Now what in the world might these two fine establishments have in common? Well, they're both running the same gig, if you get my drift.
Today was the first day that I'd gone to the dentist since I'd come to Korea. Now, back in my hometown (a fine Korean expression that I'm now akin to saying far too frequently) my uncle is an amazing dentist. He's fixed me up more times than I wished he would have to, and because he is family, I trust him. Every eight months, like clockwork, I would get the call from his office, reminding me that it was time for my regular cleaning. I would go in, and he would tell me that I need to floss more, and everything would be fantastic. He made me promise to get my teeth cleaned while I was in South Korea. Time being off issue, I was never able to until today.
Now, here's the connection...Dentists offices have been oft compared to auto-repair shops. Its your mouth; how much do you really know about what's really going on in there? It works, and that's all I need to know. As long as my teeth don't fall out, I'm happy. Same goes for cars; if it drives "me" from point A to B, then I'm happy. "I" don't care how it works, it just does. I had heard numerous reports from friends to make sure that the dentist office that you go to is trustworthy and highly recommended; who are you to know if they tell you that you have a cavity, when really you might not have anything close? Maybe business is not going so well, so a cavity gets "created"....so to speak.
When I heard this suggestion, I was surprised, because by and large, Koreans are very trustworthy. However, business is business, and any way to get an upper hand is what the name of the game is...
So today I made my somewhat scared trip to the dentist. I took the recommendation of my best friend, who told me that her cousin is the dental assistant at the office, and she does an excellent job. That was enough for me, and all in all, I was really happy. The whole process for cleaning took just over 35 minutes, and for a one-woman operation, it went quite smoothly. She said that my oral hygiene is excellent, and my teeth are in great condition. As usual, she apologized for her lack of English speaking ability, and slightly embarrassed, said "thank-you", and then let me know that she was my best friends cousin, and she had talked about me before, and I was just as my friend had described me. Very sweet and kind. So I head to the counter to pay my bill, and after waiting five minutes and watching the receptionist go back and forth everywhere the office, she tells me that the dental cleaning was SERVICE, in other words, FREE. Because I was a good friend of her cousin, she was giving me the cleaning free of charge; I was shocked. The fee wasn't cheap, and the whole office was a little excited that they had serviced a foreigner - something that doesn't happen often I presume^^
Just another example of how endlessly Korean culture and niceness continues to surprise me; she doesn't even know my name and I get free dental service... If anyone is in Korea working and needs a dentist, send me an e-mail at my "Contact Me" link on the right side of the site, and I'd be glad to refer the office I went to as being more than reputable. Its located in Bundang, on the gold line. Its a cinch to get to; I just can't promise the service will be free^^
God bless,
me