Delhi: Dictated by Dentistry
A combination of the toasty nighttime air (to which even the mighty fan in my room has ceded defeat) and my daytime naps (due to my body´s inability to function for very long in the absolute searing temperatures) has resulted in three sleepless nights so far.
Some might suggest that I seek out another location, after all, India is a massive country, home to an entire region of cooler mountains. Unfortunately I am not yet able to leave this city, a restriction placed on me not by any parole officer, but by Dr. Kathuria, the dentist I visited yesterday.
Here´s the story:Upon arrival at Dr Kathuria´s clinic, whom I had found on the internet, the receptionist was at first adamant that I must be Akash, a man who had a 9:30am appointment. When I informed her that I was in fact Derek, with a 10:00am appointment, she looked at me as if I were playing a practical joke, repeating several times in disbelief, ¨So you are definitely not Akash?¨
Apart from the usual peeling paint, empty electrical sockets and crumbing plaster that is to be expected inside of any building in India, the cleanliness, state-of-the-art equipment and procession of other foreigners coming in and out, did give the impression that these people knew what they were doing. Flipping through the binder full of positive ´report cards’ on the coffee table, I most certainly felt in good hands, as long as they didn´t perform the tooth extraction that poor Akash required.
Was it odd that a young girl came around the waiting room offering cups of the sweetest chai in the city to those about to be examined for cavities? Certainly. But even the dentist must maintain that standard India gesture of hospitality in order to succeed.
My appointment was mainly for a simple replacement crown. But this is India and nothing goes according to plan of course. Therefore, after a quick round of x-rays and a confusing lesson on tooth decay and nerve infection, I unsurprisingly found my face shot up with two vials worth of novocaine and in the midst of a root canal. The doctor´s logic seemed sound, and besides, it only cost another $50 bucks!
The doctor drilled away, removing the nerve bit by bit while a swarm of teenage male ´dental hygienists´dressed in navy blue wool lab coats assisted, each responsible for a different aspect. One boy held the light, one sucked the saliva from my mouth (with a suction instrument!), one pushed the ‘execute’ button on the x-ray machine. One boy had been given the duty of handing me a napkin at the start of the procedure and then replacing it every few minutes. I never actually used the napkin and in fact, had no idea what it was for. But nevertheless, this boy stood by my side, keeping the napkin in my hand fresh throughout my appointment.
So, the early stages of my stay in India have now been dictated by my required dental work. Two more appointments later in the week to finish the root canal and then a final visit early next week to finish the crown. But due to my extended stay in Delhi, I will be changing hotels this morning after discovering a massive room with an air cooler at a hotel down the alley. It is an absolute steal at 300 rupees ($7.50 USD) and will hopefully allow me to enjoy some much needed sleep.
Well, the cows have begun to moo outside my window and the banana vendors have started screaming. Although I will never understand why they need to scream so loud at 5:00 in the morning, instead of waiting until a more reasonable hour, I can´t really complain since there is no sleep for them to wake me from this time.
Tags: Delhi, Dentist, India
dbaron
That’s a great story. You’ve very brave to go to a dentist in another country–that would be a scary thought for me. But then tooth pain does have a way of convincing you that something must be done.