A Trip to the Dentist

I visited my dentist last Saturday. It was the fourth time I went there since the time we arrived here in Luxembourg (and I know that there will be more).

The first visit was a requirement for the maternity benefit I am entitled to get for giving birth here. I thought that the check up would be similar to pre-employment dental check ups in the Philippines where you need to sign a waiver so the company will be relieved of spending for dental procedures if you had teeth that needed some dental work (an impacted tooth, a root canal, etc) prior to employment. Instead, the dentist just made sure that my teeth were in overall good condition, free of infections that may harm the baby in my tummy.

The next visits were for dental work that I wasn't able to complete when I got pregnant. In my trips to the dentists, I have note a few things that are done differently here. Here they are to name a few:

1. Like in many of the medical clinics I've been to, the waiting area precedes the receptionists desk. When a patient enters, he just sits in the waiting room until the receptionist calls him. The patients don't need to take a number. First come, first serve policy applies and all are courteous and honest enough to wait for their turn.

2. A small green mint tablet is placed in the cup of water that's used for rinsing the mouth. It is like a small mint version of an Alkaseltzer. I like it, it gives me fresher breath and it tastes good.

3. I'm used to paying for dental treatments in full or in installments after every visit. Here, they insisted on sending me the bill via mail, which I received a few days after my treatment. I have the liberty to decide on when I want (and can) pay the bill. I'm not yet sure about the maximum number of the days within which I should make the payment. I was told that if I don't pay within that period, the dentist can send the police to our house to demand for the payment. Now, that is something unneccessary.

I can pay online from my bank account to my dentist's bank account. The bank and the dentist are able to track the payments I make with the use of the facture (it is the French term for invoice) number that is indicated in the payment order online.

Have you noticed anything different from how dentist visits are in your place?