Grace Vs. Kitcha Dental Clinics

[samlowry]

Hello, friends!

For 3 yrs we used Kitcha clinic. Now we decided to try Grace. My wife come to fix some filling and did total check up with panoramic x-ray, doc planned some procedures (fillings + crowns mostly) and the total bill was about 100K ฿, approximately 16-18k per tooth (in Kitcha it'll cost about 13k per tooth). So - now we trying to decide have we use their service or not.

Pls, tell us, are they really as good as people talk? Do they really provide better quality, or just ask more money?

[meadish_sweetball]

If you were happy with Kitcha, why not continue going there? At first happy with the low prices, me and the wife had less than impressive results from Kitcha, the fillings we had done there cracked and started to leak, and my wife had to redo hers at Ram where she has dental insurance, and I redid mine at Grace. Not pleasant, as they had to go quite deep.

Grace, to me, is a mixed bag. While the dentists I have seemed very professional and the overall service is efficient and pleasant, I do think that they charge extra for the 'experience' as well. I am also wondering a bit about their diagnosis telling me I should have all 4 wisdom teeth removed... that was 2 years ago now, I opted not to have them removed, and have not had any problems whatsoever since. It's possible I'm just postponing the inevitable, though.

Still, Kitcha didn't do it for us as explained. So I am also on the lookout for an affordable but reliable place. If I don't find one, I guess I'll keep going to Grace.

[elektrified]

Prices for dental work have gone crazy recently with all the "dental tourism" in C.M. these days. Never been to Grace so can't comment. About 5 years ago I used to go to Kitcha and my family did too. We liked Dr. Kitcha very much. He did very good work and prices were more than reasonable. You could always get an appointment the next day or thereabouts. Then he began advertising in all the free tourist magazines around town, on the Internet, hooked up with ex-pat groups, hired an English speaking staff, etc. Then he raised his prices by something like 400%. It then took 2 weeks to get an appointment with him. Haven't been back since. There are so many dentists in this town. Shop around. I have my favorite for cleaning but can't recommend anyone for other work. Recently, chiang mai and uptheos recommended a dentist at Elite Smile for extensive dental work. They are two members whose opinions I trust. Next time I would try the dentist they recommended.

[Tywais]

telling me I should have all 4 wisdom teeth removed... that was 2 years ago now, I opted not to have them removed, and have not had any problems whatsoever since. It's possible I'm just postponing the inevitable, though.

Very possible that can be the case. I had two lower removed, US, prior to having braces. There was one more in the top and the 2nd top one didn't exist. They indicated that the top one would probably not be a problem. 20 years later though, it became a major problem pushing the adjacent molar out of its socket. My fault for procrastinating in dealing with it when the symptoms first showed. 2 years probably won't show anything but I would certainly keep watch of anything abnormal and have them rechecked annually to see if they are pushing against your adjacent molars.

I also use Grace and generally satisfied with them even though a bit more pricey. The periodontist and endodonist (root canal therapy) were both very good. However I can't say the same for the one who did the crown preparation and fitting. They were straight forward and didn't push for expensive alternatives. In my case one molar cracked and was in pretty bad shape. They suggested to use the least expensive crown as the lifetime of that molar is probably limited.

[seesip]

I have been to Dr. Tongnard off the canal road and he's been great. I've had cleanings, and a dental implant put it, and know others who've had fillings etc. They are professional and pleasant. Been to Grace for their pediatric dentist and she was awesome. Would recommend Grace if you've got a kid, and either place for anything else.

[Plastic Brontosaurus]

Been to Grace for a difficult root canal (bent root, extra root) and they had better kit than any dentist's kit I have seen in Australia or NZ (easier for them too as they have such a big practice, they can share the purchasing costs). The result, far as I can tell, was excellent. They also discovered another root canal that was not properly done and showed me on the screen.

Had them do a checkup and quote for more work including implants, they once again showed off some kit: an impressive interactive computer system to manipulate the x-rays, however one can't escape the impression that besides being very professional, it is also a very commercial operation (fair enough, that's why they are in business). They exist because of the falangs, as 80-90% of their customers are either falangs or non-Thai Asians, from looking around the waiting room the five or six times I was there.

Personally I will continue to go to Grace for any major work (root canals, implants, anything tricky). Standard stuff like fillings and crowns can be done by most dentists, and they are usually cheaper, as Grace is certainly near the top of the pricing range for CM.

Edited February 4, 2013 by Plastic Brontosaurus

[nattydread]

I went to Kitcha and was told by one of the lady dentists that I needed two fillings...was sceptical as I didnt like the look of the place so went to Empress dental clinic on Canal rd and saw a Dr Jarunee who is much admired on this forum....she examined me and said all I needed was a clean and polish

Dr Jarunee was trained in Germany and the rest of the staff that work there have outstanding CVs...maybe worth going and having a check up and consultation before you decide who to engage

http://www.empressdentalclinic.com/

[elektrified]

I went to Kitcha and was told by one of the lady dentists that I needed two fillings...was sceptical as I didnt like the look of the place so went to Empress dental clinic on Canal rd and saw a Dr Jarunee who is much admired on this forum....she examined me and said all I needed was a clean and polish

Dr Jarunee was trained in Germany and the rest of the staff that work there have outstanding CVs...maybe worth going and having a check up and consultation before you decide who to engage

http://www.empressdentalclinic.com/

I would go as far as saying that Dr. Jarunee is one of the best in C.M. and one of the best I have been to anywhere. I can not say the same for the others there regardless of what their "CV" says. Some are fresh out of school and have little experience. Unfortunately, (but fortunately for her) Dr. Jarunee is extremely busy and can not do all procedures herself so she must refer to her associates. If she can't do the work herself, I go elsewhere.

[just_Elaine]

I went to Kitcha and was told by one of the lady dentists that I needed two fillings...was sceptical as I didnt like the look of the place so went to Empress dental clinic on Canal rd and saw a Dr Jarunee who is much admired on this forum....she examined me and said all I needed was a clean and polish

Dr Jarunee was trained in Germany and the rest of the staff that work there have outstanding CVs...maybe worth going and having a check up and consultation before you decide who to engage

http://www.empressdentalclinic.com/

I would go as far as saying that Dr. Jarunee is one of the best in C.M. and one of the best I have been to anywhere. I can not say the same for the others there regardless of what their "CV" says. Some are fresh out of school and have little experience. Unfortunately, (but fortunately for her) Dr. Jarunee is extremely busy and can not do all procedures herself so she must refer to her associates. If she can't do the work herself, I go elsewhere.

I mainly have cleanings done and got someone I was not happy with Jarunee left Grace. I went back to Grace and requested someone else and ended up liking that person. However, that person is not there a lot. Thanks TV people for letting me know where Jarunee is located now! I will be seeing her again in the next week.

[uptheos]

I went to Kitcha and was told by one of the lady dentists that I needed two fillings...was sceptical as I didnt like the look of the place so went to Empress dental clinic on Canal rd and saw a Dr Jarunee who is much admired on this forum....she examined me and said all I needed was a clean and polish

Dr Jarunee was trained in Germany and the rest of the staff that work there have outstanding CVs...maybe worth going and having a check up and consultation before you decide who to engage

http://www.empressdentalclinic.com/

I would go as far as saying that Dr. Jarunee is one of the best in C.M. and one of the best I have been to anywhere. I can not say the same for the others there regardless of what their "CV" says. Some are fresh out of school and have little experience. Unfortunately, (but fortunately for her) Dr. Jarunee is extremely busy and can not do all procedures herself so she must refer to her associates. If she can't do the work herself, I go elsewhere.

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