Dentist in Thailand
Next week I have another appointment with my dentist here in Pattaya. Not that I have a cavity, mind you, or need to undergo some other agonizing treatment, but just a periodic check-up with some tartar removal and polishing of cigar-smoking deposits.
Usually afterwards - after paying the costs 500 baht - I walk out the door like a happy man, no one can spoil me that day.
However, writing, talking and thinking about dentists sends shivers down my spine as I am terrified to go every time. No one has such a fear of a dentist as I do, which is probably related to what I overly refer to as a “childhood trauma”.
Blood
I can still see myself as a 5 or 6 year old boy walking back home with my mother holding a large towel in my hand, which was gradually dripping with blood. The dentist had just pulled a milk tooth and it was bleeding a little. In my performance I still feel the pain and it didn't bleed a bit, because without that towel I would undoubtedly have bled to death.
I don't remember it anymore, but I suppose I went to the school dentist regularly after that and I also left the Navy service with perfect teeth. Then it went wrong. There was a shortage of dentists at that time and when I finally found one after years who wanted to help me, it was only a single visit. He said, “I helped you, but if you don't brush your teeth better, then stay away. I am not a construction worker to chop away tartar”.
The man belonged to a generation of dentists who did not anesthetize with simple fillings, because “I need a signal from the patient to know if I have drilled deep enough”. Some of them also took a smoke break for themselves during long-term treatments and a cousin of my wife's constantly had a bag of English licorice, which he chewed empty while laying trihedron.
At that time, the same dentist pulled a tooth from my wife without prior consultation, because he felt that it did not have enough space. Tears with spouts about that hole in her mouth and so to the orthodontist to get rid of that hole again. That took two or three years and I am sure that for what I had to pay that man I could have bought a nice little car.
Over the years, dentists have turned out to be money wolves. I once read a study in which dentistry students in the Netherlands were asked about their motive for becoming a dentist. Number 1 on the list was by far ”earning a lot of money quickly”, as an orthodontist (the braces smith, I say) you can speed up that process considerably.
Dentist clinic
Haven't been to a dentist for ten to fifteen years and that left its mark. The solution came through an initiative of the University of Amsterdam, which opened a special dental clinic in the Jordaan. The shortage of dentists had to be solved and in that clinic trained dental hygienists were allowed to place simple fillings under the supervision of a real dentist.
An acquaintance who worked there allowed me to go there and my teeth were restored for a god's sake. No molar or tooth was pulled, but quite a few one-, two- and three-height fillings were placed by the lovely ladies. Feelings of fear did not really disappear, but their motto was that suffering pain during dental treatment was no longer necessary, which was a reasonable reassurance.
Then until my move to Thailand I went to the dentist periodically, sometimes a cavity was filled or a filling was replaced - slowly but surely people switched from amalgam to composite - but I no longer had any real problems. Or right? I did make those periodic appointments, but I often tried to postpone them, purely out of fear. The appointment with the dentist has always been a juncture for me. My calendar revolved around that day of the appointment. A travel abroad? Oh, that's two weeks before I have to go to the dentist. A dinner with friends? Yes, that is 8 days after the dentist, etc.
Customer friendly
So now in Thailand and you can say that for someone like me, the dental level is so high and especially customer-friendly that you would almost move to this country just for that. In the tourist places there are plenty of dentists, I estimate the number of practices and practices in Pattaya alone at 80 to 100. The market is apparently still growing, because I see new "dental centers" opening all the time.
The large hospitals also all have a dental center. I've been in one, it was on a Sunday, there were 12 dentists working, in ultra modern offices and no waiting. Still, I didn't think that was a good experience, because - commercially, right - the dentist thought that I needed three crowns and that a root canal treatment would be performed for each crown. I didn't even ask about the possible costs, because when I heard the word root canal treatment I dropped out. Ever experienced one, but that's the worst thing a dentist can do to you.
On the advice of someone who had just had a completely new dental prosthesis (false teeth) fitted, I found a very nice young dentist in Soi Buakhow. Not a money guzzler, but does his job with a lot of passion and love, so that I look forward to every visit with confidence, although of course the fear will never completely disappear. After all, man suffers most from the suffering he fears.
Those three crowns were necessary and my dentist placed them, he thought root canal treatment was absolutely unnecessary. I took the most expensive variant of the three versions and he timidly told me that the total treatment would cost 30.000 baht. Mai pen rai, doctor, I don't have one for that in the Netherlands yet.
Pricing
Without having felt a penny of pain, I am now walking around in Pattaya again with intact and well-maintained teeth. Of course there are also dental technicians, whom I had already heard of in the Netherlands, who also work for Dutch and other foreign dentists or dental laboratories.
Many crowns, prostheses and the like, which are placed in the Netherlands, are made in Thailand at a very low price and then charged at the normal Western price, counting your profit.
Prices are extremely low and in no comparison with the Netherlands. Look on the Internet at the many websites of, for example, "Dentist in Pattaya" and be amazed at the prices mentioned. Someone with bad teeth in the Netherlands comes to Thailand and has the necessary restoration. With the costs of this, he saves so much – compared to the Netherlands – that an additional holiday as it were free. Combining the useful with the pleasant, because someone with intact and well-maintained teeth is happy!
– Reposted message –
Nice story. Remember that the dentists in Thailand do not all deliver the same quality, there is also a difference in training and therefore also the price. My dentist in the village is a nice guy, but he can't do certain things. There comes another. Some dentists also place implants, but as a rule you have to go to an implantologist.
My dentist once said: "you and your wife are a good match, both have bad teeth".
I had to pay 500 bath.
One of the first times I was in Thailand, a tooth broke. I already knew this was going to be a crown.
Next problem: finding a reliable address.
On the basis of advice from a Brit on to the Bangkok hospital.
Handled very professionally.
When asked why a number of wisdom teeth were missing, and my answer, that these are not repaired in NL, the answer was: what a shame.
You could choose from three versions: palladium (used in NL), 18 kt gold and 24 kt gold. Prices from 8-12k.
Since then, 3 crowns have already been placed. One of them on the wisdom tooth.
24 kt gold? won't go too soft.
Once I had to have 2 crowns put in. I did the first at a luxury clinic on Sai Sam in Pattaya. But I didn't like the treatment (rough) so I decided to have the second one done at the Bangkok-Pattaya hospital. I had asked the price in advance and that was slightly more expensive than the previous one.
But it turned out to be more treatments (in hindsight I think it was unnecessary) and the final bill was considerably more expensive. Yes …. the crown costs x amount but on top of that is anesthesia, xray, use of medical instruments, etc.
I just had 2 crowns put in the Netherlands, costs € 1018,54 back from my health insurer € 475,62 makes: € 542,92 so the difference with Thailand is not huge, but maybe try it next time after consultation with my health insurer. I believe you must be able to demonstrate that it was necessary there at that time.
Most people in the Netherlands are not insured for dental costs.
Notice the big difference in price.
Here it is forgotten what insurance costs per year.
4 years ago Bangkok hospital had all old amalgam fillings replaced by plastic fillings, filling where the gums recede, gap filled for teeth, broken tooth repaired approximately 6,5 hours of treatment, not been to the dentist for 30 years, price € 1000.
April in Changmai to the dentist, teeth cleaned, broken tooth repaired, a tooth that needed a large filling, crown with canal root treatment, all X-ray photos, entire treatment € 400 (crown 10.000 bath)
Coming up with all kinds of extra costs afterwards is of course typical Thai again.
At the Bangkok hospital in Phuket I was fortunately not bothered by this. You will receive a good quote there in advance.
also excellent clinics in BKK, just had everything checked 14 days ago, so it was 720 B so more expensive than in Pattaya, haha
Goeiedag,
2 weeks ago I went to the Bangkok Hospital (BKK) to see what the possibilities were for a missing tooth.
I received the following quotation on a post it sheet.
1x implant + 100000 bath incl. bone structure
1x 3 crowns bridge
Metal 40000 bath
Gold 54000 bath
Ceramic 50000 bath
This is inc. full x ray a 800 bath and further anesthesia costs etc.
I have supplementary insurance with CZ and they indicated that they would simply pay the maximum annual reimbursement regardless of whether it is a necessity. In my opinion, it does not matter whether they have to pay € 450,00 for a treatment here or, for example, in Thailand.
But given the current price of the Bath, almost all these options are € 1000 and more for me, so there was not much price difference with the Netherlands.
Next time look at a somewhat smaller dental practice.
I must add that I have more confidence and a more positive impression of the dentists in Thailand than mine here in NL, because thanks to their root canal treatments I have already lost a tooth L and R.
And since we spend some time in Thailand every year, my preference for an (expensive) procedure is to go to Thailand. Partly due to the specialization, as every dentist in the larger practices is a specialist in a particular procedure.
Hello Michael,
I am not a dentist and therefore cannot judge whether an implant is the solution for you. Can't do it with a crown? I always have the impression at a hospital that they offer the most expensive variant.
I once looked at some Dutch websites and found that implants cost a lot of money. However, you are insured, so that may not have to be a problem.
In my opinion, smaller practices are more customer-friendly and I would certainly consult one or more for a "second opinion"
Good luck and success with it!
You always need an existing tooth for a crown.
@Michiel is talking about a missing molar. So this cannot be solved with a crown.
Good day,
I am indeed missing the entire tooth, so it will be an implant or bridge (which consists of several crowns).
Only seen that an implant is quite an operation and it costs about € 2500 here in the Netherlands and at Bangkok hospital so also (100000 thb) this one falls off for me.
@Bert I also have the idea that Bangkok Hospital is (expensive), but I still wanted to know their prices and you get 2 years (warranty) there. So you run less risk of having to pay the costs yourself if you have to return due to problems. Dentist's office or practice disappeared, Thai guarantee, etc.
The waiting room there was also filled with well-to-do Thai and oil sheikh-looking people.
I have also walked into the dentist next to the Burger King on Khao San Road once before. I also got a positive impression from that and it has been there for years. He then gave me the same advice about possibly keeping another tooth as here at the oral surgeon in Ned. Something about splitting the root and building a crown on it.
This man also told me that if I wanted an implant it would be better to have it done in my own country because of (bacteria, infection risks). He wanted to take care of the crown.
Sounded fair to me at the time (but maybe he's just not that good at implants and didn't feel like it)
Anyway, I will take a closer look next trip to th. I will also continue to follow the blog because, because of this I have already had a number of tips.
Michael,
I have been selling implants in Thaland. Those things aren't that expensive. An implant was sold with us from 60 euros. Placing an implant should never cost more than 36.000 baht, including the implant.
A bridge costs 18.000 baht and a crown 10.000 baht.
success
A crown (and therefore also a bridge) is for sale in Th in 3 qualities, palladium, 18 ct gold and 24 ct gold.
It's not about the outside, it's about the inside. The exterior is simply ceramic in all versions.
There is a considerable price difference between the cheapest and most expensive. (± 8-12k)
[Quote]
the dentist said I needed three crowns and a root canal treatment would be performed for each crown.
[Quote]
Root canal treatment is sometimes done preventively. The root is completely removed. This is done under anesthesia and you will not feel anything.
Painful is the so-called "root canal treatment" where an inflammation is removed. This is done without anesthesia. With this treatment, the root is preserved.
Nothing happens to me without anesthesia, let that be clear.
I would prefer to go under anesthesia, there seems to be 1 dentist in Alphen aan de Rijn, where that is possible.
These are some nice posts about dentists. Does anyone know the address of the dentist in Soi Buakhow?
Hi John,
The dentist I talk about in the story is Dr. Chanya Kulpiya from the Dental Art Center in Soi Buakhow, tel 038 720990.
The practice is located between Soi 19 and 21, right next to a 7-Eleven.
Highly recommended!
Hi Gringo,
Does your dentist also work with implants?
frgr Joop
Yes, Joop, my dentist controls the entire program. See website:
http://www.dentalartpattaya.com/Service.html
Hi Gringo,
thanks for your mail. I will go there and give my opinion. I will also pass on that I have received the address from you
Kind regards,
john,
Bangsaray
Hi Gringo,
thanks again for the advice. As I emailed, I made an appointment. Must say that Dr. Chanya Kulpiya is doing well commercially. From the street you can see what the prices are on a sign. These are reasonable to low. Because he is probably busy here, I had to make an appointment. She checked my prayer thoroughly and told me everything was fine and no treatment was necessary.
To my surprise it was FREE!! So check back here next year.
Merry Christmas and a healthy 2011
John
Bangsaray
Nice work, John, I'm even surprised that it was free! A little commercial dentist would always have found something, even if it was just removing some tartar and polishing it for 500 Baht.
Anyway, you're off to a great start to the new year and I wish you all the best for the rest!
Dear Bert,
Next week (March 16) we leave for Thailand for more than 3 weeks. It is our 10th time. We will visit different places again and then spend our last week in Pattya as we do every holiday. We are then in the Areca Lodge. A very good centrally located hotel. Now I noticed last time that I sometimes see signs on the road from dentists. Now at the end of last year and at the beginning of this year I have been to the dentist in the Netherlands a lot. Received 6 new crowns and bridges (Had to pay more than 800 euros for this yourself and the rest the insurance in 2 years). Then the trouble started. Had to have root canals through my beautiful new crowns. And another own account of more than 800 euros.
Things are going pretty well at the moment, but I don't actually plan on going to the dentist again. I actually had to make an appointment with the dental hygienist again, but I canceled it. Can you advise me to go to the dentist in Pattaya for a check-up and cleaning? Kind regards, Tjitske
Definitely recommend, Tjitske! Go for a checkup and cleaning go to the dentist mentioned above. It is walking distance from the Areca Lodge. From the hotel, turn right onto Soi Buakhow, then left, then see description above.
Since you are only in Pattaya for a week, I recommend going right at the beginning. If the dentist does find a hole, you can have it repaired.
Come and report, I'm usually in Megabreak in the evening, the pool hall on the same street as the Areca Lodge. Ask for Albert!
Thanks for your response Albert. I had already sent a message to Dental Art to make an appointment because they currently have a Hot Promotion: Laser Tooth Whitening and cleaning for 5000 Bath. I sent this via their site under the contact heading. Unfortunately I have not received a response to this yet. That's why I thought this morning: I'd also send an email via:[email protected]
Unfortunately, I immediately received this email: This Message was undeliverable due to the following reason:
Each of the following recipients was rejected by a remote mail server.
The reasons given by the server are included to help you determine why each recipient was rejected.
Container:
Reason: 5.1.1 : Recipient address rejected: User unknown in virtual mailbox table
Now I may have a very cheeky question, but could you ask me what the correct email address is? Thanks in advance and we'll drink one to it!!!
Tjitske, please send an email to the editors so that we can exchange our email addresses. Talk a little easier!
Nice website by the way, I hadn't seen it before:
http://www.dentalartpattaya.com/index.html
email address sent to contact. Let us know if this comes through.
Been to the dentist mentioned above.
Really GREAT!!!!
So recommended.
We live in Nongkhai province. Very bad experiences with dentists. In rural areas, real dentists are virtually impossible to find. My wife needed a root canal treatment, which is not possible in the various villages, but not even in Nongkhai, either at part dentists or at hospitals such as Wattana. Only pulling and especially a lot of whitening and (?) implants almost everywhere (easier than a root canal treatment? or more commercially attractive) Every dentist simply said "I can't do that" always referred to Hospitals like Eck Udon in Udon Thani (150 km drive) costs there about 5.000 bath!
I had to have 2 molars extracted each for 2.500 bath + 150 bath contribution for hygiene costs and extra for x-ray.
No idea why there is no dentist in the whole area who dares to do anything other than a simple extraction (my 2 molars were partly broken off and that is why no one wanted to start) and people think a simple root canal treatment is something for a specialist in a larger hospital. Prices just as high as in NL.
Very bad feeling that the quality of dentists (outside of Bangkok and tourist centers) is abysmal and they are crazy about whitening and other lucrative activities such as placing an asterisk or diamond right through the enamel in your tooth.
I have been to a dentist twice in Pattaya.
However, the chair is so far back that I choke on my own saliva.
When the dentist injected a blue liquid into my mouth while putting a filling, I almost suffocated. After coughing for 20 minutes, I stopped the treatment. After two months, my dentist in the Netherlands completed the treatment. I asked several dentists if the elevation of the chair could not be changed, but they said that was not possible.
So we went to the dentist in the Netherlands
Interesting. I've read all your emails, but didn't see anything about email curves at the
reactions. I have good experience in Hua Hin at SSmile. Needs a thorough renovation. Difficult but better than continuing to walk with half holes and whole inflammations in the mouth because the dentist in the Netherlands refuses to replace a broken crown if I don't have him do everything at once.
So… Let me do it here. Slightly cheaper and above all more pleasant.
Those smaller Thai hands and movements are much more pleasant than the 'coal shovels' of my NL dentist. Drill, suction device, clamp and dentist fingers do not fit in my mouth in NL. That's just stuffy.
From wiki:
Like gold, palladium can be struck down to a very thin layer (0,1 µm).
On top of that comes the porcelain finishing layer.
From the net:
What material are crowns made of?
[...]
Metal porcelain
Metal is used as a base for this. For appearance, a layer of tooth-colored porcelain is applied over the visible metal.
In NL only palladium, in Th also gold 18 crt or 24 crt.
You cannot see the metal, but it is in the crown or bridge.
And they don't have amalgam fillings in Th, as far as I know. It's all tooth colored.
Thought palladium was banned due to toxicity.
Coming soon to Chang Mai for a few crowns of palladium, approx. 10000 bath each, perhaps a little cheaper, but I am extremely satisfied with the treatments at:
Elite Smile Dental Clinic Dental Clinic http://www.elitesmilecm.com I also think it's worth it.
folkert
Hallo,
I would like to do my dental hygienist internship in Thailand. What do you recommend? I have absolutely no connection with Thailand, but I really want to do an internship there, it must be a practice that can perform treatment at a high level
@Maryam: Dentistry in Thailand is generally of a high standard. However, as far as I know, the dental hygienist profession has not yet been invented here. Oral hygiene is provided by the dentists themselves (and well!)
There are internships in Thailand in all kinds of areas, so you can give it a try. Write to the major hospitals, they all have a dental department.
On the Internet you will also find a number of sites that mediate in finding an internship in Thailand. That will cost quite a bit, but the advantage is that they are aware of the necessary formalities (eg special visa).
Success with it!
Does anyone know of a good dentist in Pattaya, preferably in Naklua?
There are dozens of good dentists in Pattaya, including in Naklua.
Walk down Naklua Road from the Delphin roundabout and you're sure to come across five or so over a distance of roughly 1 kilometre.
Hello Grinko,
That story sounds really good.
I've been having a lot of problems in my mouth lately, I think I need two bridges and
several crowns that need to be replaced.
Probably also an implant, but I'm very hesitant about that even here in NL.
Apart from that, the costs can no longer be afforded, I still have to think very deeply about what to do!
Best regards,
Roxy
Indeed there are enough clinics in Thailand .. but especially for white teeth, crowns, etc. in short, everything was easy and yields a lot of money .... however, I think the pure dental care is much worse than in the West .... the only thing that could possibly be a plus is if the treating be a doctor or did part of his education outside Thailand because the Thai universities are really fun!
I am currently in koh samui where we again made a visit to the dentist during our holiday
I can only say that the dentist here in Chaweng gives you a very familiar feeling
Last September I had an incredibly beautiful bridge of 4 crowns installed here for 34000 baht
Within 6 days the bridge was ready and fitted perfectly in 1 go!!
I no longer have a dentist in the Netherlands, from that money I will fly to Thailand, including a ticket and hotel, which will save me even more money for such treatments.
All in all, folks, it's definitely worth a try!!!
Good afternoon, does anyone know a reliable and good dentist in Chiang Mai? For crowns, and or implants and bone building?
If it is necessary to visit a dentist, I go to the dental department of the state hospital in Khon Kaen.
The last time, or perhaps the penultimate, after all, who knows what the future may bring, I got a dentist who reminded me of a friend of mine who practiced the noble profession of dentistry during his lifetime.
This dentist in Khon Kaen was very talkative, spoke good English and, like my late friend, had a habit of cracking jokes.
I assure you, it's pretty hard to laugh when you're lying with your mouth wide open.
My friend in the Netherlands, hopefully promoted to the dental practice of OLH, once told me a story that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
The dentists in the place where I lived at the time were occasionally on weekend shifts.
People with teething emergencies, as he called teeth, could then see the dentist on duty for an hour or so.
Once upon a time, a man came to this office and quite loudly expressed his displeasure with the long wait, the limited opening hours and other such fine things.
And that while he still had to wait his turn in the waiting room.
The noise got so bad that Friendmans had to make a disapproving sound, from the treatment room, of all places.
But he spoke to me, no problem.
Looked at the good man's teeth, and had to pull a tooth that was long past its expiration date.
Now, he said, we dentists learn during the training to use the anesthetic syringe in such a way that the pricking is not too painful.
So, we also know where it hurts extra.
Can you already feel it coming?
The man really felt every prick up to his toes and back.
It was indeed very loud, audible far beyond the house.
The treatment was simple, but it took me a long time, the molar was quite large so sawed it in half first, and then pulled the two pieces one by one.
The obligatory wait in the waiting room was very quiet.
Thank you doctor spoke to the patient after paying.
I see a lot of positive messages about dentists in Thailand here. I live in hua hin myself and have already asked a dental clinic a few times what the costs would be for a bridge of four teeth. I ended up with a somewhat high bill every time, especially if you are not insured for dental care. Coincidentally I was on vacation in Nha Trang in Vietnam when suddenly 2 teeth both left and right gave way and large pieces jumped off. Since I have a holy fear of dentists (in Belgium I am only treated by a very good dentist friend whom I have known for more than 35 years) it was quite a task for me to find a dentist in Vietnam. I actually couldn't keep walking like this with 2 teeth in the front of my mouth that didn't look right, so I put on my naughty shoes. When the dentist informed me that there was no other way to look decent again than to make a double bridge with crowns of 8 teeth, I thought: here goes my piggy bank !!!
Well, for the 8 crowns I paid a total of 220 euros, about one twentieth of what a dentist in Belgium once suggested to me. So the message is to be careful and Vietnam is still a lot cheaper than Thailand and I can assure you that everything has been done to perfection and completely painless!!
Have now been 4x to 3 different dentists in BKK (suk soi 22 and soi 7) and Trat BKK-Trat hospital to have fillings put in at 500 thb / filling. The first deet (soi 7) the one year, the second (soi22 ) an hour and afterwards also 1 year. The 3rd (soi 22) 1 year and the last in Trat 4 months.
Well then you know enough.
Greetings
Crazy Jimmy
Koh Chang
hello Gringo,read with great interest your article about dentists and treatments,may you have the address of that dentist in soi buahkow for me,thanks in advance,vr,gr.paul.
I think:
Dental Art Clinic – Soi Buakhao
502/34 Moo 10 Soi Buakhao, Pattaya, Bang Lamung, Central Pattaya, Pattaya, 20150
Tel: (+038) 720 990 XNUMX