Oct 20, 2007 11:42 AM
8543 Views
I had the misfortune of visiting Bombay Hospital's Dental Speciality center last month. I had heard that it is one of the best hospitals in the city...
Unfortunately, what I experienced was far from what I had heard.
The doctor (Vibha Hegde) greeted me with a big smile, and had some light hearted talk. (Which was good because it puts the patient at ease... one is already so tense in a dental clinic!!)
Then came the checkup.I told her that I had a few root canal caps which I had done many years back. They were poorly fitted, causing lot of food etc. to gather in the gap which had formed between the gums and the cap. To which she replied..."why dont you try flossing" I am telling her the problem is between the gums and the caps.... flossing only removes stuff between teeth. It does not get under my caps to remove stuff from there.... and she again went on and on about flossing.
Anyway, she then casually looked at my teeth and told me that she will need an X ray to do a complete diagnosis... for which I would have to come another day since the radiologist is available only on Mondays.
Fine I said. Wondering why would it take a radiologist to just take simple X rays.
That said, I was asked to pay 200 bux of consultation fees.
Next week when I came for the x ray, the receptionist told me an X ray can be taken by anyone. No need of Radiologist. I said whatever, lets do it now that I have come.
The X ray room looked dingy and poorly kept. I was asked to stand infront of the machine and hold some protruding portion of it in my mouth. Yikes! I told myself... don't know how many people have done it before me... forget about getting it sanitized, they did not even have a disposable cover on it. anyway, I told myself its only going to be 2 mins... so I went ahead. He took a "full mouth" x ray, and shoved me away.
Luckily, I had my brother, who is also a dentist along with me that day. He told me that one cannot make a complete diagnosis based on a full mouth X ray. Which is a single hazy shot of all your teeth. One needs high resolution x rays of each individual tooth to see the exact problem.
When he told this to the technician, the dude got angry. We then went to the receptionist and explained that we needed x rays of each individual tooth to see what was wrong. She said they don't do it as a normal procedure. But since we had asked for it, they would take x rays for us. And it would all cost Over Rs. 2000.
I really needed the problem solved, so we said ok.
Since I was being exposed to so much X ray... we asked for a lead apron. The receptionist said they did not have any lead apron!! And said they have to borrow it from some other section and they do it only for pregnant ladies. We said we wanted an apron. She asks "Is she pregnant".We just told her that I am child bearing age, and x rays are harmful to everyone.... and besides, do they think all ladies who come to know beforehand whether they are pregnant or not. What about men? Is it ok to expose men to radiation?
Anyway... after a long wait, we got a very filthy lead apron. Which I wore... the same technician came back... (presumably form a sumptuous lunch) and sarted inserting the dental implements in my mouth. Needless to say, even they were not sanitized. And to my utter dismay.... he wasn't even wearing gloves. His fingers were smelling of chicken curry.. and he kept putting them in my mouth to adjust the x ray films.... was a very disgusting experience. I would have asked him to wear gloves, but I was not sure whether they would use fresh gloves. I mean, who would want gloves which had been inserted in hundreds of mouth.... to be inserted in yours?
The painful exercise got over.... and we got our x rays.. and scooted. Swearing never to return to such a filthy clinic.
Later when we looked at the x rays.... I was explained by my dentist brother, how the full mouth x ray was not able to show the exact problem with one of my sensitive teeth. It looked perfectly normal. WHen we looked at the individual x ray, we realized that there was a small cavity developing between two teeth which was causing the pain. To think that the doctor was going to look at the full mouth x ray to make her diagnosis!
I have decided not to go back to those horrible people again. Still looking for a good dentist in town.
