I had the first dentist appointment today and I felt no pain

[JerseyBoy]

After years of hiatus away from Japan, I had the first appointment with a dentist near my place. I cracked my tooth and I had to get it fixed before it gets worse.
Back in New York, my dentist there had a difficult time to numb me up before he drilled. He used quite a lot of Novocain to no avail as I still felt every rotation of his drill. I thought my teeth were so special that they are immune to anesthesia.
This dentist I just visited today administered the local anesthesia so well that I did not feel the needle. Drilling was done without my feeling anything, which is good. Like 15 years ago in Japan, I vaguely remember I hurt like hell when I went to a dentist because I think he did not use any anesthetics (it's possible dental medicine was not advanced at that time like it is now).
I thought I would post this for the people who may be scared of dentists in Japan. Please note your mileage may vary depending on which dentist you would choose.

 

[DoctorP]

I love the Dentist here. TV's at every chair, x-rays instantly, small cameras to show you what he is doing at all times!

 

[ArmandV]

I vaguely remember I hurt like hell...

Did the dentist ask you, "Is it safe?"

 

[maushan3]

Well, congrats on your no-pain experience from the dentist in Japan, good to hear just in case I need it.

Just, one question, did it hurt your wallet a lot worse than a dentist appointment in the States?

Mauricio

 

[frostyg02uk]

Good for you ^-^
Last time i went to the denist (in the UK) the poor women gave me 3!! locals that didnt do a thing and i got that annoyed waiting and feeling guilty lol i went though it feeling any single bit but trying to act like i didnt.
i turned a 10 minute job into 37 mins that hurt anyway.

 

[yotanf4i]

Good to hear you had a great experience!!!

How did you find your dentist? I'm looking for one myself. How much does a regular cleaning and check up cost with Kokumin Hoken?

 

[GaijinPunch]

1: Get your wisdom tooth/teeth pulled
2: Eat your words

Ever see Little Shop of Horrors?

 

[JerseyBoy]

Well, congrats on your no-pain experience from the dentist in Japan, good to hear just in case I need it.
Just, one question, did it hurt your wallet a lot worse than a dentist appointment in the States?
Mauricio

The dentist back in New York did not charge me anything as he gets paid by the insurance company. I think he was not fussy about the deductibles as he did not send me the bill which I had to pay out of my pocket. But, he had a tough time getting me numb with the Novocain. Even after 3 or 4 shots of Novocain (which I felt each sting like, well, a sting), I still felt his drill.
For this dentist appointment in Tokyo a few days ago, I only paid less than JPY 4000. I think I only pay 30% of the expense and the rest will be picked up by my employer's health insurance. I am going back to the same dentist tomorrow to finish up this treatment as he is going to put on a crown on my tooth. Since I am going for the gold crown, the insurance does not cover it; so, for that I have to pay JPY 40,000. But, it would be worth it as I want to get a complete treatment with this nasty tooth I have in my mouth.

Good to hear you had a great experience!!!
How did you find your dentist? I'm looking for one myself. How much does a regular cleaning and check up cost with Kokumin Hoken?

I just Googled. I typed up "dentist (ﾅｽ窶｢ﾋ?｣ﾅｽﾃ?" and my town name and I got the good list to start off. I was able to find this dentist on the first page of the search result. You can get a pretty good idea how good the dentist is by looking at his website.
I will let you know about the cleaning. I used to have the cleaning session with the dentist in NY every 6 months. I am planning to do the same in Japan.