Lets review:
About a month ago, my mouth became the source of a lot of pain. I faced my fears here in Korea and met with a fantastic dentist who treated me amazingly and sent me to an oral surgeon.
Then I went to said oral surgeon, and had to deal with the manifestation of my fears by not knowing what was going on.
After a day or two of dealing with my own fears, I made a call to the Seoul National University Dental Hospital, and made an appointment with the international branch. I’d been told countless times over that the SNUH was the best hospital in Korea, and the dental branch was no exception. I’d been going to the International Clinic at SNUH since arriving here for what ever ails me, and have been treated amazingly. So despite knowing what I’d be told from the doctors, I felt comfortable going to a hospital I’d already been to.
When I got to the hospital, I had a bit of trouble finding the dental section, however I was able to get there just in time. The international department isn’t clearly marked, like the International Clinic in the regular hospital. After I wandered around in the lobby, looking dazed and confused, until a girl at the reception asked if I was Rebecca. Apparently, there is an English speaking person at the front desk most of the time at the dental hospital, which is amazing. She was able to help me with the cashier and all of the paperwork, and was nice conversation as well.
The Seoul National University Hospital network is fantastic because they all have international departments. These clinics are often made up of some English speaking nurses, and a lot of bilingual volunteers. These volunteers help foreigners navigate the massive hospital, get through the paperwork, and deal with anything in Korean that you may need. Most of the doctors speak pretty decent English, but it’s nice to know there is someone there to translate if needed.
When I finally got to meet my dentist, he amazed me with his English. Despite the fact he was handing me the same information as I was given before, and it was still as terrifying as it had been, the dentist was really good at being chatty. As the dentist was going through the risks of my wisdom teeth being removed, he noticed I was biting at my nail and my foot couldn’t stop moving.
“Are you nervous?”
“I’m terrified,” I admitted.
“Am I making you nervous?”
I didn’t even need to think about the answer. “No,” I replied quickly. Despite the fact I was scared to the point of tears, the dentist was making me feel a lot better about this. And then he did the one thing I had desperately needed from everyone I spoke to so far.
“We’re going to do everything to make sure there’s as little damage as possible,” the doctor reassured.
I could have sobbed with relief. I knew that every other dentist I’d seen was thinking the same, but from what I’d been told by my Korean friends, reassurance wasn’t something that doctors said, it was just assumed. However, I was nervous, and scared, and really vulnerable. I don’t speak Korean so I already was terrified. So to have that moment of reassurance, as brief as it was, was all I needed.
With a heavy breath and a shake hand, I signed the release to give approval for the wisdom tooth extraction.
On October 21st, I’ll be getting all four wisdom teeth removed. Hopefully, I’ll have a happily ever after followup for this story, with no nerve damage, and an end to chronic headaches, jaw aches, and other problems I’ve been facing for the last 5 years.
Here’s hoping, at least!
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Hello, I am wondering if they have invisilign in Korea. If I come I will already have at least the first set but I would need to get them changed every other month I think. Do you know if that would be possible?
Are those the clear braces? I just did a quick Google search, and apparently they are here. I don’t think they would be covered by insurance, but I’ve found medical things, even without insurance, are much cheaper than in other countries.
http://www.invisalign.co.kr/