Over the weekend I have had an increasing problem with a tooth. A few weeks back I was chewing some nuts (not almonds) and bit rather hard onto a piece of shell with one of my back teeth. I nearly hit the roof with the pain of it but then it settled down and I only had the occasional twinge if I bit on something hard. At the weekend (as always) the tooth started to give me a lot of pain just drinking hot tea or chewing on it to such an extent, that I needed to go to the dentist to get it sorted out quickly. We called into a dentist, by recommendation, in Albox a few weeks ago to see if we needed to register but was told no. So last night I prepared a statement of fact about the tooth on the computer, describing the history and the problem and saying that if it needed to be removed please do it as quickly as possible. I then translated it and printed it out for the dentist and receptionist. Elayne and I couldn’t really decide if the dentist would be open at all during this holy week and if they were at what time would they be open. We set the alarm (which we have to do because of our SSS disease) and set off at half past eight.
Interlude:
The builders arrived this morning (thank goodness) just after eight o’clock, three of them. It makes a change that we heard them.
Continuation:
We fully expected the dentist to be closed for the holiday or not open until ten or something in between. I rang the door bell with low expectations only to be surprised when the front door sneck was activated and the door opened. The dentist is on the first floor along with private flats so they need a security door system.
I showed the prepared letter to the receptionist who smiled at my ’sorry that we don’t speak Spanish good enough yet’. She then indicated that we should wait in the waiting room along side three or four other patients. With-in ten to fifteen minutes I am shown into the dentists surgery and again I show him my letter. The dentist explained that fortunately for me someone had cancelled his appointment this morning so that he could see me. Big smiles once more but the dentist, Rafael Perez Alonso, can speak quite good English and has quite a lot of English patients. I asked him by way of interest if the letter was helpful for this sort of occasion and he indicated that it was (so that’s good feed back). He examined the offending molar and decided that rather than extract it he would dig out the roots and nerve and then fill it, once more. That tooth has had more fillings than one of Mr Kipling’s cakes.
Bear in mind that it took me twenty years to get used to my dentist in the UK and we had an understanding that he would not dare to retire before I did and here I am sat, mouth open, awaiting the wrath or otherwise of a strange dentist who could have escaped the NHS to ply his nefarious stuff on the Costa del teeth for all I knew.
Bracing myself as the needle went into my mouth I was amazed that I didn’t feel more than a little prick (no comments please). He was amazing and all the drilling and mucking about was really done with extreme care.
Twenty minutes later and I have a temporary filling, a prescription for some pills and they only charged me €40. Dentists in Spain only ever work privately. What a good experience. I have to go back next week when it all settles down so that he can make the filling permanent. To anyone in this area, either temporary or permanent, I would recommend Rafael strongly. Tooth ache is not really very nice is it? But better now thank you.
The builders have worked outside today and are finishing off the crazy paving wall covering and are further building the surround for the patio. No one is working inside so that will stagnate for a while. As long as they are making progress we don’t mind where they work.