Grenada - Third World Dentistry and Other Adventures

Several other cruisers here have had dental work done. Everything from crowns to root canals, and they all rave about the same thing: "It's sooo cheap!" they exclaim, "A cleaning is EC$90 (US$33) and a full root canal is only like US$300!". The low prices coupled with the fact that we are both overdue for cleanings was enough for me to finally break down and give this dentist a call. Our appointments were for 8 and 9 am this morning, so in typical type A fashion, I call and ask the cab to pick us up at 7:15 so we'll get there plenty early to fill out any paperwork. Unfortunately the cab couldn't come til 7:45 so we just barely made it on time for the 8 o'clock. I was worried about paperwork? Ha! We had arrived before the doctor so we sat down with the receptionist who hadn't even booked us under the right last name (Nice to meet you, Mr. & Mrs. Palt) and there was not a sign-in sheet, form, or even a pen in sight. Dr. H arrived shortly and two minutes after that I was in the dental chair. Why is it that dentists all over the world get so chatty when you have no possible way to respond, other than "unnngh" and "gaaah"? While I was tongue-tied, I learned all about Dr. H -- he is from Syria, came here for vacation a few years back and decided to stay and open up a practice. He was very nice and very gentle, and also very, very quick. No exam (I guess you have to specially request that when you schedule) and the entire cleaning was done in 20 minutes at the most. I got up from the chair and he took a few minutes to clean the instruments and then it was Kevin's turn. Twenty minutes later he was done and we paid the doctor directly, instead of paying the receptionist (which was weird -- we are so used to the whole copay process in the US). All in all I think you get what you pay for. It wasn't the most thorough of cleanings, although I bet it's a real steal if you need serious dental work done. But Kevin did mention as we walked down the street, "Hm. That was the first time I've ever had my teeth cleaned with a dental drill." What???!!! I had thought he was using a waterpick, but Kevin paid closer attention and he was actually using a sort of drill. Jeez, I hope he didn't scrape ALL the enamel off our teeth. For those of you dentist-phobes, there's a reason the dental hygienist spends and hour scraping the plaque off with those twisty torture implements -- it's the best way to remove the tartar without taking the most important part of the tooth! So next time you go for a cleaning, ponder that and let them know you appreciate their efforts. As for us, that will probably be the last time we skimp on routine dental care.

This afternoon we were sitting inside and out the rear window I see a mast coming impossibly close to us at the dock. I flew outside to see what the heck was going on and apparently a small local catamaran had hired a crane and was getting hauled out right here at the dock next to us. I should mention that this marina is not a boatyard -- it doesn't have a special haulout slip or even any boatwork facilities. I guess the owner of the boat lives nearby and just wanted to haul it somewhere where he could keep an eye on things. It seemed kind of like a fly-by-night operation. They pulled the boat up as close to the rocks onshore as possible, and were side-to the wind. Three big guys were holding the lines to keep her in place while they set up the crane. Then the crane guys pulled out these scraggly looking slings to lift the boat -- they were all frayed and completely worn out. There's no way we would trust our boat in something like that. So we nervously watched the whole process (from another boat safely across the dock). The wind was not cooperating so we were worried the boat would swing around wildly once they got it up in the air. We took lots of pictures (for evidence, in case they dropped the thing on our boat!) but the crane operator really knew what he was about and had that thing lifted and safely out of the water without hitting anything or dropping it. So that was the excitement for today. Hopefully we are long gone when they decide to put the thing back in the water.