Tapster

@Oilinki.............OMG! This has turned into a bit of an essay, but at least you'll know exactly what was going on at the dentist's surgery!!

"I just went through root canal drill today. Small clinic couple of hundred meters down towards to the Town from the Rang Hill.

First visit last weekend. At the time I had slightly painful infection on my upper jaw, effecting also my ear. The dentist took x-rays and ordered me to wait for couple of days and eat antibiotics to reduce the swelling. Another, far more important reason for me, was that she said that I better get the infection fixed so that the anesthetics will work once the treatment starts. Antibiotics worked and I was ready to go. Two x-rays, checking and antibiotics were either each 300 baht or 300 baht together. I'm not sure which one it was."

OK, so it's a back tooth in the upper jaw. Referred ear pain often indicates an infection or at least the start of inflammation of the pulp (nerve) that may be irreversible and require a root filling........which is what you needed.

Getting the inflammation/infection controlled by antibiotics will reduce the pain while an appointment is made with an endodontist (root canal specialist). Root canal work is fiddly and time-consuming but it can save the tooth for the rest of your life if done correctly. A specialist (not senior, just a specialist) does root canal all day (poor bastard!) and will generally do a better job in difficult cases than a general dentist. That said, the lady at Rang Hill did my wife's front tooth very well on her own but that only has one or two root canals. Your molar (I'm assuming it was a molar) would have a minimum of four canals on average and the access at the back of your mouth isn't as good as at the front.

It's often said that getting the inflammation down changes the pH of the tissues which allows the local anaesthetic to work in a more normal environment. There's no real evidence for this but the antibiotics reduce the pain so it can't do any harm.

Costs at this stage....cheap as chips for good advice.

"The treatment was done by more senior dentist, who came outside of this clinic. Before we started I asked for a second opinion. She showed me the x-rays and explained which parts were infected and why the treatment was needed even if I did not really wanted it. I could see the darker part, but have no education to say if the treatment was really needed or if a simple drilling and patching would do the trick. However the way she explained the situation and the fact that I did have infection on my jaw were the factors that I had no reason to doubt if the root canal treatment was needed. "

The darker part on the x-ray is an area where the infection/inflammation has reduced the density of the bone, reducing the amount of bone that the x-rays have to travel through to get to the film, hence they expose the film more than in the denser areas. As all photographers know, more exposure = darker film, hence the dark area = infection/inflammation at the tip of the roots, a clear indication for considering a root filling.

Drilling and patching will do nothing for the problem around the roots. The problem will get worse = bigger infection = more pain = less chance of successful root filling in the future,

Good explanation by dentist and good decision on your part!

"The root canal treatment was awful. What else to expect when one have to keep mouth open for 2 hours while somebody is drilling a hole to your tooth? Actually the situation was done both professionally as well as empathically. The latter was a important point.

After an hour sitting on the dentist chair the initial anesthetics started to fade. Once the drill or something else hit to my tooth I shivered. The dentist tapped couple of times to my chest as response. Something new to me. Those few taps basically said. "I noted that you felt the pain and are in a awful situation. Everything is ok." For me that little expression was important as I was expecting her to actively calculate what is the minimum amount of anesthetics to get through the procedure. After an moment I felt a needle in my gum.. it was not yet over."

Yes, having root canal treatment takes a long time if it's done properly. It should never be painful though. One can always give more anaesthetic. The dentist sounds like she had a good 'chairside manner', an excellent recommendation. Despite having your mouth open for a long time you should always be able to ask for a short rest and usually a small soft wedge can be used to help hold your mouth open to take the strain off the jaw muscles which can get very tired of keeping your mouth open. If a wedge is used, it's not an insensitive dentist 'jacking your mouth open', rather a considerate one making it more comfortable for you.

Have a look at this diagram:

Root canal 101:

The root canals are cleaned out and shaped so that they can be filled to the tip of the root. The point of this is that the infection has started inside the tooth and then spread outside to the area around the roots. Healing the infection needs a blood supply, to bring white blood cells to kill bacteria, then cells to grow back new bone. There's no blood supply to the inside of the tooth because the cells in the centre of the tooth have died because of the infection. Thus, if you don't put in a root filling to occupy that space it acts as a reservoir of infection, filled with bacteria which the body cannot ever remove because there's no blood supply. The root filling cleans out bacteria from the root canals, fills the space and allows the body to heal the area around the tip of the root by itself, with no continuing supply of bacteria from the tooth.

..............disclaimer...........even the best root canal therapy is not always successful. We're humans, not machines. There are factors influencing success as there are in any surgery.

"Cost: 24.000B

Cost breakdown
10.000 for the root canal treatment"

I used to have to charge twice as much for a molar in the UK but our overheads were a lot higher with wages, etc.

You have to charge the necessary hourly rate to cover your costs and get a salary.

"4.000 for the pins (3)"

Pins are a way of securing a filling over the completed root canal treatment. The tooth may be quite fragile after the loss of the original filling and the removal of some tooth tissue to access the root canals. The core restores the tooth which can then be trimmed down to make space for a crown to protect the core and the tooth by covering the whole tooth, down to the gum line, as the diagram below shows. In the root canal diagram above, a post has been used, in the root canal. Pins are smaller than a post and are placed in the tooth tissue rather than cemented into the root canal. It's an equally valid treatment. The decision depends on how much sound tooth tissue remains after the root canal treatment. More remaining = pins might be best, less remaining = possibly use the strength of the roots with a cemented post.

Your 4,000 bought a lot more than 3 pins but that wasn't made clear on the bill.

This diagram doesn't show a root canal, only a crown placed on a core.

"10.000 for the crown."

Again, I had to charge twice this rate. A good crown on a good root filling can restore your tooth for the rest of your life, subject to the "we are humans, not machines factors"

"Why the pins are special enough to put to the breakdown? Why those cost so much compared to the process in general?"

Because the sequence is root canal treatment, then post/pins and core, then crown. The pins just don't sound very special!

WOW!

I think that's enough from me!!

I'm going out into the daylight!

Hi Mac,

Thanks for the reply.

Yes, I understand the point you make. The whole Idea is for me to be able to get the statues out again at a later stage.

I bought them in Bali some years ago. They have no connection with Thailand at all. As to documentation..........I certainly had some (in 1995!)........so I guess I'll have to start searching!

Cheers!

Hi Joe,

I thought my post was more about immigration than business.........I mean, nobody wants to make a business of importing Buddha images into Thailand.

I thought I might get more info from someone who had immigrated with their household effects.

...........but, whatever you think best. I'm just after answers.

Thanks for the Thai customs link. I have checked that page already and also tried to email the Government Dept. of Fine Arts (but it seems impossible to use their online query system unless you speak Thai).

I'll try the customs email in the link you sent. Many thanks.

Greeting, esteemed advisors!

Immediately, please may I bypass references to 'importing coals to Newcastle' (for the Brits) and other pithy remarks about why I am asking this question about apparent reverse-importation.

The facts are simple. We've decided to move to Thailand and, as I have done before, I'm shipping all my worldly goods because I like having my stuff with me.

Included are three stone statues, each about a metre high: a seated Buddha, a head of Shiva and a statue of Ganesh.

If I want to leave Thailand with my stuff in the future I realise that exporting the Buddha may be an issue.

Has anyone had any experience regarding the regulations of importing a Buddha statue into Thailand?

............or any help around this issue would be useful.

I'd be very grateful for any help.

We left England in 1987 for a life downunder and in 1994 started to go home to see family every 2 years, which gradually crept up to every year as funds allowed, Since leaving Australia in 2007, we go back to England at least once a year, my father in law passed away recently so it's definitely going to be twice a year from now on, and we go back to Melbourne once a year to catch up with friends and for me to go and see the accountant and make sure everything that is legally required for the various government is attended to whilst my husband goes to Philip Island for a long weekend of debauchery camping trackside for the motorbike racing.

I'd hate not being able to go and catch up with people, but I do understand why some people just have no desire to return. Of course, amongst these may be those who would secretly like to go but aren't able to afford it. Money doesn't make you happy, but it makes living a lot easier and pleasant.

I'm sitting at my desk, here in Johannesburg, continuing with preparations for our move to Thailand in December. It's a bright spring morning and I'm enjoying my first cup of tea.

Am I becoming a grumpy old man?..............for I have been shaken out of my reverie by the post above which I'm entering for the award of.........

"Most Self-aggrandising Post ever on Thai Visa"

@ktdiver

To be fair to the other posters, your initial query has been resolved. The thread has evolved and now has answered some other people's issues. Is this a problem?

@jagfx

I'm in Phuket at the moment but returning to South Africa in two weeks, where I will apply for an O-A visa, ship all my stuff and deal with the sale of my house, returning to Phuket in triumph in time for Christmas!

I have done extensive research {Thai Embassy (Pretoria), Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, even Thai Visa!!!} and the O-A does require more paperwork (the only real effort is for Police Clearance Certificate and getting a medical exam done). However, for this small amount of extra schlep you get a multiple-entry visa that lasts up to almost two years. This is a better option for me but you must decide what suits you best.

As mentioned above, the alternative is "you can arrive here and convert to O entry if using other and extend with money in bank here 2 months or Embassy letter of 65k per month income or combination. One extra step this way (conversion) if you do not enter on non immigrant O visas but same extension process using TM.7 form and a few copies of passport and such - again very easy to do without any help."

I just feel more secure knowing that I have the right visa before arriving in Thailand with all my stuff. There can be no problems this way, no surprises. Then all you need to do is convert your wife's 90-day non-immigrant O visa and you're all set!

Cheers and good luck!

Since it's definitely OTC, I'll go to Boots here in Phuket and see if I can order it in bulk.

Thanks very much for your help.

I have registered with MIMS Thailand so I won't have to bother the forum with any more queries. I'm surprised to find that registering with MIMS is free. It's going to be very useful because you can see which drugs are OTC, which on prescription and which are more tightly controlled.

Thank you Sheryl, that's an excellent idea!

Many thanks, gentlemen!

At least it's available in LOS so I'll track it down from here.

The pharmacist said that it was available only from a hospital. Is that true of many drugs here?

Cheers

Hi,

I'm moving to Phuket and have been taking a blood pressure medicine called Candesartan, otherwise known in various countries as Atacand, Ratacand, Blopress or Amias.

Does anyone have any experience of getting this drug in Thailand? I have been told that it isn't available but that may not be true.

Many thanks.

Cool, Joe, thanks!

@NomadJoe

Very interesting info, thanks Joe.

My wife and I regularly dive in the Phuket area. We haven't been in Phuket long though, so please can I ask your opinion:

Are stingers in general enough of a risk, year-round, to require full length skins or thin wetsuits when diving?

Many thanks.

Wow!

I was having a drink in a Nai Yang beach bar yesterday afternoon. Next door was a large open-air massage operation with twenty or so beds and ladies waiting to soothe those aches and pains away.

Along came five soldiers and spoke to the ladies. Some of the ladies left and over the next half hour more locals converged on the building and a public meeting began, where a naval commander addressed the fifty or so Thais who had assembled. Everything was calm and orderly which was good because, as the guy spoke, more soldiers came and quietly formed a loose cordon around the area, including two soldiers with mean-looking sub machine guns. The others had side arms. A military photographer was present and two more naval officers arrived to watch. One of them was a commodore, at least that's what his insignia would have meant had he been in the British navy. So, quite an intimidating military presence, although everyone was calm and polite.

During the discussion a large JCB excavator drove past, heading for the south end of the beach where demolition took place as LeungKen described above.

Sheets of A4 paper were handed to some of the people at the meeting and a local Thai lady told me that they were notices announcing the forthcoming demolition of properties on the beach.

After some questions were asked by the locals and discussion ended, everyone quietly left and I presume that they are awaiting further developments today.

Clearly the military aren't taking any shit over the encroachment of businesses on the National Park and the beach at Nai Yang.

Hi Ronny,

 

Excellent work!

 

Kudos, man!

 

Gratuitous sexy latex photo...........I'm surprised I'm the first!

 

[attachment=277786:001.jpgopd.jpg]

I have been kite buggying in the UK for some years.

Now i'm here in Phuket.

I've looked at Shot's link above and it has everything you need, from stunt stuff to real power kites. For maximum fun, I'd get a 4-line power kite - that's a ram-air kite with the parallel pockets, open at the leading edge.

See pages 38-42 in the catalogue:

http://www.sportkitethailand.com/download/SKTcatalog.pdf

Actually, there seems to be a newer design using 3 lines (that's how kiteboarding kites are made) which will be easier to fly and the 3rd line allows you to adjust the power. For jumping, or just fun with aerobatics, etc. this might be great. It will really pull though.

Check out the internet and see what type you want. Whatever you choose, the catalogue seems to cover all areas......and no one has given me a free kite to say that!!

We went to Ranong last weekend to use our last entry of a three-entry tourist visa. We went over to the Andaman Club and returned approx two hours later.

The Thai Immigration guys were friendly and the extension was easily approved and was free (unlike the Myanmar entry which was 1900 THB for two). We were not asked for proof of funds. Money was not mentioned at all.

Re: timetable of ferry, can't give you precise details but it is definitely running at 9am until well after 5pm. However, we read somewhere that the Thai Immigration office closes at 5pm. That doesn't really make sense as you need it to leave and enter Thailand and why run the ferry if nobody can enter or leave Thailand. Nevertheless, we did our trip over and back at lunchtime, just in case.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Great stuff, thanks!

Finally:

• Is this just one ticket? There are different bar codes on the "two halves" but the numbers on them are the same. Weird.
  
• What is the correct price of a lottery ticket? I can't read it.

Thanks all!

​

Cool, thanks for the comments. I'm glad to know that it's not a scam, then!

The date on the ticket is 1st July 2014.

Where are the results announced?

Cheers!

Is this a massive newbie mistake??

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

@surangw....

Went Zorbing when a friend from South Africa visited us a month ago. I took pictures while my wife and her friend Zorbed (is that a word?).

Everyone seemed to love it. Wear a swimsuit, dive or crawl into the Zorb. They chuck water in. You can either sit down and get rolled around or if you're feeling brave, try and stand up and run as the Zorb rolls.......you end up on your ass but it's worth a try.

There are two Zorbs running parallel so you can try to race your friends.

They also lie you down in a row while others ride the Zorb over you. Looks like a strange form of execution but everyone gets up with massive smiles again.

Definitely worth a try.

Here, they are standing up, not showing their incredible core strength!! My bad!

I'm learning to kitesurf in Nai Yang. I was there on Sunday and the amount of plastic bags and rubbish that got tangled in the lines while launching the kite was shocking.

I'm told it gets worse as the wet season progresses, as stuff further out to sea comes ashore.

Phuket is a lovely place...so sad!

Thanks, man!

I wonder if there is a niche market in dim sum tours of Hong Kong?

Have you been to HK?

If you have, is it dim sum heaven? I will get there some time in the next five years, but can't afford it at the moment.

No worries, anticipation is fun, but I never let it decrease the experience of the actual thing. I was just reading a lot of anticipation quotes (mine is not a quote) and I was saddened to see that there were many that said....anticipation is often better than the real thing. I think that says more about the author than they'd really like!

Gentlemen, many thanks!!

I will be there directly!

@Kopitiam

EEK!....do you mean that they open early in the morning and you have to leave at 11am..........11 in the morning??