I’m going to be honest – as a Brit living in the Dominican Republic for nearly 4 years, I have always chosen to go to my nice English dentist rather than take the “risk” of visiting one here. So when I was invited by Dental Integral to do a “review” of their services, I hesitated and put it off for months – and so now having finally taken to the dentist’s chair of Dr. Francisca Silvestre, here I bring you my long overdue review and recommendation of Dental Integral.
We (Silgon Inc., Casa de Campo Living and CasaLife) first came into contact with Dental Integral last year when they contacted us to do advertising and Philip Silvestri, President of our modern media company, Silgon Inc. met with Dr. Francisca Silvestre in her practice and was amazed by the modern equipment, the cleanliness and the professionalism of their staff – all of which in his opinion were if not better at least on par with dental practices in the United States.
And so Dental Integral started advertising and despite this review being part of their contract – I hesitated to go. Until……..at the MIR Bazaar on Saturday March 31st I ran into Casa de Campo villa owner, Gini Mari Weill who, THRILLED with her experience at Dental Integral told me all about how fantastic, professional and knowledgable Dr. Francisca Silvestre is, and even compared the facility and equipment to that of the United States – saying it was better than most practices she had visited in Miami.
So off I went! And my oh my was I impressed! I just went in for a “check-up” – but when that turned into a thorough cleaning, I too was thrilled to leave with a cleaner, fresher and whiter smile!
Up close and personal – a camera in my mouth
The check up began with the usual prodding, poking and looking and then to my big surprise Dr. Francisca Silvestre put a small handheld camera inside my mouth to point out problem areas. It was incredible – there on the screen in front of me, she pointed out my cavities (boo!), stains and plaque and even took photos of the worst areas, so that later after she’d cleaned me up I could see the sparkling white difference!
And with the cleaning over, before I was allowed out of the chair I was taught how to correctly clean my teeth – with a live demonstration involving brushing and flossing, which was carried out whilst Dr. Francisca Silvestre repeated her favorite mantra “the best dentist is you” – insisting that if you look after your own teeth correctly you’ll never need any invasive procedures!
I was and still am thrilled by the difference just that cleaning made, using an ultra-sonic machine, which removed the plaque and stains (although sadly not cavities, that came later), I walked out of Dental Integral with renewed confidence and a fresher, whiter smile! Woohoo!
Bye Bye Cavities!
Although I’m loathed to admit it – I needed fillings! And because Dental Integral is just a 5 minute drive from Casa de Campo, we were able to go back the next day to get the fillings done (and the day after that for a few more…..) The fact that Dental Integral is so nearby was a big relief – meaning that I could spread out my treatments making them more comfortable and manageable.
The first step was a panoramic X-ray of my teeth. The X-ray machine (one of the things Gini Mari raved to me about) is a stand alone machine that whizzes around your entire head and captures a full panoramic X-ray of all your teeth.
Next, we all had a look at the X-ray and Dr. Francisca Silvestre pointed out my cavities, as well as showed concern for the position of my wisdom teeth, which she recommends we remove – but I’m still hesitating on that one!
So then the drilling began and although I was understandably not particularly thrilled with this part – I did enjoy being shown (again with the camera) the depth of my cavities as she drilled them out – it sounds like a terrible thing to see but I liked it for 2 reasons; 1 because I could see that the filling really was necessary and 2; because I never want to see that again, so my tooth brushing has become 100% more dedicated!
YUCK! Cavity – before and after
A few other interesting and impressive points about the fillings were:
• at the bottom of the filling a desensitizer was added to prevent future sensitivity and pain
• a special technique was used to cover the tooth with the filling material, preventing further cavities growing in from the edges of the filling and developing underneath
So yes I do recommend Dental Integral!
AND – Dental Integral accept insurance from a variety of medical insurance providers – contact them for more info!
Dental Integral “Smile Architects”
Principal Calle Altagracia No.12,
La Romana,
Republica Dominicana
Tel. 809-813-1680
Fax. 809-813-1680
Email: info@dentalintegral.com.do
It’s easy to find Dental Integral in La Romana! From Casa de Campo drive into La Romana, turn left at the main traffic lights by the police station and then take the first right and the office is on the right.
From the outside, Dental Integral looks like this:
Spanish
