David's Diary: Tuesday, August 6, 2002

A Dentist in Split

For the last couple of weeks I've had a tooth that was bothering me. It was not hurting, but the outside felt funny and I was worried that what may now be a little problem would soon become a big one.

Medical treatment is probably one of the biggest concerns that cruisers or other long-term travelers face. You are never certain of the quality of the medical care in the country or city where you are located. Even finding a recommendation can be a challenge and you never know the level of English communmication you will face when you finally do seek treatment.

This morning I stopped at the marina office and told them about my tooth. They have a regular dentist that they recommend to visitors and I was told that the dentist would see me right away. A short taxi ride later I was in the waiting room of Dr. Perkovic. A few minutes later I was led into a clean, nice appointed dentist's office with what appeared to be the most up-to-date equipment available. Dr. Perkovic quickly examined my tooth and discovered that a corner of the crown had broken off. There was nothing for it, but to remove the old filling and put in a new one.

Like most people, I'm not all that comfortable in the dentist's chair. But Dr. Perkovic was smooth and efficient and made sure to tell me what he was doing. He also told me that he owned his own boat and he had been away on the weekend. He spoke perfect English, although it was interesting to try and guess what he was saying to his assistant in Croatian. An hour later my tooth was as good as new, although my mouth would be frozen for a while yet.

I asked for the cost and was told a price that was one half or one third what I would have paid for the same service in Canada. I'm not certain if dentists are subsidized in Croatia or whether we are charged much less because we pay in cash, but it seems like something isn't right when my dental visit only cost 30% more than the cost of the taxi ride from the marina to his office. I was just pleased that I had found such a good dentist on such short notice and that I wasn't going to have a problem with my tooth.