The Dental Thread

[Sally09]

Hi,
Does anyone know how much a dental cleaning would cost in Korea?

[shambles2.0]

I just went not too long ago and I'm pretty sure it was like 50,000.

[summerthyme]

I really need to see a dentist while I'm here in South Korea.  I was wondering if anyone else here has gone, what their experience was like, and if they could recommend a good (hopefully English speaking) dentist?  I'm really looking for one that speaks at least some English as I expect I need a lot of work done.  I live really close to Daegu, so one in Daegu would be fantastic, but anywhere in the Seoul or Busan area would be great to. 

[drkhv7@gmail.com]

Hey,

Has anyone here had cavities filled using their public school insurance company?  What kind of fillings did you get and what was the cost (per tooth?)?

My co-teacher told me today I would either pay 10,000 won/cavity or 80,000 depending on whether it's amalgam(ate?) or resin (sp?).

Has anyone had any dental experiences that they can share?  Thanks.

Dan

[lee-rae]

Hey,

Has anyone here had cavities filled using their public school insurance company?  What kind of fillings did you get and what was the cost (per tooth?)?

My co-teacher told me today I would either pay 10,000 won/cavity or 80,000 depending on whether it's amalgam(ate?) or resin (sp?).

Has anyone had any dental experiences that they can share?  Thanks.

Dan

Hey Dan,

I would suggest that you invest that little bit more money for your teeth and go for the mid-range resin filling. The amalgam is toxic to the system. Just google and you should be able to find a plethora of information.

The prices above seem about right. I went to the dentist and had a scaling done and that was more expensive than getting a filling. I can't remember how much the dentist quoted for fillings, but the numbers you're referring to above roughly seem familiar.

Good luck.

Cheers,

LR

[cassie123]

I haven't had any fillings done, but I had a fabulous dental experience at Boston Park Dental in Seoul.

 http://www.bostonclinic.co.kr/src/en_sub0101.php

I worked with Dr. Park, the main dentist and an oral surgeon there who were both great. I had a sinus lift done there and will get additional work done during the February vacation. The entire staff spoke English, the dentists were great, the facilities were just what you would expect in a good, western clinic. Prices were standard for Korea. It wasn't covered by the insurance, so I can't help you there, but everything was top-notch.

[dchrzano]

I'm going to the dentist Friday, just for a cleaning and was told only part of it will be covered by insurance so the cost will be 50,000 to 100,000 W. My clinic speaks English though so I feel a lot more comfortable going there. It's called Eullim Dental Clinic (www.eudent.co.kr). I guess I can tell you more after my appointment. 

[joseph921]

If I'm not mistaken, most public school english teacher's medical insurance doesn't cover dental unfortunately.  Mine is from the "National Health Insurance Corporation" and it doesn't cover anything for dental

[ganstar]

I just went to the dentist yesterday at a hospital rather than a clinic. You 'check in' and pay at general reception then proceed to the dental area. I am a public shcool teacher in Busan and would have national health cover. I noticed on the receipt the consult is billed at 14900 won, but I only paid 7400, or half. So something must be covered, in my case anyway. If you need stuff done you are charged and pay whatever outstanding at the dental counter. I only had a check up and didnt need anything done so dont know prices.

[sarahcanavese]

I went to the hospital dentist office as well. They were really nice, and although the only person who spoke English was the actual dentist, with hand motions and words like Open and Bite I was able to work great with the assistants. I didn't do anything major like cavities, but I did get a mouth splint. (It helps you not grind your teeth at night, incase this is something you need??) I got the hard plastic one and with my public school insurance I paid about 400,000 won. Which is a lot, but way cheaper than what it costs in the USA.

[ejmclaine]

Some things are definitely covered, while others aren't. Scaling (and cleaning in general) isn't (expect to pay 40,000 - 70,000), fillings are partially covered but as I understand the cost varies depending on how much material they have to use. I had a resin filling (a small one) that cost 95,000 won but I think it also depends on where you go. I got a wisdom tooth extracted for 3,000 won and that included the x-ray. Just ask before you get anything done.

[monroemn]

I went to Michigan Dental in Gaya, in Busan, and got a bunch of cavities filled (must be the kimchi...      )  They were 80,000 each for white resin, a scaling was 50,000. 

[jak338]

I've had several cavities filled while I've been here (in my 2nd year). 

My dentist gave me two options when I had to get mine done.  The resin (aesthetically better) or the gold (more expensive but lasts longer).  I ended up choosing the gold because he recommended it.  Plus, its better to take care of any toothaches now than later...

I had a few cavities done at once so I was able to get a small discount.  It doesn't hurt to ask (nicely). 

Regarding what insurance covers: the silver fillings are the only kind that the insurance covers but only if your situation is very severe.  So fillings are usually not covered. 

Prices (Incheon)
Cleaning ~60,000 Won
Resin ~ 100,000
Gold ~ can't remember the exact price but way more than the resin.... ^^;;;

[taeyang]

i had a wisdom tooth pulled in january.

only one, with just freezing. cost me about 15,000 all-in.

they quoted me over $2000 for all four back in canada!

[Yosu Tiger]

Dan, it should be fine.

I was very nervous to go the dentist when I had a cavity.  The dentist spoke excellent english having trained in New York and drew me a diagram explaining everything.  In the end I needed root canal and although that is everyone's worst nightmare, it was carried out as smoothly as possible in around a week.  I had root canal and then they capped it.  If you take your medical card then I think they can work out if you can get any of your treatment paid for.  In the end I paid around W300,000 but it was money well spent and a year later there have been no problems. 
  Just find a dentist that you trust and that can explain everything to you and they should give you a rough quote before you begin.

Best of luck.

[ABteacher]

I have heard that the dentists in Korea don't use the same pain medications when doing fillings or pulling teeth. I need to get my wisdom teeth pulled and I would love to do it in Korea since it is so much cheaper, but I don't have a high tolerance for pain. Could anyone who has had them pulled in Korea tell me how it went? Also, did you get any time off from work for having them pulled?

[taeyang]

I have heard that the dentists in Korea don't use the same pain medications when doing fillings or pulling teeth. I need to get my wisdom teeth pulled and I would love to do it in Korea since it is so much cheaper, but I don't have a high tolerance for pain. Could anyone who has had them pulled in Korea tell me how it went? Also, did you get any time off from work for having them pulled?

PM sent~~

i hope. please let me know if it went through.

[ejmclaine]

Amelia,
I've had 2 out at separate times, one impacted and the other not. Both of them were completely painless (they freeze you well) and I had no complications. They gave me a pain killer for 2 days and I literally felt nothing more than a headache afterword. For the one that wasn't impacted, i went to work that afternoon when the bleeding had stopped. You should definitely take the day off though. If they're impacted (and you're getting more than 1 out at a time) you might need a weekend to recover. Getting it done on Friday is my advice.

[hotpotato]

I can recommend Boston Clinic in Seoul. I've had 2 cavities filled there and they are excellent. I did get a discount on the 2nd filling which was nice. They all speak English there. The facility is very nice too. It's about 80,000 for a cleaning, same as I paid back home, and about 100,000 for the filling without a discount.

[crjumjr01]

I am in need of some orthodontic work done. Is anyone familiar of any English speaking dentists in the Changwon(Gyeongnam) area?