About a month ago, my back molar split in half.  Ouch!  I don't know what was scarier, the thought of my molar now being in 2 pieces or the thought of having to visit a Japanese dentist.  

I had been warned about the dentists here and had managed to avoid them (mostly) for the time that I have been here.  But, this time I had no choice so off to the dentist I went.  

I was surprised and happy to discover that my dentist was a woman (a rarity in this country).  I had visited the dentist fairly recently at home and had been told that my teeth were fine so I was surprised to hear that, in addition to my molar problem, I had eight cavities.  I expressed my surprise to the dentist and she responded that cavities are a subjective judgment and the method of treatment depends on the dentist.  After considering that the dentist at home uses x-rays to determine the condition of my teeth and that she just looked at them, I requested that she just work on the molar for now.

Freezing apparently doesn't work the same way on me.  Thinking about the pain I felt from that drill still sends shivers down my back.  It hurt so much I smacked the drill right out of my mouth and as I screamed the accumulated spit flew out at hit the ceiling.  She pumped me full of freezing again and I was better after that.  I found it a little difficult to relax though.

Well, in the end it took five trips to the dentist to get my one tooth fixed.  Five trips!  I hear that is the average time it takes to get a tooth filled over here.  Good thing I decided not to get the rest of my teeth fixed.  If I planned to get the other teeth fixed I would be going there until the end of summer!  Hopefully they are fine until we head to Canada.