the day before we left on our trip to belize, i felt a small bump on my gum below the tooth i had fixed in mexico. years ago, i didn't have dental insurance and the amount of money it cost to get one tooth fixed was more than everything i owned in my apartment. the tooth NEEDED to be fixed because i was packing my bags to move to ghana at the time. with mexico being a stone throw away, i crossed the border and had a root canal done. not bad really, i was well taken care of and the dentist office was quite nice. anyhow, years later, the tooth is coming back to haunt me! i've been scared to go to the dentist, but i bit the bullet and went. nothing to worry about, it's just a small infection and the dentist gave me some antibiotics to clear the infection.
my school gives us "vouchers" for the visits, and i wasn't really sure how much they covered and what the damage would be in the end. after i told the dentist my issue, he took ex-rays of my teeth and sat down and explained what he saw. already spending about 45 minutes with the dentist, i thanked him and asked for my prescription. he literally said, "you're not getting out of here yet." i sat back in the chair and he gave me a cleaning. overall, the appointment lasted about an hour and half.
i love guatemala for their health-care! all the doctor's i've seen take their time and make you feel as if you are their only patient. it's so completely different from the states! waiting in the cold room for the doctor to come spend 35 seconds with you and not really listen to what you're saying, and making you feel guilty for actually taking up their 35 seconds of time. it's honestly the opposite here!
it's kind of a bummer to think the tooth i got worked on in mexico may have to be redone in guatemala, but at the same time it's sad to think that getting it done in the states is out of the question because of the price. hopefully the antibiotics work and i don't have to see that chair again for awhile...
oh yeah, the voucher covered the ex-rays, consultation and the cleaning! it's worth 280 q which is about 35 dollars. and that...is the reason for my rant.
Hmmm, taking from your experience, Guatemala can be a potential medical tourist spot. I wish your tooth will continue to be fine and won't get infected again.
Posted by: Jesse Hake | February 11, 2012 at 07:44 AM