Going to the dentist in France (or anywhere) is never fun. Add some dental work to the mix and a big bill and it’s even less fun. Even without dental work and a big bill, going to a dentist in a foreign country for the first time can make you anxious. Luckily, we have dental coverage and I decided right after Christmas that it was about time to get my regular cleaning. And guess what? I lived to tell about it! But not without a few stories…
Read on to hear about going to the dentist in France!
Going to the dentist in France
I’m one of those people who tolerates the dentist but gets really nervous. I’ve had a jaw problem for years, had a bad experience because of that at the orthodontist when I was young, and just don’t like people messing with my teeth.
Because of that whole nervous thing, I go out of my way to floss and treat my teeth with extra care to avoid any major dental work. For me, having a root canal would be a life failure and would mean I really messed up. I’m more likely to get a tattoo across my forehead than willingly submit to major dental work. Holy panic!
Let’s just say that making an appointment at all with the French dentist was a major feat. I’d been seeing my regular dentist on trips back home to the USA until now.
What’s going to the dentist in France like?
It’s similar to the US in a lot of ways except my dentist said a couple of things you never want to hear your dentist say. Ever.
What you need to know about going to the doctor in France >>
Going to the dentist in France
NOTE: This is just my experience of dentistry in France based on a dental visit in my area (where there is a shortage of dentists). Not all dentists in France are the same and others’ experiences will vary.
Thing you never want to hear #1:
“Sure, since you’re a new client, our next available appointment is…. May 15. Does that work?” (remember I called in December)
May 15?!?!? DOES THAT FRICKIN WORK?? SWEET JESUS, NO IT DOES NOT! Well, that’s what I wanted to say. I really, really did. But my regular New York-influenced personality doesn’t really fly in France. I had to tone in down because, you see, in France it’s all about the charm.
What did I say instead? I first clarified that I heard that date correctly (I had) and was informed that as a new patient, I’d have to wait. Yippee. France is cool and all for a lot of reasons, but new dental patient waiting times is not one of them.
Thing you never want to hear #2:
In my introductory visit, the dentist explained that he has two options if I needed dental work: gas and a regular Novocaine shot. But, he can’t administer the gas, he told me, because he hasn’t done the training session for it yet.
Oh man, are you sure you’re really a dentist? You are kinda young. And while I’m all for honesty and being direct, maybe scale back this honesty thing on a need-to-know basis — especially when you’re dealing with an already nervous patient who doesn’t even have a need for Novocaine or gas now. Makes me want to run for the exits. Way to instill confidence there. You know how to use the spit sucker, right? RIGHT? That’s important.
Thing you never want to hear #3:
“OK so for your cleaning, we’ll schedule that soon. Not a long wait. How about the end of July?”
Uh dude, not sure what calendar you follow or if you work 2 hours/day just once a week, but that is two months away! You know it’s May 15 now and an additional two-month wait won’t work for me. That’s insane and you’d better fit me in next week or I’ll…… I’ll…. Ah dammit, I can’t do anything. I wish I’d said all that. Instead, I fought my instincts and just smiled and nodded my head like the charming, submissive French wannabe that I am. Much to my utter disappointment, getting pushy and demanding SO doesn’t work here. I’ve become a shell of my former self!
Some other observations:
— Preventive work isn’t really the norm. And that makes sense. Routine dental care isn’t expensive here, so if you have good teeth that you take care of, you won’t be making the dentist any money. Dentists in France want you in agony so he can do root canals and crowns and make a living. No need to go digging around for tiny cavities. Just wait until you can see it on an x-ray or you’re writhing in pain! (Note: Generally if you have severe tooth pain, a dentist will do his/her best to fit you in sooner. They aren’t all masochists.) Dental care in France is more bare bones than what I was used to.
— Two or more cleanings per year aren’t the norm in France. (my old dental insurance in New York paid for 3 cleanings a year even!) Basically you go to the dentist when you have a problem. Your “cleanings” (détartrages) are the main part of French dental care are over in 20 minutes max — more like 10 for me — and are way less thorough than they are in the USA.
— French people, like Americans, find dental care expensive. If you don’t have a supplemental insurance that covers dental, anything more than a regular cleaning/exam will cost a bit (but nowhere near the cost of things in the US). A dental x-ray, exam and cleaning is about 50 euros total where I go, before insurance reimbursements. Even the root canal cost in France is about a third of what you’d pay in the USA. Oh happy day!
— There is no little goodie bag at the end. I like free stuff. Or maybe it just felt better getting a goodie back in the USA when you drop several hundred bucks, or worse, in one fell swoop on your teeth. No free toothbrush, floss (the French don’t use it regularly because it’s not drilled into their heads as kids like it is in the U.S.) or toothpaste. What a bummer! That bag was proof that I survived!
——>>>> Fave floss: For those of you in the U.S., Cocofloss is the best floss I’ve ever tried. It’s a premium product that comes in delicious flavors. Get $10 off here!
Do you take care of your teeth? If you’re going to the dentist in France, you really don’t have anything to worry about!
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I don’t like going to the dentist either. I think your dentist is weird telling you about the gas thing when you don’t need it and he doesn’t know to do it! As you said it’s not really reasuring.
I think you should have tried to ask for an earlier appointment or ask him why he couldn’t do it now! But if you take good care of your teeth I think you’ll be ok! Don’t worry.
I have to find a good dentist in Belgium to get it clean too, but I don’t know any and it’s scary to go to someone you don’t know or isn’t recomended. I took me so long to get a dentist I liked in France and I have to start it all over in Brussels. And it’s the same with all the doctors.
Yeah, it was definitely weird. I hope you find a good dentist and doc in Brussels. It’s not easy but once you find someone you like, it’ll be smooth sailing
I was traveling throughout Corsica years ago and had a tooth emergency that left me no choice but to find a local dentist in a remote area…. I suffered like never before. It is scary to get sick in a foreign country indeed. For me teeth has to be the scariest…
I’m French and I have to say since I found it, I love reading your blog. It’s quite funny to read what an American woman leaving in France think about French people, when I was a still a few weeks ago a French woman leaving in the US, writing about American people.
Anyway, your post reminds me of the first experience of my American boyfriend with my French dentist. He was shocked that the dentist was doing the cleaning herself and not an assistant! But definitely he was happy about the price!
Thanks for stopping by, so glad you like the blog! Really enjoying discovering France, so stick around!!
I can’t believe the wait is 5 months where you live! In Bordeaux I can get an appointment for the week after I call and sometimes even sooner. There really are differences in France between the cities and the countryside when it comes to healthcare.
I also dread the dentist. I was alright until I had some treatment in the UK and the Novocaine shot didn’t work. Now I can’t sleep the night before going to the dentist.
Yes, the French hate flossing. They say it is unhealthy for the gums, causing tearing and bleeding. My dentist always tells me to use what I call the “pipe cleaners” to clean my teeth. I haven’t tried them yet.
This was a conversation I had a few years ago with my dentist:
Dentist: You know that you don’t have to floss around your tooth that has a crown (I had a root canal when I was a teenager and now I have a crown on that tooth).
Me: Um, but what about the teeth around the tooth with the crown? They are still alive and need to be kept clean and free of plaque.
Dentist: Oh, yeah, that’s true.
What?! So I’m the one that’s telling you how to take care of teeth?
Yeah, it’s really nutty here sometimes. And seeing all the differences. So the wait was only 5 months because I was a new client. Now that i’ve had that first visit, it shouldn’t be that bad. I guess I’ll have to wait and see. Just crazy!
Out of interest, what is the cost for a check up and x-rays in France?
For the dentist you mean or the regular doctor? I noted in my post that an exam, cleaning and the round the head x-ray was just 50 euros! Nice, right? Now the cleaning and exam wasn’t as thorough as what my dentist does in the US, but hey, can’t complain!
Five months is crazy! I had to wait five weeks for one as a new patient at an office near Lille and I thought that was too long.
My French dentist was really efficient – x-ray, exam, and cleaning all done within thirty minutes. it usually takes much longer than that at my American dentist. The French one kept telling me my teeth were perfect, while my American dentist always tries to find fault with them somehow, it seems!
I am always trying to get my (French) boyfriend to use floss, but to no avail. He think it’s torture.
Five weeks is great! I think my area just has a major shortage. Lots of dentists retired over the past few years and only one or two new ones have opened up shop. But at least now I’m a normal client so can get in with no problem now. Silly how it works. And yes, floss, forget it! French people think it’s unnecessary. Maybe one day my husband will use it! Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Kari….here’s what we have learned the hard way:
No floss and you will eventually have muliple root canals. And if thats not enough fun for you, then ignore them further and your teeth will go away and you can have a new false tooth screwed into your gum…yipeeeee!
“IGNORE YOUR TEETH…THEY WILL GO AWAY”
Thank Diane,
I still need to connect with a dentist so I appreciate the hints and experiences.
Alan
I’m a huge David Sedaris fan, and he talks about going to the dentist in France in one of his books (hysterical!) I think you’d very much relate to the experience!;-)
I was reading this post last night, and I commented that I’d had the best dentist experience of my life in France. So this morning I thought I’d elaborate. My brother-in-law is a dentist in Béziers, and he’s just launched a website. He’s extremely talented, and uses a high technology method that isn’t very common in France. Many people travel from all of over France and even other countries to have their dental work done by him. I guess I’m lucky to have a great dentist in the family. http://www.espace-dentaire-beziers.fr/le-cabinet/
Ce que je peux t’en dire c’est qu’en France le dentiste ne voulait me faire un détartrage que tous les 2 ans et à Montréal on insiste pour que ce soit tous les 8 mois. En France ça dure 10 min et ici 1h! Ce ne sont pas les mêmes standards.
En France on a l’impression d’aller chez un médecin tandis qu’au Québec ce sont des commerciaux : ils essaient de te vendre un maximum de choses et les secrétaires te relancent constamment pour un nouveau RDV ou un nouveau service à te proposer.
What the hell, going to the dentist here isn’t that bad we can usually get an appointment the same day if not week
On an extended holiday in France recently, I needed to visit a dentist after a filling fell out. You can imagine my trepidation! We were recommended an English speaking dentist so we drove to the surgery (a phone call was far too difficult with our very limited French) to be told that the soonest appointment was 3 months away. The other dentist that had been recommended was in our tiny village (we were surprised there was even a dentist in our tiny little village!). She spoke NOT ONE SINGLE WORD OF ENGLISH BUT she could see us a couple of days later!! So we arrived a couple of days later, full of trepidation! My lost filling was in a front tooth, so very visible. Not knowing what French dentistry is like, I was afraid the dentist would go nuts with the drilling and I would lose more of the tooth. I had done my prior research and tried to explain in my limited French that I wanted her to just fill the hole and not do any unnecessary drilling. I somehow understood her answer – that she had understood but still needed to do a tiny bit of drilling to ensure adhesion of the adhesive. And off she went! She did it so quickly and easily and with great humour and friendliness! The result is perfect (easily as good as my dentist back home – Australia – whom I consider to be an excellent dentist) and is still intact! And to cap it all off – it cost about and third of what it would have in Australia. We were happy to pay the price! Needless to say, in spite of fearing the worst, the experience was very positive and I have nothing but praise for the quality of the service I received!
So happy to hear about your wonderful experience. The price is the best part, isn’t it?
French dentists have been a huge disappointment for me. A couple,of years ago I needed a crown replaced and went to the local dentist. He removed the broken crown, did a bit of drilling and j served the lists that wok d hold the replacement crown, and took impressions to have the new crown created. He then covered everything with a lump of come sort of metallic gunk and that was it, No office-made temporary filling, What! The reason a temporary filling is needed it to keep adjoining teeth from moving around, as they certainly will. So, a month later I went back to have the actual crown inserted. It didn’t fit, the dentist used a small but effective hammer to drive the new crown into place. Two days later an adjoining tooth cracked in two while I was eating that well known tooth breaker, a ham sandwich. It a success story at all.
I am a French woman living in the US. Stumbled upon your blog moments ago as I was doing research on French dental care prices. Was not planning to read and even less so comment but… first, I thought you were a man no idea why yet might have to do with your comment regarding being a good submissive frog or something like that. Not sure why you think that in order to get something done you must turn into some submissive goodie goodie in France. Or did I misunderstand your comment? Last time I checked American women are way more submissive than French women. Surely has to do with the fact that frogs are the revolutionary blood running in their veins. My experience as a French woman who grew up in France: Iy is in the USA where I met the many obnoxious medical specialists ie dentists who expect their patients to behave and shut up. But interesting to read your perspective. FYI, I have been using floss since I was a kid, my entire family as well. All the frogs I know so far they do floss. That is another myth about French people that we have poor hygiene. I don’t agree. We often have better hygiene since we use bidets throughout the day each time after using the bathroom. Trust me the few toilet papers you use are far from doing the trick. And we do not use the bidet in place of showering or bathing every day. The confusion lays where contrary to Americans, the French are not freaked out by bodily smells. If someone smells due to sweating or such we don’t freak out and call him a terrorist. Of course, if we equate hygiene with the number of deodorants for all body parts applied before during after and one more time… then you guys win. I love the UDA and have lived here for a long time. I was in NYC when 9/11 occurred and since they day, I consider myself baptized a New Yorker hence an American. I admire the American culture and to me… to me personally of course… it has been a dream. I do not negate that this country have serious issues but your culture is quite young and I trust that with time the American culture will become what it is supposed to become. I am now located in Florida which is another thing completely. I fit in nyc but here not too much yet people are curious and want to meet me (for the most part) the political mess is of course to me not fun at all… but still I have developed beautiful relationships in your country and I know enough now not to stereotype Americans as being people of interest, who volunteer for the only reason it is tax deductible… I recently read an article by a French journalist who made such gross generalizations and repeated these close minded idiotic beliefs the French have about the Americans. I do have a huge issue with stereotypes a huge major one I am an anthropologist so it runs in our veins…. Stereotyping is quite a dangerous human reaction that has caused so much pain, wars, fights, and unhappiness…. Sorry for going on and on…. I have an infection in my mouth (need a dentist quick) and speaking under the pain meds influence. And I cannot shut up. I will make sure to visit here. Never thought about actually writing about my experience as a French woman living in the USA. Even less to meet Americans who live in France and share about their experience. Thank you and A bientôt
PS. Hi any way possible to make edits in the comments we leave?
Hi Diane,
Could you please give me the details of the dentist that you went to for your teeth cleaning? I am in desperate need to have mine cleaned as I have been in France for nearly a year, so that’s a whole year without a good clean. You said you paid 50€ and everywhere else seems to charge triple that amount. I would really appreciate your help.
Thank you, Kayla
I’m an expat American and I’ve lived in France since 2003. I now have two fewer teeth than I had when I moved to here, both of the destroyed by French dentistry. The most spectacular one was when a crown was being replaced. The dentist drilled out the old crown remnants and did the usual mold making routine but did not make a temporary tooth to keep my other teeth in place. So three weeks later I went back to have the new crown fitted. It didn’t fit. The teeth next to it had moved. The dentist forced it in with a hammer. The tooth in front of it cracked. Three days later the cracked tooth fell to pieces while I was eating a ham sandwich. The other missing tooth was caused by a bungled root canal. My jaw got infected and I had tonnage the tooth pulled out, the real problem was that the swelling from the infection caused the novocaine not to work and the dentist said he’d have to pull it out without any anesthesia but he’d do it quickly. I never felt such pain in my life and I discovered what it’s like to scream involuntarily,
Oh my gosh, that all sounds horrible. I’m so sorry, Ellie. Hope all that is in the rear view mirror now and you have a new dentist.