People ask me "Where do you spend most money on?" Number one is absolutely my van. I explained earlier that Vin Diesel (my van) and me have a lot of similarities. Vin Diesel had quite a few hidden holes when we met. Maybe it's in the name? But the second highest expense is definitely the repair shop for my teeth. Dental costs. In the Netherlands I've seen a lot of dentists, but also abroad. It seems a never ending story. The soap conVINues here in Portugal. I am living the dreamlife in paradise many people think. Well, I'll tell you...I don't dream about dentists. And I've never seen spring in the eyes of the dentist assistant (referring to an old Dutch song "Het is altijd lente in de ogen van de tandartsassistente"). Although most of the time I'll keep my eyes shut during the visit at the dentist.
Last week I arrived in my favorite surftown in Portugal: Baleal. Lot's of nice stuff to do here. Meeting up with friend from time to time. I even lived together with a German girlfriend here. But there is one other person that I bump into every time: the dentist. I must admit, the whole crew knows me by now. They love to make pictures of me and do like to fill me up. Great hospitality. We even speak the same language. My experience so far, the stuff they repair on my teeth, stays intact. And that compared to most repairs in the Netherlands, where the composite breaks off within hours or within two weeks. After some research it seems they use a different quality of composite here. So I am happy. Prices are a little less than the Dutch and you don't have to pay for every single action. I am conVINCEd.
Although my bank account was a bit sad after hearing I need an extra surgery, before I can start with an implant. A Dutch dentist extracted my tooth a few months ago and added some bone to grow on the empty spot. It seems on the X-Ray that it didn't work out that well. The bone is way too thin or even missing. I complained about an annoying pain in the tooth next to the big hole, they found a little piece of tooth stuck between my gum and tooth (that was supposed to be somewhere else). So, a sinus lift this week. Another 600 euro added to the bank account of my most visited friend here.
When you realize how much the whole thing cost so far, you might get depressed. Luckily there was also a crash on my crypto value last week, so I am used to it. The story started with a cavity a few years ago. Keep filling it up and the filling broke off. At some point I needed a root canal treatment. 2 years after another one. 1 year after a root tip surgery. This summer extracting my tooth and placing some of my own bone. So far around 2300 euro's for 1 tooth. Coming surgery expected to be 1900 euro's. When the tooth was extracted, it took them more than an hour! Because it was so strong. Why did it had to be removed then anyway? All the earlier treatments were known as it would not last forever. Why was I not advised to take an implant from the start, if it were all temporary solutions? The good thing about the big hole? I can stay a bit longer in Portugal 😀 Also ('alzo') the German women keep bumping into me here, the girl was from Berlin. She didn't sound that sexy while she was talking (it's the language, she couldn't help it).
"I still need to wait months for the screw, but I already feel screwed."
I will keep the story short today, as I am drinking one of my last alcoholic drinks before the treatment of my inVINcible tooth. This was just 1 edition of the soap series. The neighbors of element number 26 had quite some interesting issues to. Ok, I will tell one more, a short one...
I'll never forget my 7 hour surgery in Vietnam. Perfect place to find a good dentist by the way...medieval horror rooms that feels like being in a SAW-episode. No language barrier at all and the only medicine here was Whiskey (pronounced as 'whicky' by the locals). After two weeks of drinking just soup and noodles, I finally met a nice French dude in a clinic. A three day surgery was planned. But I had just one day available in my travel itinerary..."Just start" I told him. Put up some sunnies for the bright light and we played some reggae on the stereo. 7 hours later he put me in a taxi with a frozen face and a note where the driver should drop me off. Next day all fine, no pain. And the bill for a 7 hour surgery? 250 dollars. I celebrated it with some naked Dutch women in a wellness resort. No matter what happens, you just need to make the best of it 😂
I have the strange habit to turn stuff into gold, when it costs a lot. I might do some research for a golden crown to finish this story with a happy end.
