Wisdom tooth ouchies

Hullo, good sons! Today I had the pleasant experience of having my wisdom tooth extracted in Korea. @__@ If you've read this blog before, you might remember me posting about a trip to the dentist a couple of years ago in which I learned that my bottom wisdom teeth were growing horizontally. At the time, I was told I didn't need to worry about them, but if they decided to grow out then I would have to get them removed. I remember thanking my lucky stars that they were still buried deep inside my gums, and prayed that they would stay that way, never actually surfacing to see the light of day.

Well.... Apparently I didn't pray hard enough.

The joyful little chap on the right side of my mouth began peeking through the gumline a few weeks ago, partially exposing himself but still staying partially covered, and in the process very inconsiderately creating a pocket where lots of food and gunk was becoming trapped. Concerned about the tooth in front also becoming decayed as a result, I did some research and finally chose a dentist close to my home to have the deed done.

Now, just in case this post is ever being read by someone who lives in Seoul and is also looking for a good dentist, I'd like to recommend this particular place I went to. It's called Hus-Hu Dental Clinic, located very close to exit 3 of Apgujeong Station (literally you go out of exit 3, make a U-turn, and walk straight for about 20 meters. You'll see the sign for their clinic located on the 3rd floor of the Gu-Jeung Building, above Paris Baguette on level one and Caffe Pascucci on level two).

I know that visiting a dentist in a foreign country can be frightening, daunting, nerve-wracking, *insert-other-synonyms-appropriate-for-describing-a-horror-movie*... But I can honestly say I was pleasantly surprised and super impressed by this clinic. I was able to make an appointment over the phone in English without any problems. The staff spoke English and they were super polite, friendly, and professional. When I went in for a consultation, they didn't try to up-sell any unnecessary procedures. Instead, after we were done talking about wisdom teeth extraction, they asked if I wanted anything else done. When I said no, that was that.

Fast forward to today where, before having my tooth pulled, the assistant/translator/receptionist (3 roles in one... Superwoman right there!) came and reassured me that it was a simple procedure. Instead of abandoning me after that, she stood in the room and proceeded to make small talk to calm my nerves while we waited for the anaesthetic to kick in, which I thought was a really nice and friendly gesture.

The actual procedure took about 15 minutes, didn't hurt (thanks to the anaesthesia) and the after care instructions were all explained to me in English. They also handed me a pre-frozen ice pack to apply to my face straight away, which was I thought was amazingly considerate and a really nice touch (something that I haven't ever seen in the west!). Finally, after arming me with some extra gauze in case of persistent bleeding, a paper with the after care instructions written down in English, and a prescription for some A-grade painkillers (woohoo!), they sent me on my way.

The most amazing thing about the whole experience? (Other than the wonderful service they provided.. ^_^) The extraction cost only 19,500 won (with health insurance). That's about $19.50 AUD. Mind-boggling. @__@ I'm super glad that I chose to go with Hus-Hu, particularly as I had visited another clinic in Gangnam that (probably assuming I was an ignorant foreigner) wanted to charge me 80,000 for the job, even with health insurance. BAH!

So I have yet to go back tomorrow for some kind of check up and dressing(?) procedure, which I'm told will only take about 5 minutes, and then back again in 5 days to get the stitches taken out.

Now to enjoy the taste of my own blood while I wait for a clot to form. Mmmm, vampire-ish. =__=
Fingers crossed that the healing goes well!