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Question English speaking dentists in Tokyo

hiverloon

先輩
23 Aug 2015
159
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Today I went to a local dentist to have my hurting teeth checked and they found that I got a cavity which makes it necessary to drill a hole into the teeth where the cavity is. Long story short the doctor estimated it will take 4-5 times visiting his clinic to finish the entire treatment. Unfortunately the doctor didn't speak English very well, I cannot speak Japanese very well either, and for a crucial matter like this, I prefer to understand completely what the doctor said about my condition during and after the treatment. Therefore, I am thinking of visiting one of the English-speaking dentists listed here:
and here:
Finding an English-Speaking Dentist in Tokyo - PLAZA HOMES .
If some of you have a similar experience, can you share things like how much the service costs? I know the cost is highly treatment-dependent but just sharing about the treatment you received and the corresponding cost will be very useful. I am concerned about the cost because those doctors in the above lists at least have an educational experience overseas and I think this may imply that their service is more costly. If you have your own suggestion about dentists fluent in English and accept the national health insurance, it would be very welcome.
 
I would visit one of the dentists on the list for a second opinion on the number of visits necessary and the cost. I would probably go for one with a Japanese name from the list because one with a western name is more likely to be marketing themselves to wealthy expats (and charging a lot), whereas one with a Japanese name may be an 'ordinary' dentist who happens to be good at English. I noticed that some of the names on your list accept Japanese NHI. All the addresses were in posh parts of Tokyo, so I would expect quite high charges.

A problem that can arise that I have personal experience with is unnecessary treatment, whch was recommended by a young Japanese dentist (possibly with lots of loans for expensive equipment to pay off), so do get a second opinion on the amount of work necessary. Unfortunately I can't recommend an English speaking dentist but for other people in Tokyo reading this, the Tanaka practice in Kotake Mukaihara (on Kan-nana Dori) is good if you have some Japanese ability.
 
I think my visit to the first dentist I talked about in the first post already qualifies as a second opinion.
I decided to postpone seeing any dentist until after the upcoming golden week is over because if it turns out that my treatment requires multiple visits as suggested by the first dentist, they will definitely have to be separated by the holidays.
 
It is true about 4 or 5 visits. Count on 5 though. Since you've had your first visit, I assume it came with the xrays. That should be the most expensive visit.
The other visits shouldn't cost more then 2200 yen to 3400 yen. The last visit should be cheap. Also they usually take 2 visits to have your teeth cleaned. Upper one visit, lower the second visit. All together if you have NHI it really won't cost you an arm and a leg. Quite cheap compared to USA prices.
 
That should be the most expensive visit.
Yes I had an X-ray examination in the first visit and it cost me just slightly less than ¥ 2000. But the doctor also said that they are going to drill a hole into the problem tooth. Is that and any treatment that must follows (e.g. filling) not going to cost more? Moreover, as I pointed out before, I most likely will not go back to the first dentist due to language barrier and I intend to look for an English speaking one, which probably will not be as budget friendly as the first one.
 
As musicisgood said, the individual visits won't cost too much, my last one (with NHI) was about 3900 yen and that included an X-ray and a clean. However, I was surprised to read about the separate visits to have your teeth cleaned. Both the bad dentist who gave me unncessary treatment and the one I recommended did the whole lot in a single visit.
 
Today I went to a local dentist to have my hurting teeth checked and they found that I got a cavity which makes it necessary to drill a hole into the teeth where the cavity is. Long story short the doctor estimated it will take 4-5 times visiting his clinic to finish the entire treatment. Unfortunately the doctor didn't speak English very well, I cannot speak Japanese very well either, and for a crucial matter like this, I prefer to understand completely what the doctor said about my condition during and after the treatment. Therefore, I am thinking of visiting one of the English-speaking dentists listed here:
and here:
Finding an English-Speaking Dentist in Tokyo - PLAZA HOMES .
If some of you have a similar experience, can you share things like how much the service costs? I know the cost is highly treatment-dependent but just sharing about the treatment you received and the corresponding cost will be very useful. I am concerned about the cost because those doctors in the above lists at least have an educational experience overseas and I think this may imply that their service is more costly. If you have your own suggestion about dentists fluent in English and accept the national health insurance, it would be very welcome.
 
Have been using trust dental clinic. Dr. There have been excellent for 5 years. Speaks perfect english and he listens to your problems and gives you options.
 
It's good to see there are so many English-speaking dentists in Tokyo these days. It was around 17 years ago that I needed an English-speaking dentist in Tokyo, but nobody in my circles knew of anybody. I finally found an American dentist at the foot of Tokyo Tower. Tokyo Clinic Dental Office looks like it's in the same office, but it's a different dentist now.
 
I've been going to Amano Dental (in Toranomon) for years. I see a lot of foreigners there too. They have several dentists there but I believe maybe only one studied in America and speaks perfect English.

It's very common to have several visits for the smallest thing. In your case if you have a cavity, they would take an x-ray (to check if the root is infected), drill around the cavity itself (to make space for the resin to adhere too) and then fill the cavity. If it's a big cavity they might use a metal filling, that takes a lot more visits (because they have to take an impression)

It's not uncommon for 5 or more visits for a single root canal. I heard it has to do with how the government reimburses the treatment. They make more by the number of visits rather than the length of each visit.

Definitely go to a good English speaking dentist though. There are so many details and options regarding different treatments that it's important you understand 100%.
 
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