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This article is for anyone who has teeth. If I don’t have your attention, I’m sorry about that. It’s nothing to be proud of, but I think it had been eight years since I had been to the dentist. The entirety of my dental care included brushing, flossing and an occasional rinse with mouthwash.
Sometimes I can be the type of person who waits until things are very bad before taking action. Again, it’s nothing to be proud of. Six months ago I started feeling extreme sensitivity in my teeth. Very cold beverages and things that are very sweet began causing pain. A friend went to an American dentist and immediately fell into despair due to the outrageous and soul-crushing costs. I knew there had to be a better way.
It’s a big beautiful world out there and it’s a sin if we don’t see as much as you can. I had been to Romania before and was anxious to return. I also knew that in the country there were some of the world’s best dentists and orthodontists. This is where Dr. Anatolie Chișlari enters the picture and you very much could be a part of this, provided you have teeth and gums. I sincerely pray that you do.
Dr. Antolie Chișlari is a lot different from the experience you may have had with American dentists. He respects his patients, doesn’t want to take all of their money and doesn’t think of them as beneath him. When I arrived at his clinic in Ghimbav, Romania, there was no receptionist in sight. The doctor himself was sitting behind the desk. Also very different from American dentists was the absence of excessive fluorescent lights. The clinic was lit mostly by the natural light of the sun. There’s something about this that is relaxing. His business cards are simple slips of paper featuring an illustrated tooth holding a toothbrush with his tongue stuck out. That’s what I like in a tooth. A tooth willing to clean up his unhygienic brothers and unafraid of a little elbow grease.
Dr. Chișlari wastes no time. You get there and in less than five minutes you’re sitting in the chair and at this point you have really no choice, but to open your mouth. It’s just not going to work if you can’t get to that step. It had been the better part of a decade and I hadn’t been to the dentist. I was prepared for the worst. My imagination got the best of me and I thought of him calling my mouth a disgrace to the United States. I envisioned the horror of being told he had never seen a mouth in such decay, that he had lost count of how many cavities and decided to stop counting.
As it turns out, what they say is true. Worrying gets you nowhere. I had one particularly troublesome cavity, but Dr. Chișlari felt like he could save the tooth. A shot to numb the pain and soon enough he was drilling. After an X-Ray, another smaller cavity was revealed. He took care of that one, too. You may be asking yourself, what did all of this cost you? Well, I’m pleased to say, less than $50. Although it’s true we couldn’t speak that much because there was a language barrier, I could tell that he cared about me.
Not everyone is as lucky as me. Maybe you have very extensive dental problems. You may want to consider something they call “dental tourism.” You’ll fix and maintain your dental health and while at it, be exposed to another culture. You’ll make new friends, eat new foods, learn about another culture and another land’s history. Your teeth will thank you, and then you’ll thank me. Just remember, a healthy tooth is a happy tooth.
Tell Dr. Anatolie Chișlari I said „hello.”
