Mwanza trip

Although Grant and I made a trip Mwanza last week on Thursday, I'm only managing to post about it now. In the ten weeks that we're on site, I get out quite regularly. I pop into Shinyanga on company business for Grant; I do shopping trips with the other ladies and today we're all going to the school for the blind and albino children to hand out clothes and a few treats.

Grant has been out once this stint and that was last week. And the exciting part is that he had to go to the dentist! What a treat! Grant has always been petrified of dentist. Then at the beginning of this year he needed to see one urgently and Juba, a Serbian expat told him about Hope Dentist in Mwanza. I told him it was time to bite the bullet (pun intended, LOL)  and try the Mwanza dentist.  Was he pleasantly surprise! From the get-go Dr Yusuf proved to be knowledgeable, friendly, professional and his prices were at least half of what we pay in South Africa. 

Since then we've both been to Dr Yusuf on several occasions: I've had a filling fixed and my teeth cleaned and polished. Grant has had an extraction. The dentist suggested as he had quite a gap in the top right side of his gums, he go for a bridge. And this is what we were in Mwanza for this day: Grant's other teeth we being filed and prepared to accept the bridge. He also had to have an impression made for the bridge which would be ready before we go out to SA at the end of October.  

We arrived at the new premises of New Hope Dental Clinic at 8.20 am. I immediately started taking photos of the bright new reception area and of Grace, the beautiful receptionist.  

Tilla , one of my friends here in Mwadui, says that wherever I go, I seem to find cats. Too true. I also photograph cats wherever I go. And believe it or not, while we were waiting for the dentist, a sleek black cat padded into the reception.

 New Hope Dental Clinic's mascot! 

The dentist arrived at 8.30, greeted us and asked us to come through. On the way to his rooms, he took us.  on a grand tour. It's actually difficult to imagine such high-tech, state-of-the-art machines, furnishings and fittings as that which he proudly showed us. 

 Grace, the beautiful receptionist and Dr Mohamed Khalfan

 X-ray machine which is projected directly...

...to this computer. Dr Yusuf posed while took photos! 

The next room is where Dr Mohamed Khalfan attends to his patients. Dr Kahlfan is left-handed, and New Hope Dental Clinic has a left-handed set-up for him. I had never heard of this and was tickled pink!

The left-handed dentist!

 Next, Dr Yusuf showed us the sterilizing room

And finally we were shown into Dr Yusuf's rooms

"The Chair"!

Dr Yusuf shows us his computer which has all his patients' information on it

This computer shows up the patient's mouth and of course, teeth

Until being tended by Dr Yusuf, I have never had anyone in the surgery with me or been in with any of the family either. At the old clinic, I also sat in while Grant was in the chair and vice versa. There I perched on a bicycle seat on top of a long cylinder. A half an hour of this and you're done! In the new clinic, I had pride of place in the corner on an upright, albeit very comfortable chair. Thank goodness, because Grant's treatment that day took three--and-a-half hours!

While I waited in comfort, I read my Kindle and watched the proceedings at the same time!

Directly next to the chair, was a machine which housed a capsule of soft pliable material which is expelled into a gum impression. The first one was blue (as below). The dentist pressed this up into Grant's mouth and held it there for a period of time until it had made a proper impression. He was thrilled that Grant didn't gag as many people do.

 He had to do a second impression; the capsule had finished so he changed it. When he turned the machine on, a lilac-colored material emerged. I asked him why the color was different. He said the first one was quick-dry; this one was regular and took slightly longer to set. There is a slow-dry which he said, if the suppliers sent it and you didn't check, it caused problems. It takes about five minutes to set and this is not so good when people are gagging all the while. I asked why there is a slow-drying putty and he said it was generally used in training. He said you'd not believe how slowly you do the job when you're learning. (It was hard to imagine, as he was so quick and efficient as an experienced dentist!) Through all this discourse between me and the dentist, can you just picture poor Grant lying back with his jaws stretched open to the widest and filled with purple glurp!  

The machine with "putty" from which the dentist gets the impression of the patient's teeth. 

Finally Dr Yusuf was finished and Grant could rinse his mouth. He asked if we'd make an appointment for the end of this month when the bridge would have arrived from Nairobi. 

As this is an extra post today, I won't do an update until tomorrow. 

However, I've changed my header thanks to Gattina of Writer Cramps. 

Do pop over and visit Gattina's blog; she has a quaint turn of phrase and posts about a wide variety of subjects. You can also request a header by send her a mail : see my sidebar under "My header" 

I hope you're all enjoying the beginning of your weekend already. I know I am!