I know it’s a little mundane to be blogging about a visit to the dentist, but it was a bit of a hurdle for me visiting a medical practitioner for the first time in Japan. To start, I went to the Nagoya International Centre to get recommendations for English-speaking dentists in the area. The lady gave me a few options close to Mei-eki, but she said that with my level of Japanese, I was probably fine visiting a Japanese-speaking dentist within walking distance from my apartment. Since there’s an abundance of clinics close by, I decided to check one out 5 minutes away from home.

The first time I went in I asked a couple questions regarding costs and whether the National Health Insurance would cover most of the procedures. I was only planning on getting a routine checkup and cleaning, so those are covered. I made an appointment for two weeks later and I got a little card with the date and time written for my appointment.

On the day of the visit, I went in about 15 minutes early to fill out paperwork as a first time patient. There were a few typical questions I needed to answer, like “Are you on any medication?”, “Have you ever had adverse reactions to anesthetics?”, etc. After filling out the forms, I waited to be called and was soon brought up to the second floor.

Once I got to the waiting area on the second floor, a technician took me to get my x-rays done. The procedure was really quick – I stood with my chin rested on the stand and the machine spun around my head. The whole procedure was over in 30 seconds. I went back to the waiting room before I was finally called to the third floor to be seen by the dentist.

I was lucky that on the third floor I was placed in a room by myself with only one operating chair (which was way more comfy then the ones I’ve sat in in Canada). I noticed that on the second floor there were at least three operating chairs in one room separated by partitions. In Canada I’m used to having the privacy of a single room, so I preferred that option over the open space.

The dentist came in soon after and introduced himself. He brought up the x-ray on the screen in front of me and said that I didn’t have any cavities or major problems. He asked me if I just wanted to have a basic cleaning done that day. After reading so many blogs about other people’s multiple visits to the dentist, I was surprised I didn’t have to make a separate appointment to come in for cleaning. The technician pretty much started right after the dentist left.

She started with the water jet to clean stains, then did really basic polishing and brushing, followed by flossing. The procedure was a lot more condensed than what I’m used to in Canada. There was no scaling involved. Not that I love scaling, but I know its importance. However, the cleaning process was still efficient and it didn’t hurt at all.

Once I was done, the technician showed me before and after pictures of my teeth, which she had taken with a camera. I also got a printout when I left. She also pulled up an animated clip to show me how to brush the hard to reach places. I was pretty happy with the service and the efficiency. The best part? The price was only 2,920 yen for the check up, x-ray and cleaning. I was told to come back after three months for more cleaning, but I might hold off just until I go back to Canada for another round.

Overall I highly recommend getting basic dental work done in Japan, especially if you are already paying into the National Health Insurance. While cosmetic dentistry (braces, whitening, etc.) are not covered, most of the procedures are a lot cheaper than what you would pay for in Canada. It’s good to take advantage of it if you have the chance!