March... when the tickets are cheap! Bonne chance!

Edited August 13, 2007 by Henia

[Jenn! 918]

Thankfully, we have great dental insurance. Doesn't matter though, because he still won't go. Chicken.

[Carolyn 1]

Even great dental insurance is crappy, IMO.

I think we'll wait and see what the estimates are on fixing his teeth, then think about our Magrebi alternatives. I think I would rather support the Moroccan economy than my dentist's pockets.

Jenn--I sympathize with your dentist-averse husband!

[Henia 11]

Thankfully, we have great dental insurance. Doesn't matter though, because he still won't go. Chicken.

I had and still have dental insurance, but it made no difference. Many of the procedures I needed to get done were more expensive with the insurance. Only thing that I would saved on was the X-rays.

And I agree, I rather support a dentist here... then in the US. In the US, mechanics and dentists screw you (always)!!!!

[Sand 5]

LoooooooL you crack me up i wonder what that man use to take the teeth out, i bet u he using a pincers ) )

[Ban Hammer 12,866]

LoooooooL you crack me up i wonder what that man use to take the teeth out, i bet u he using a pincers ) )

i'm sure these vise-grips work great

[chaishai 1]

Hi all,

My husband never went to a real dentist in Morocco.

Once in Morocco he broke two teeth--yes, opening a bottle with his teeth . So, he went to the tooth man in Djmaa al Fna (a big open market in the Marrakech medina). I'm going to try to insert a picture here:

Ok, so a big strong guy held him down while the tooth man extracted his teeth with a pliers--no novicane, no painkillers, etc. He paid the equivalent of one dollar a tooth!

When Simo came to the US, I brought him to the dentist for a broken tooth but I had terrible dental insurance. With insurance, we ended up paying $300 to get a tooth pulled. Simo thought that was highway robbery and hasn't been back until today.

So now he has good insurance, and he went in for a cleaning/evaluation. Needless to say there are some issues. He apparently needs 13 fillings, one of his wisdom teeth pulled and his gums are not looking so good (oh, if only he would quit smoking!)!!

Ugh. I don't know how much this is going to cost us out of pocket, but it sure ain't pretty. We may need to prioritize and do some next year (we may hit the max on the dental insurance for the year).

My thoughts: if you have the opportunity, try to get any dental work done in your habibi's home country...it is MUCH cheaper (though I don't think dentists are very common).

Cheers,

Carolyn

So are you recommending the dollar a tooth guy?

Hehehehe seriously - be wary. My mother in law is here right now and had a bridge fall out. We had it replaced while she was here (my husband managed to do a favor for our dentist neighbor thank goodness or it wouldve been really expensive). But apparently the dental work was REALLY poor that she had. Many people have poor dental work in israel although im sure if you went to tel aviv you could find a good dentist. Not sure if its the same all over the ME but I would be nervous about using a dentist there.

Ill tell you what is a good thing to do there - ####### jobs LOL!!!! I think they are like $8000-$10000 here but they are $2000-$4000 there. And EVERYONE has them!! LOL!!!

I have to go to the dentist today - yikes!

[Jasman0717 8]

Wow

[ya falaha! 0]

I was just discussing dental issues with Moh yesterday. I told him it would prolly be cheaper to buy him a ticket to Egypt to get his teeth fixed (if and when he needs dental work) than to get work done here. He had a check up and cleaning before coming here but due to smoking his gums look kinda bad. I worry he'll have some issues in the future.

So you think that maybe we can justify a trip to Morocco to get Simo's dental work done?

Hmm...maybe Springtime?

[monnik 0]

I was trying to reply in this thread earlier today but I lost my connection.

I have had all 4 of my wisdom teeth extracted here in Egypt (1 had to be cut out because he broke it in half). Also, I have had a bridge, cleanings, and my braces removed.

I will just say that the facilities here are not as good as my dentist's back home. I felt really nervous about the equipment that looked like it was from the 70's. But, I really didn't have a choice. The dental work was very cheap. I think overall it was 500LE (which is less than $100). But, the quality of work is not what I was used to. My husband and his family assured me that the dentist was one of the best around. I would really hate to see the worst, you know.

I think I have a pic of my husband getting his teeth cleaned. You might be able to see the old timey arm that the drill is on. There are no gloves....no bibs.....no white shiny sparkling new machinery....... I think that for an extraction or a cleaning, this country is OK, but for any type of cosmetic dental work, the better the technology the better your results.

This is not a picture of a real dentist's office, it is just a picture I found that reminded me of the dental equipment here. Scary, huh? hehehee

[doodlebug 3]

no gloves and no mask!!!!

you get what you pay for!