It is not without some trepidation, that I find myself in a dentist chair in the city of Yogyakarta, in desperate need of a tooth repair.
I am a big baby when it comes to my teeth. And….I am very picky about what dentist I go to, at the best of times.
Going to a new dentist, in any city, is not something I would choose to do, unless I absolutely have to. I prefer the “tried and tested” and “like very much” approach.
So I am in Indonesia, unable to eat on one side of my mouth due to a chip on a back molar. I had made a point of going to the dentist in the U.S. before embarking on this journey. However, chipping a tooth and then being unable to eat on that side of my mouth without pain, means I have no choice but to deal with this situation urgently. Oy!
It is of comfort to me that the dentist I am about to meet is a Professor of Dentistry at the local university in Jogja. It is 7pm at night, as this is the only time he has available to see patients, and has given me an appointment.
Yikes, I admit to being somewhat nervous…. I am going to a dentist I don’t know, in a city I have been in for a week.
My fears turn out to be unfounded.. Firstly, the dentist is particularly friendly and personable and makes me comfortable right away. Dr Sudibyo notes my anxiety and finds a way to be both comforting, calming and funny. His assistant, a junior dentist is equally nice.
This turns out to be one of the very BEST dental experiences EVER! What a great surprise….
First thing I do, naturally, is to ask for the mirror to show the dentist where the culprit pain in the tooth is lurking. He laughs. How quaint! He swivels his ultra modern Japanese equipment, puts a shiny stick in my mouth, which immediately projects a picture of my mouth onto a large screen, magnified for all of us to see. It’s very clear where the problem is.
In fact, as he comments to explain his diagnostic, I can follow with him because I am looking at the same thing he is looking at. This is patient-doctor interface at a level I have never experienced before.
What was particularly cool is that he paused several times during his procedure, put the magic stick thingie in my mouth and showed me progress along the way, keeping a sequence of the digital photos, so as to document the stages.
I don’t know exactly what he did, but it all felt much easier, less painful, less scary and much quicker than anything I have experienced in the U.S. Wow!
So much so, that I decide to show him another tooth, which the L.A. dentist I recently visited said was cracked and would need a crown. (At the time… we were leaving the next day. Didn’t have the funds for what that would cost and decided that I would take care of the crown, a non urgent problem, once we get to Thailand, which is known for its low cost excellent dental care.)
10 minutes later, the dentist fixes that tooth as well. No crown needed. He uses some kind of high tech hard resin which moulds and dries super fast.
All smiles, and a bill for two teeth repairs of a grand total of: $40. (You all know how expensive dental work is in the U.S.)
As we are leaving, Dr Sudibyo tells me that many Europeans and Australians come to his clinic to get dental work done at a fraction of what they pay at home, and with more advanced technology.
I am including the email and website so that anyone needing extensive dental work might want to combine a vacation with quality, low cost dental work:
www.dentalcenter-sudibyo.com; email sudibyo_dc@yahoo.co.id Dr Sudibyo, Dental Center, Yogyakarta.
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| Here is the high tech screen from camera in my mouth |
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| Dr Sudibya takes the time to show me exactly what the problem is and how he intends to fix it. |
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| All done, all smiles… |
My dentist in LA has the same equipment but does not charge the same price!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, what a great price!! How fortunate a find!!
Oh what a cool story:-) So glad you had a good experience… Love it love you
Wow, and we thought Nicaragua had the best medical care with all the Cuban doctors. Good for you to land in such a good place.
Is he still there? The links don’t work!!
Hi Andrew,
I bet you could google it and manage to find him.
Good Luck,
Peya
Hey Peya, what about 2,5 years later? Is the work still solid? I have same issue now in Jogja. I found his ambulance, got broken part out and temporary filling. What scares me is that no X-ray was done…
2.5 years later, all fine. (I am sure if you want an X-ray you can get one done. X-rays are done routinely in the U.S. but in actual fact are not always necessary).
Peta
I think Drg Sudibyo is now practicing in Surabaya (RSAL – Rumah Sakit Angkatan Laut). Does anyone have a recommendation for a good dentist (like him) currently practicing in Yogyakarta? I need crown on molar asap and maybe some bridge-work done later. I’m an expat, 70 y.o. living in Yogya. (No dental insurance) Thanks.
Hi Tim
Sorry we really have no idea who to recommend as we do not live in Yogyakarta but were just visiting and had need for a dentist.
Good luck!
Peta
i went to this dentist nearly 10 years ago and i can say it was the most enjoyable trip i have ever made .the people were so friendly they worked on me late into the night i felt so comfortable that i nearly fell asleep .when i was young i had a couple of trips to the dentist that left in a lot of pain and a wish to never go again not so with this place .
I went today (22,june 2018) to the same dentist cause of this topic. My first impression was that the building looked a little bit old. Anyway my we tought let’s give it a try for a regular check up. The dentist was very friendly but the room in general didnt look clean at all.
The check up took less than 1 minute and cost 50.000. When they said they there was some cleaning needed my girlfriend took a closer look at the tools. Some of them where warped in plastic and didn’t look clean. Although they said it’s sterilised we didn’t had a good feeling about it.
We confronted them with the fact that the room didn’t look really clean and we don’t feel comfortable. I didn’t have to pay. That’s the good thing. But I can not recommend somebody going here!
We were very happy with the place, the dentist and the service I received and I am very picky about the dentists I go to. To each his own, we all need to made these kind of decisions for ourselves and judge for ourselves. (This was so long ago I wrote this post, I barely remember it other than how grateful I was for the kindness and great service.)
Peta