I have been missing Thailand more than usual the past few days but not for the obvious reasons of sun, sand and a particular lady. No, the reminders this time came in the form of a massive tooth ache and a trip to my local dentist.

Dentist offices in Thailand are like food carts and 7/11′s, they are literally everywhere and you can usually find at least two dentists per block if you’re in the right area. My favorite dentist in Thailand resides in Pattaya on Soi Buakhao and she makes a normally hated experience for me into one that is highly pleasurable. The fact that she’s a great dentist is just the icing on the cake when you take into consideration she’s beautiful, she’ll sing to you while she works and the big plus, she’s very reasonable even for Thai prices.

The reality is that you can have dental work done in Thailand for a quarter of the price that you’ll pay in the West. A point that was driven home for me yesterday when my American dentist told me that I would need a root canal at a cost of $800. After I picked my jaw up off the floor I made the comment that the price was a bit much, the answer I got in return was you won’tget a better price anywhere else.

The interesting part came when I mentioned that I could actually get a much better price in Thailand. My American dentist, who happens to be from India, exclaimed that getting dental work done in third world countries was dangerous because they use substandard equipment and materials. I had to chuckle at that before I let her in on the fact that Thailand has emerging nation status as well as the fact that the dentists there use the same state of the art equipment and materials.

Obviously there really isn’t an arguement to be had as I am in America,  not Thailand at the moment,   but it’s troubling to me when I keep hearing how well we have it in America compared to other places in the world when the reality is that we don’t have it so well, that’s just a lie we keep telling ourselves. With the health care debate raging in Washington I want to believe that change is possible but I’ve become jaded and I know greed will win out in the end.

You don’t need to look any further for reasons why medical tourism is on the rise and why Thailand is getting their fair share of medical trade. We are the new immigrants of the 21st century, not looking for freedom or shelter from persecution, just looking for decent medical attention at reasonable rates.

If nothing more I’m grateful for the percocet I’m on at the moment, while it deadens the pain it also eases the anger I’m feeling at the country that is letting me down more and more each day.