English Dentist

[Sharkster]

I am looking for an English dentist (not English speaking but actually British or American) in the Languedoc region.  We are willing to travel pretty much to any part of Languedoc for the work doing.  The reason we are looking is that my wife is terrified of the dentist and she had a bad experience with our local English speaking French dentist (nothing bad happended it was just the way he carried out the treatment without telling her what was going on, oh year and without anistetic although it turned out she did not have pain).  I know there is an English speaking dentist in Pezenas who has been recommended before but our ideal would be somebody whose first language is English so we can convey my wife fears to him and ask him to keep her informed of everything he / she is doing throughout the treatment.  Any recommendation / ideas would be greatly appreciated.

[Ron Avery]

Sorry, but you have lost me and many others I suspect, your wife does not want a French English speaking dentist but an English dentist, because she cannot communicate her fears and problems with an English speaking dentist and the last one who wasn't English, but spoke English and who  did not give her anaesthetic despite it not being needed.[8-)] 

Why cannot your wife communicate her concerns to an English speaking dentist,  don't they speak the same English as your wife?   When we had a problem with my O/H not speaking much French initially, I used to go in with her, surely one of you can explain in English or even French your wife's concerns?

[JSA Aude]

As I'm not the boldest (absolute chicken!) of people attending the necessary appointments our dentist has always had my utmost confidence.  He is not English, Dutch I think, but with extremely good grasp of the English language, always taking the time to explain proceedures and very, very patient.  He is about 25 mins from Carcassonne - please feel free to pm and I'll send details.

[JSA Aude]

Sorry, forgot to add he has the very latest, up to date equipment and is also a lecturer at Toulouse Uni.

[Russethouse]

Sharkster, I understand how you feel but I honestly think this is not a question of language or style but the dentists personality.(or lack of) I wouldn't wish the New Zealand dentist I saw last year on my worst enemy but if I saw another NZ dentist would not expect them to be the same.

I used to be a dental nurse and believe me, they all have very different styles of patient communication (or not !) My favorite Dentist was an English speaking Italian - just brilliant !

[Sharkster]

[quote user="Ron Avery"]

Sorry, but you have lost

me and many others I suspect, your wife does not want a French English

speaking dentist but an English dentist, because she cannot communicate

her fears and problems with an English speaking dentist and the last

one who wasn't English, but spoke English and who  did not give her

anaesthetic despite it not being needed.[8-)] 

Why cannot your wife

communicate her concerns to an English speaking dentist,  don't they

speak the same English as your wife?   When we had a problem with my

O/H not speaking much French initially, I used to go in with her,

surely one of you can explain in English or even French your wife's

concerns?

[/quote]

Ron

Both myself and wife communicated her fears to the dentist.  Stopped the dentist to ask when he would adminster the anisethic and he just seemed to rush ahead with no real thought for my wife's feelings.  Of course they speak the same English as my wife, but as I am sure you have come across by both speaking French to a French Person and a French Person speaking English to you, that a slight misunderstanding can make all the difference.  One example from her visit.

My Wife:  Will it hurt?

Dentist: Yes (as he rushed to get the drill into her mouth).  He obviously meant no, but a simple mistake like this leads you to lose confidence

The dentist gambled on the fact there was no nerve in her tooth and performed a root canal on the tooth with no anistethic, and tested the tooth by drilling it.

To other posters

Thanks for your comments, we may try the English speaking French dentist in Pezenas if people think we have just been unlucky with our choice of dentist as he has been recommended by somebody on the Languedoc Page.

[Ron Avery]

Sharkster

I sympathise with your wife and your experiences, but I think the point I made and others have since, is that it is not the language that is the problem, it is the dentist and getting an English dentist may not be the answer to her problem.  As a matter of interest, it would be highly unlikely that a root canal filling would be made on a live tooth, this procedure is usually only for teeth that are  nerve dead but are to be kept in place, of course sometimes they make mistakes[:'(].

[Athene]

 

Can anyone give me the name and address of the ROYAN dentist that has a very modern practice. I am not bothered whether he is English speaking or not but I would just like a competent, modern dentist. My daughter who was with us for a holiday had a tooth problem and her experience with a local French dentist who did not see the need to use anaethetic on an extraction of a wisdom tooth was horrendous!

[opas]

I agree that an extraction, or in my case to let the dentist even probe about without an anaethetice[:-))] would be horrendous and to be blunt, I would not have sat still long enough for the tooth to be pulled!

I also agree that different folks need different things in a dentist, Mr O used one in the UK that was a facial reconstruction surgeon and thought he was great, I met him once when my dentist(same practice) was absent and One of the children needed treatment........there was just something about that man that made me uncomfortable, same here in France, Mr O goes to a very modern practice with a dentist who trained in USA........I do not like the layout of the room..everything seems to be going on behind the chair and 2 or 3 assistants in the room....just makes me edgy, whereas my dentists  is pretty slummy looking , he works alone, there is only him and the equiptment behind and loads of space in front of the chair........so Mr O can sit guard at the door, he also knows he has to treat me with kid gloves!

[Wendy]

I have found that French dentists and especially maternity ward staff, are not that accustomed to providing pain relief via gas and air. Those of us from the UK and Australia are all familiar with this method of pain relief. Well, apparently they just do not use gas and air here for either situation. They just do not have it. I had my last baby in the clinique in Perpignan 2 years ago and I think my screams still ring in their ears as a result.

My local dentist (Rivesaltes)  used an injection when taking my sons tooth out (so he felt nothing), but zilch when giving him a filling.

Me, personally, I prefer total sensory deprivation when in the dentists chair.

Anyway, your wife should ask for the needle for any extraction, and maybe a filling. Thats all she'll get here Im afraid. Apparently the French assume 'gas' is a fire hazard in the surgery. Me, I will go back to my lady dentist in Belfast should I need to. Yep, Im a coward.

 

[chocccie]

Sharkster - I've sent you a PM

[Ron Avery]

Well, apparently they just do not use gas and air here

Gas and air, when did you last go the dentist[:-))] They don't do it in England much now either, you confusing having a tooth out with giving birth?  If so I hope your Belfast dentist can do muliti- tasking!

[Sunday Driver]

[:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D]......................

 

[gdb16]

French dentistry - and French dentists - are among the worst in

Europe.  So even one that speaks fluent English would be of no

help in 95% of cases.  If you want an English dentist there are

one or two in Paris.  But for the best, I'd go back to the UK and

get work done.

Conversely, if you live in the UK and are reading this, I'd come to France to get ANY other medical procedure done.

[Bob T]

[quote user="gdb16"]French dentistry - and French dentists - are among the worst in

Europe. 

[/quote]

And where did you get that information from? I would assume that it is the result of some sort of professional study that has been published so tell us where.

[MrCanary]

gdb16 - so you recommend top orifice work is done in England and any other orifice, France? We must remember which way to lay on the treatment couches...

[Athene]

I would be interested to hear how people using French dentists think their work compares to their last UK dentist. It is difficult to get dental work on the NHS these days as lots of dentists are going over to private practice. I had the same dentist for 20 years and then he went over. I stayed and paid his prices for a while. However a year ago, he changed the practice name to 'Start - Smiling!' and zoomed up his prices!

http://www.start-smiling.co.uk/treatments/makeover.html#costs -He says budget £700 per tooth!

Any takers here?

[Russethouse]

But that is for Porcelain veneers, not just fillings.....

I have been fortunate and have a dentist who offers NHS or private even for some bridge and crown work.....I know its not available everywhere though.

[MrCanary]

In the UK, all NHS dentists should be offering all dental services for a fixed tariff and this includes bridge and crown work. There are some who went 100% private when the new contracts were brought in a year or so back, but many of them are struggling to make a living and some are even going back to the NHS. It is down to us, the patients, to make the new system work. If we pay the ridiculous prices that the money-grabbing private dentists ask, then more of them will be asking for it.

And it is worth remembering (in the UK) that no NHS dentist, anywhere in the country, can refuse you treatment - you do not have to be on her/his books.

[Russethouse]

My dentist does offer NHS alternatives but I know from experience that the NHS will pay for a certain standard and thats it, for instance crowns are most often acrylic rather than porcelain which offers a better range of colours (white, white & white). As for having to see you - many dentists would not turn away a patient in pain, esp if there is a swelling present, but some have. They can easily get around their obligation by offering an appointment, but with a date some time away.

[Athene]

It costs £300 for a check up and over £1000 for a crown with this dentist now. Yes he is a superb dentist and if I was rich, he would be my first choice but I have gone to another man who is still private but whose prices are less. At the end of the day, we all have a finite amount of money and what we chose to spend it on is our choice.

[Gardian]

When living in the UK, I used to visit a superb (Jordanian I think) dentist who was well thought-of in the town.  He did a lot of work on my teeth 12+ yrs ago, saying then that "We'll have to re-visit this in 5 yrs time".  In all that time, hardly a problem and all credit to him (and the NHS, which funded it.)

Now, a few problems are starting to appear.  Local dentist is a young man, reasonable English (though we converse in French) and his approach is to simply tackle problems as they occur.  He's fine.  V modern surgery: v professional.  All you need.

Language skills are helpful, but by no means crucial.  It's the old 'bedside manner' which counts, and they've either got it or they haven't.    

[Sharkster]

Just wanted to update people on this post.  We have visited the dentist recommended by JSA Aude via PM and I must say he is one on the nicest dentists I have met.  He put my wife at ease and had a great bed side manner and was not rushed.  I would recommend him to anybody within a 2 hour drive for sure.