Dental Triumps and Woes

When I was in the states Don and Mary Scro recommended me to their dentist who saw me for free. I have periodontal disease and need a deep cleaning every 3-4 months. I have not been able to find that in Guatemala. The dental assistant took x-rays and with two visits and a few almost painless needles, I was good to go for awhile yet. The visit was a blessing for me. That was the triumph part.

Here is the woe part. The dentist told me I had two crowns that were loose and will fall off sooner or later. One crown was done about six years ago by one dentist. The other only within the last six months by another dentist. He gave me an estimate of over $2000.00 to correct the problem... or go back to my previous dentists and have them correct it. The two previous dentists were from Guatemala and my confidence level with them was very low. I did not have that kind of money even though I sure wanted him to do the work.

I came home and decided to try another local dentist. I showed her the x-rays which the American dentist had graciously given me. My first visit she was working on a filling and her phone rang. With her plastic gloved hand she answered it, said she was not too busy, talked for a bit while still working on my mouth, finished her conversation and then continued with the filling. I was not too happy. Her office was clean, well ordered and modern looking but her service was wanting.

I am now looking for another dentist that can do the work. In Guatemala it may cost me $300 compared to over $2000 in the states but there is not much peace of mind. Please pray with me that I will find a good dentist here in Guatemala and then I can share more triumphs than woes.