My first trip to a Spanish dentist

In the USA I always go to the dentist twice a year to have a routine checkup and to get my teeth cleaned.  This month I was due for an annual cleaning and I decided that, since I’m living in Spain now, I may as well get it done here.  I had never actually been to a dentist in Spain before so I was a little unsure of what to expect.  Nonetheless, I figured that it couldn’t be much different from the USA… and really the checkup itself wasn’t that different, although the dentist’s personality sure was.

My dentist in America barely talks to me and the truth is that I am quite used to going in, having my teeth cleaned, and leaving without much more than a “how are you” being exchanged.  Here in Spain, however, the dentist that I saw had a bit of a different “approach” to dealing with his patients — I guess the best way to put it is that he was quite outspoken.  In fact, the first thing that he said to me after taking a quick peek inside my mouth was “joder” (fuck).   Now, “joder” is something that you never want any doctor to say the minute he lays eyes upon you and, when I heard this one little word, I instantly began to fear the worst.  I immediately asked the dentist what was wrong and he began to explain to me that I had the largest teeth he had ever seen in his life.  He went on to say that he hopes I never have to get a tooth pulled because those big chompers of mine must surely have some humongous roots and therefore yanking on them would hurt a lot. 

Anyway, after the “big teeth” conversation was over, the dentist began the examination and cleaning.  The exam itself was just like what I am used to having in the USA with one small difference.  You see, here in Spain, my “talkative” Spanish dentist never stopped asking me questions while he was performing the exam.  This is something that I had never encountered at my dentist in the USA and I soon found that responding to the Spanish dentist’s questions put me in a bit of an awkward situation.  After all, it’s pretty hard to pronounce Spanish with a bunch of dental instruments in your mouth.  I managed as best I could to nod and respond with a simple “sí” or “no” and this seemed to satisfy my new dentist “friend.” 

In any event, once the exam and subsequent cleaning were finished, I paid the receptionist my thirty euros and went on my way.  Really, it wasn’t a bad experience at all and I’m sure I’ll go back to the same dentist when I need another six-month checkup.  Of course, I’m also sure that I’ll never forget the first word that my new Spanish dentist said to me: “joder.” 

Readers: Have you ever had any strange or funny experiences like this one in Spain or another foreign country?  Please leave your stories/comments about this (or anything else) below. 

Hasta luego,
–Chris
http://abroadinspain.com