Always an adventure. Even if you don't get the lion-head ring with the fake ruby eyes for having no cavities, who doesn't love a trip to the dentist?! You'll find that, like most health things in Taiwan, they are quite reasonably priced. And, dentists are spread thick across the land. You're more than likely to find at least two of them in your immediate area. Also, the big public hospitals have dental clinics. For the most part you can just show up. Appointments are possible, but not always necessary.

While all modern dental methods are available here, services considered standard in a visit in the west, x-rays and fluoride treatment, weren't included when the insurance guidelines were written. As such, they aren't requested. And so, a basic visit to the dentist can be shockingly fast, nay - abrupt: consisting of only about 15 minutes. This time is spent with the doctor drawing a wand along your entire gumline, back to front, inside and out. Then, that's it. This nerve wrenching little gizmo is an ultra-sonic cleaner, and, while effective at preventing gum disease, it does little in terms of cavity prevention. Not giving x-rays is probably not the best way to spot cavities, either. It isn't that the doctors don't have fluoride treatment or dental x-rays, it's just that, because they are not covered by insurance, people don't ask for them.

But, they are available, and you can get them. If you go with all the x-rays, it can get pricey - relatively speaking. But, the fluoride treatment is still a good deal if you're going to have to be here a year and just want to keep things all charged up. Below are links to a document you can take to the dentist's office. Just beyond that is a chart for the costs and the Chinese names of common dental services. For fluoride treatment it's better to make an appointment. If you need help making an appointment in your area, you can call tealit.com: 02-2331-1289.