The Gift of Medical Care

Three days before we left for Thailand, Phil’s new tooth implant fell out. He called our dentist the next morning, asking for an appointment. She is on maternity leave, and the dentist filling in for her refused to come in to the office and see him, even though we pleaded with her that we were leaving for Thailand that weekend and that he would be teaching there for two months. No dice. It wasn’t enough of an emergency.

So he flew to Thailand with the tooth in his pocket. Yesterday, when he told the volunteer group about his tooth, two retired dentists said he should be seen immediately—they couldn’t believe he wasn’t seen back home. So one accompanied us to the hospital that sits just half a block from Santisuk, Vejthani Hospital.

Thailand is known for its superior medical care and low costs. In fact, medical tourism is a thing here, with patients flying in from Asia and the Middle East to be seen here. And Phil’s experience shows why.

We walked into the hospital’s dental clinic, which specializes in implants. Phil explained about his tooth and asked if he could be seen. The receptionist smiled and asked if he was available in the next fifteen minutes. So he ran home, got his tooth, and came back. He was seen immediately, got x-rays, was examined by an implant expert (along with our dentist friend, who was impressed with the expert’s breadth of knowledge and skill), was diagnosed and treated, and was given an appointment to return the following Wednesday for follow-up care.

The news about the tooth is not good: the dentist took one look at Phil’s mouth and said, “Wow.” Although Phil has only had the implant for a few months, there was such an infection that much of the bone has been eaten away and pus was dripping from his mouth (sorry, too much detail). He cleaned the area out and let us know an effective treatment plan. Which will continue next Wednesday.

Aside from frustration at the lack of treatment from our Minneapolis dental practice, we feel an even more profound sense of gratitude for good dental friends, superior and fast medical care here, and the discovery of a long-standing infection that would have eaten away the bone if left undetected. And the cost of the initial visit? About $80.

Addendum: This morning, about an hour before we were to start teaching our first class, Phil came up to me and showed me his elbow:

We headed right to the hospital (a three-minute walk away). He was sent to surgery and then to orthopedics (the King of Bones building), where they quickly diagnosed it as bursitis, drained the fluid gave him a shot, and bandaged it up.

So lovely that we have such excellent care just half a block away. I believe Vejthani Hospital was voted the best in Thailand in 2023. We certainly agree.