The first time I went to a dentist after I moved to Japan, they misinterpreted my expensive natural-looking filling as a cavity and removed it, replacing it with a metal filling straight from the 19th century.
Now my glasses are broken, I just want to replace them. No optician I go to can make me regular progressive lenses, all they can do is bifocals like those I had when I was 5.
Why is Japan so bad?
26 comments
The reason why you get ugly metal filling is, because ceramic ones are not covered by the health insurance. You can get ceramic ones if you explicitly ask for it but you will pay 100% by yourself which will likely easily get over 10man
Maybe try going to glasses shop instead of opticians.
I have a pair of progressive lens glasses that I got from my local glasses store. Jins has a page that discusses progressive lens:
[https://www.jins.com/jp/lens/progressive/](https://www.jins.com/jp/lens/progressive/)
Jesus christ that’s fucked 💀 it’s one thing to mistake a filling for a cavity but did they must have seen it was a filling when they went in there?? And they took it out anyways???? Fuck them. Leave them a bad review. I wish you could sue them for that shit
I didn’t like the first dentist I visited here. The place looked unclean and later I learnt they overlooked a cavity. I found another one, he speaks English well and is overall great at his job and uses much more modern equipment then the dentists in my home country. He even knows how to give practically painless injections (I needed to get some sedation for dental works). Honestly the best dentist I ever went to.
So, did you actually try to look for a glasses shop before giving up? Eye doctors here do not sell glasses.
“Why is Japan so bad?”
Are you 7 years old?
>Why is Japan so bad?
Or, to put it another way, why can’t you just go to the right place and gain some basic communication skills before doing anything in a foreign country…
They will not remove your old filling if you have not agreed to the replacements/options they have offered. As someone else mentioned in this thread, metal fillings are covered by insurance, thus it seems reasonable that dentists will suggest such options over “paid ones.”
So, basically, you’re saying you went to the dentist, and they didn’t explain the procedure at all, 4 nurses came in and drugged you to sleep, and that when you woke up, your fillings had been removed and replaced with “the ugly metal” one? They could actually replace your fillings without ever having your consent or acknowledgement? Yea, right…nice try mate,
Let me guess what actually happened. You went to the dentist, they inspected your teeth, and asked you in Japanese whether you wanted to replace them with mental fillings, you answered ” はい ” with your dead fish eyes since you didn’t understand even 20% of the conversation.
And now you’re just ranting about “Japan bad,” but in reality, you’re just upset about your own inability to live in a foreign country. 🙃
I’ve been to more than a few dentists but none of them have done anything without telling me what they’re going to do or asking if it’s ok. Find a different one.
Depends on who you go to. By far the most advanced dentist I’ve ever been to in my life is in Osaka. But then, he also studied a lot in the US, so guess it’s not the same thing.
Are you stuck on small island? 4 opticians I checked out in Niigata, 3 were chains, had progressives advertised, bifocals weren’t even listed but I assume some of the shops could get them.
There might have been a misunderstanding – when I went to my dentist with my natural white fillings (those that you get covered by insurance here if the cavity is not too big), they told that the X-ray shows that there are cavities developing under those fillings, so they advised me to remove them and get either a metal filling covered by insurance or a ceramic one if I’m willing to pay 12man per piece.
They also often give a questionnaire during your first visit that asks whether you want your procedure to be covered by insurance/best options that involve paying from your pocket/or consult case by case.
Or the dentist you went to was just not a good dentist. I suggest changing your clinic and look at a ton of reviews before going. I tend to chose those that have at least 4/5 stars and a bunch of good comments on google.
My dentist puts metal fillings in the top row for durability, resin ones on the bottom since those tend to be visible. Both are covered by insurance.
Once I got past the fact that he doesn’t use anesthetics for cavities (only bigger work like crowns) and “a checkup/cleaning” involves 6x appointments instead of 1 it’s all been smooth sailing. He’s got good skills and the facilities are modern enough.
Was the 1980s really that far behind in the world of dentistry?
I’ve been to 2 dentists and everytime they showed me the Xray of the tooth that they were going to drill before doing so. A filling vs a cavity is night and day different on the Xray image. I don’t know how he managed to mess that up.
I gave up with Japanese “doctors” long ago. Thankfully I found a foreign doctor with a Japanese license to practice medicine. Never looked back!
My husband is a dentist. He does custom fillings for patients that request them. You can get whatever kind of custom treatment you want from him but if it isn’t covered by insurance you’ll have to pay the full treatment fee. As for glasses, I have a pair with progressive lenses that I got from Megane Ichiba. I wear them at home in the evening after I take out the multifocal soft contacts I got from my local eye doctor.
I found a decent dentist about ten years ago and have been going there ever since.
The best thing about healthcare in Japan is that you can basically choose your medical providers.
The worst thing about healthcare in Japan is that you have to vet and choose your medical providers. Some are excellent, others incompetent. Good luck!
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I went to one of the glasses shops in Marui in Kita Senju and got progress trifocals, so they definitely exist
People just love to generalize things here 😓
Medical care in general is quite bad in Japan.
You’re not alone.
I tore my chest doing 170kg on bench and on the down rep I felt my pectoral pop, rip, and separate. Immediately my entire arm, chest, and shoulder turned purple and hurt like hell. Also, the shape of my left pectoral (damaged side) is now completely different from my right. I went to the emergency room, they insisted I just need to ice it. Puzzled as hell, I left and bought painkillers then iced it. Went to a different doctor a week later, he told me the same thing. I ended seeing 6 or 7 different doctors that all told me to ice my severely misshapen and painful chest and refused surgery. I waited 6 months and eventually reached out to my former bodybuilding coach (20 year ifbb pro and current Physical Therapist) and my friend who is a doctor in the states. Upon seeing pictures and hearing the story, they immediately told me my pec was torn and I need surgery. Even today I can’t get full range of motion in my chest, and it’s still misshapen.
Moral of the story, sure Japan has healthcare, but most of the healthcare “professionals” here seem to have gotten their MD from online uni or something.
Not entirely related to your problem, but I went through a pregnancy and a birth in Japan. I was shocked to see how behind they are medically. I wonder if they’re literally lost in translation, since all the new/updated medical literature is in English. Also, the lack of young doctors man… most of them are almost cadavers. The doctor who did my c section was 83. I’m 100% positive that these ojisan doctors don’t read any updated literature, if there is any translated to begin with.
Maybe im just not used to it, japan has one of the most outdated medical systems and doctors are not nice/nepotistic. Wait til you hear their hotel room parties too some nurse friends go to
Not sure about progressive lenses, but I love the way buying glasses works in Japan. I walk into Jins, the clerk gives me a simple eyesight test, I walk out with anew pair of glasses for like 7,000 Yen total.
Back in Canada the same thing would cost me 5 or 6 times more, minimum.
There are some dodgy dentists but most are excellent.
Progressive or varifocal lenses are easily available, I’ve had them made 3 times, last time at Paris Miki and they made a great job.
However, having worn glasses for 40 years, initially just for reading but later for all distances I decided to have new lenses installed in both eyes and the fluid in my right eye replaced to get rid of some big floaters. A major success, totally painless, in and out on the same day (3 occasions over 4 weeks) now I don’t need glasses at all except for very fine print; regular books, PC and keitai are all perfectly readable without glasses and all covered by health insurance.
Don’t diss Japan without extensive experience and without knowing what you’re talking about.
Shop around for a good dentist?? The one I’ve been going to for years has top of the line equipment. My dentist, for example, video records any dental work and will show you exactly what he did after the procedure. I had an old inlay come off during New Years, and we had a long conversation about repair options, what material to use (metal composite, gold, ceramic…) and how much each would cost.