Trip to the Dentist

I was hoping to avoid ANY trips to the dentist while living in Nigeria. The reasons should be obvious to anyone with half a brain.

First, it's not my favorite thing to do, and I have already spent plenty of time in the dentist's chair preparing to come on a mission. Not that I dislike any dentists that have ever worked on my teeth. I really like them and consider them to be a friend. Still, it's not that fun.

Second, it costs money. I was hoping to not spend any more money on my mouth while serving a mission. Pleasant surprise - it wasn't too expensive. It cost 8800 Naira, which is $75.00 for the new patient registration and exam, plus some antibiotics.
Third reason to NOT want to go to a dentist in Nigeria is fear of the unknown. Dr. Somoye was nice. He took an x-ray of the tooth that was hurting. To do that, the assistant put on the "apron" to protect me from radiation, then she also put one on Dr. Somoye. He held the x-ray film in my mouth with his gloved hand while the machine took a picture. After it was ready, he held it up to the light and also showed it to me. I was preparing to hear that I needed to have the tooth pulled. But instead he said that the existing root canal looked very good. Then he gently probed around the gum and declared the problem to be periodontal. They sent me home with some antibiotics, and I went back two weeks later for a cleaning. That wasn't too bad, either. They had the water jet thing for cleaning and Dr. Somoye was my hygenist. I was afraid it would be the old scraping method. They didn't give me any sunglasses or goggles to wear, so I got pretty sprayed on. (I don't know why I always feel like I have to have my makeup on just right before going to the dentist.)

The cleaning cost about $50.00 (less than home), so I think I will even go back in a few months for another cleaning, just to be on the safe side. One more thing I survived in Africa!