Yesterday was supposed to be a rain day, and actually it was... it just didn't start until later than they forecast. So we did end up walking up to Berat Castle with Helen and Tony and showing them around a bit before Ruth and I headed back down for our 11:00am dentist appointment.
Nobody likes going to the dentist. But if you have to go, this kind of experience makes it a little more likeable.
First, a couple of photos from the castle viewpoint...
Can you see why we like Berat?
Looking down on Gorica.
Berat, Albania.
Our dentist appointment was for 11:00am, but as is typical with most dentists we didn't get in to see him until 11:40am.
I had lost a big filling in a molar a few months ago while in Canada. It wasn't causing me any pain, so I just left it. No way was I going to a dentist in Canada! We knew we had plans to come to Albania, and I like our dentist here... and, the cost would be at least ten times cheaper in Albania.
He did one X-ray, then froze the area around the molar. Then he removed the remains of an old amalgam filling,.. then put some kind of liner in to protect the nerve, then rebuilt the wall of the tooth.
Then he did a general inspection of the rest of the teeth. Time in the chair maybe one hour.
Total cost 2,000 lek ($23 CAD, $17 USD). Make that twenty times cheaper than Canada!
With that done, we could now make some future plans. We weren't sure if we were going to have to come back to Berat after dropping Helen and Tony of at the airport on Sunday. And, given the fabulous long term forecast for Berat for all of next week, it wouldn't have been a bad idea!
But now that the dental work was done, we had no real need to come back. Blog reader Janis had invited us to come back and stay with her in Sarande for a week (thanks Janis!), but it's a long drive back down there and Sarande isn't really our favorite place in Albania. And, we've been wanting to go to Kosovo.
So that's what we're doing. Sunday, after dropping of Helen and Tony at Tirana airport, we will drive northwest into Kosovo to the town of Peja, located at the base of Bjeshkët e Nemuna National Park. We've got some hiking trips planned in the park! The weather is supposed to be nice up there as well, but just a little cooler so that should make for some perfect hiking weather.
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And in Canada...
Holy moly, that's great on the dental work!! I had a check up the other day and it was $80. (I have benefits but it's still huge for just a check up!). What a beautiful place, looks great for hiking! Love it when it's not too hot as well
ReplyDeleteIt really is an amazing deal on the dental work, that's one of the reasons why we came back to Albania again, that and the fact that we really like Albania, :-)
DeleteWe are looking forward to the hiking that we are going to do in Kosovo, it really does look beautiful there.
That is such a deal on your dental work. I pay over $200 for my cleaning and checkup here in North Carolina! That includes bite-wing x-rays, but still...crazy. Is Ruth happy with her Invisalign experience?
ReplyDeleteIt is a great deal and this is why we will make the effort to return to Albania when we need dental work done. He is a great dentist and we like going to him and it isn't only because of the cheap prices.
DeleteI am very happy with my Invisalign treatment. My teeth are all nice and straight now, although I have one tooth that still likes to move a little during the day. My last aligner broke about 5 months ago, however I was able to still wear it at night. I mentioned to the dentist about this one tooth and now that I have the new aligner, he told me to wear it during the day as well as a night for another couple of weeks to help cement the tooth in place. After that I only need to wear it at night. The upper teeth are good and he said I don't have to wear it at night anymore although I probably will for a little while yet.
Glad you were happy with your experience, Ruth! I still wear my retainers since getting my (traditional) braces off in 2018. I alternate wearing the top or the bottom on subsequent nights. I probably would have stopped wearing them by now, but they protect my teeth from grinding. I am amazed I haven't managed to break one of them yet; they are definitely well-worn but still functional. My orthodontist said to wear them at night "for life", but I don't expect to do that. ;-)
Deletei will mostly wear mine for quite some time at night but maybe not every night. You are right, they do stop you from grinding your teeth at night.
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