The past couple times I went for a teeth cleaning, the whole process was barely 10 minutes each time. Heck, I almost take that long between flossing, Scope rinse and my electric tooth brush.
So I’m wondering, is that normal here?
Pretty much my experience, in the US you normally get a floss and a flouride treatment, but here it’s pretty much, “wham bam thank you ma’am” and you’re out. It’s kind of surprising to when you consider what they charge NHI for teeth cleaning reimbursement.
Yeah, they just sort of chip the coffee stains off my front teeth and send me on my way … 
In the US, besides the flossing and maybe ultrasonic around the gums, my dentist polished each tooth, one at a time, with a little rotary thingy and special paste.
Here, it was the ultrasonic thing, a quick brush and buh-bye.
That’s right. I forgot about the polishing you get. I do miss that. 
I got the whole jackhammer for the plaque, the nasty fucking hook thing jammed under each gum, the polishing drill-rattle-all-my-fillings-loose-with-an-evil-chuckle last time. Took about a half-hour. Purgatory.
Tomorrow a bloke is going to drill all my perfectly healthy front gnashers down to stumps and fit me with titanium crowns. Brad fucking PITT, motherfuckers! I’m a be a movie star!
If I take some Xanax, will that diminish the effect of the novocaine? I’m serious. I’m shiting great lumps of reinforced concrete, here, people.
Clonazepam and Oxyzalem. :lick:
Uh, move back to the west … 
Xanax and novocaine (lidocaine, more likely) do not interact (ie, the effects will be as expected for both drugs). The big book “Dick and Jane Have Fun with Drugs” tells me so.
On the other hand, Xanax interacts really well with alcohol. Experience tells me that.
IMHO, find a dentist who will do a good job on plaque, including under the gums. When we returned to Vancouver after 11 years, my dentist assumed that I hadn’t been to see a dentist since the last time I had seen him, such was the build-up (I had gone every 6 months while in Taiwan). Took two sessions to make a dent on the plaque build-up alone.
Gee, that’s a helpful response.
So it is in fact an issue. I was wondering if all the extra time US dentists spent on teeth were just for show to justify their high pricing. Sounds like it might just be worth it.
About 10 minutes.
Wham bam - Almost a complete waste of time.
I feel sorry for the dentists and assistants here though, way too many people with nasty red teeth and body odor issues.
Sandman: Ugh. Poor you. Hope the drugs are in just the right combination to keep you in purgatory rather than hell. My grandmother often said, “You must suffer to be beautiful.” You can bloody well forget that. Suffering just isn’t my thing. However, when it comes to the dentist, I’ll put in my time in the Chair.
[quote=“xtrain”]IMHO, find a dentist who will do a good job on plaque, including under the gums. When we returned to Vancouver after 11 years, my dentist assumed that I hadn’t been to see a dentist since the last time I had seen him, such was the build-up (I had gone every 6 months while in Taiwan). Took two sessions to make a dent on the plaque build-up alone.[/quote] Our fears about crap cleaning jobs are real, then. [quote=“sandman”]I got the whole jackhammer for the plaque, the nasty fucking hook thing jammed under each gum, the polishing drill-rattle-all-my-fillings-loose-with-an-evil-chuckle last time. Took about a half-hour. Purgatory. [/quote] Sandman, do you think when you have recovered you could post your dentist’s contact information? It sounds like you actually found a good one, which a not a few of us are in dire need.
CraigTPE,
The dentist I go to does a thorough cleaning job. He’s in Muzha. I can send you his details if you want to go and talk to him.
This is an old thread.
I recently went to one in ZhuBei （竹北）for cleaning. I was out in 20 minutes including X-ray. I did not get the clean feeling that I got in Los Angeles.
I did not observe the tools that they use since they covered my face. In LA, each patient is prepared a set of tools sealed in a plastic bag. The hygienist opens it in front of me so at least I know it is not reused.
How do the dentist office here in Taiwan sterilize the tools?
they use discarded cooking oil from Shihlin Night Market?
on serious note, my teeth after cleaning have always felt fine - can stick tongue inside between each tooth.
Just go to another dentist next week. Cost is only like NT$150-200 with NHI.
well here in CALIF the dentist doesnt clean teeth , the dental hygienist does. And it generally costs 100 bucks or more even with insurance so they do a thorough job. Takes bout an hour. Lots of scraping . My dental hygienist is cute and the recaro dental chair reclines nicely and has a massage feature so its relatively painless. They check the numbers on the gum to teeth connection and your overall dental health. And then the dentist comes over for a few mins consultation on any work that may be needed in near future.
10 minutes, about.
I need to travel from A to B and will take me about 1 hr to dental clinic then need to wait for another hour, then assistant will get 1 set of tools in plastic wrap I believe already sterilized then we chat a few seconds then she clean my teeth for 10 minutes.
Then I repeat the cycle again and need to wait for 6 months. 