Golden Week dental problems

I'm sure you will agree with me when I say that having a toothache (or any dental problem for that matter) is one of the most troublesome situations any foreigner living in Japan will experience at one point in his or her life. Difficulty in setting appointments (often due to the language barrier), communication problems leading to being unable to completely address the underlying problem/s, uncertainty of whether the clinic accepts insurance, among other issues - can make dental care rather inconvenient in this country.

Having a severe toothache during the Golden Week in this pandemic easily multiplies the inconvenience tenfold. 

And that's exactly what happened to me.

The pain began around Tuesday of that week and by then, many dental clinics were already on holiday, of course. So I just took some over-the-counter pain medications and drank ginger lemon tea, hoping it will go away soon enough.  Did not happen. Worse, the toothache didn't let me sleep that night.

So that same evening I tried to find a clinic that will be open the next day. I was fortunate to find one, and was able to book an early morning appointment. 

That clinic took an x-ray of my teeth and did a bit of cleaning. No medicines were prescribed at all. While the cleaning provided some relief, it lasted only for a few hours. 

Overnight the toothache actually got so much worse that the day after, I was already crying in pain when I went to a different clinic in the hope of getting at least a prescription (though what I really wanted at that point was for that tooth to be pulled out). 

I was almost turned away at that clinic because I didn't have an appointment but seeing my distress, they took me in and I was finally prescribed an anti-inflammatory medicine and a pain reliever. They also advised me to return to the first clinic I visited since they already have my records. While I was grateful for the anti-inflammatory, the pain meds made me mutter "Are they kidding me? I already took 2 tablets of 200 mg ibuprofen before coming here and they're giving me 60 mg?!"

Top: The pain reliever I was already taking before I went to the second dental clinic.

Bottom: The pain reliever prescribed to me.

At any rate, while the new meds somehow allowed me to sleep that night, it again became excruciatingly painful on Friday morning that when I went back to the first dental clinic (thankfully they had an open slot), they finally pulled out that menace of a tooth. 

Looking back, I learned three things. One is that dental health should never be neglected. Regular cleaning and consultations with our trusted dentists can save us from these stressful situations which, worse, may happen at an inopportune time. Another is on the benefit of keeping a good stock of pain relievers like ibuprofen and paracetamol. I was told that paracetamol works better for toothaches. Finally, I now have a renewed respect for ginger. Ginger tea is now a must-have in my pantry.

My current stock of ibuprofen and paracetamol.

Helpful ginger teas.

I hope this story will teach us all to take better care of every aspect of our health, especially in these interesting times.

May we all stay safe and healthy.