Welcome, new tooth!

I have bad teeth. Not just "I need a filling this year," kind of bad teeth. But extraction, root canal, and implant bad teeth. This was compounded by the fact that I had spotty dental coverage in the states, and we decided to postpone some visits. And then I had three kids, and being pregnant is hard on your teeth. Add all that up together, and you get my mouth. I used to joke with my dentist in the states that she must like it when I would visit, because I needed so much work and made her so much money. She laughed and then caught herself, realizing that she shouldn't be laughing.

So when we moved to Brazil, looking for a dentist was important. We have Unimed insurance, and opted to buy the dental coverage. It covers annual cleanings, fillings, part of a root canal...basically the same kind of coverage you get with a dental plan in the states. It took a few tries, but I found a dentist that I really like. His name is Marcelo Saliba, and he's at Rua Ceará 1431/402. He will probably be there forever, because his Dad is a dentist there, and I think that his sister is a dentist, and I think the secretary is his sister too. Gotta love the family businesses. He speaks not a lick of English, so there have been some times that I didn't really understand what he said. But I trust him, and I think he's done good work. One thing I have learned here is that if you need x-rays, you have to go to a lab. Dentists here just don't have x-ray machines in their office. Just a FYI.

I also found an implant dentist/oral surgeon that is GREAT! He was highly recommended by Mr. Saliba, and right upstairs. His name is Geraldo Luiz Guimarães. He speaks excellent English, and did a great job.

So today, 1 1/2 years after losing my tooth due to a failed root canal (done in the states), and after 4 appointments just with the Mr. Saliba to get the tooth made and crown put in, I got my tooth. I love it. It is beautiful, and I am going to eat peanuts and learn how to chew on the right side of my mouth. And I feel like I paid a good price, considering what the cost of getting an implant would be in the states.