An "extraordinary" dinner with consequences, or: dentist Ahmet fixing my tooth
As some of you know, I had to undergo a major dental treatment before leaving in order to be sure that I would not have any trouble during my trip. Despite all the planning, somehow one of the crowns I got could not be finished before I left (don't ask me why....) and I got a provisional one, receiving however the reassurance by my dentist that it would hold for the entire trip if I am careful when chewing hard food. So far so good!
On the second last day in Cappadocia, after our great hike through the Ihlara valley, we went for dinner to a small "Lokanta" on the Meydani (main square) in the calm village of Güzelyurt. It was basically one out of four options there to get anything to eat and having been to the other more or less nice looking place the day before, we thought we should try something different... We ordered two typical regional Kebap dishes with different names. After ordering, the owner asked us whether we like aubergines and we thought they would be part of one of the dishes. What we received was actually twice the same dish with exactly the same ingredients... The only difference we could figure out was the pot in which it was served...we also received a separate plate with 4 (!!) entire aubergines, just baked in the stone oven, without any seasoning (see photo below). The looks of the aubergines and the way it was served made us laugh so hard we had to cry..... It turned out that their fridge was full of aubergines, which they had bought the same morning on the villages' weekly market and they desperately tried to get rid of... They did not have much taste but we mixed them with the Kebap and it turned out ok... While the family was extremely friendly, hygiene was not their priority. The beer glasses they gave us had already been used and the owner just turned round, wiped them out with his wool sweater, and then put them on our table...
After this "exceptional" dinner, when I tried to remove a small piece of meet stuck between my teeth, all of a sudden I had a strange feeling that one of my teeth was moving and - after a short while - realised that the provisional crown had come loose. There was no other solution than removing it. Utterly frustrated that this "solution" lasted less than 3 weeks, I remembered my dentist's advice that - should the crown came off - it could easily be glued back in and carefully packed the crown in some cotton and in a small glass (which my friend and travel companion Susanne had readily available - she always comes prepared for any emergency - not surprising though as she works for the German civil protection and disaster relief organisation THW....;-) ) to protect it. We then investigated about dentists in Kayseri, a one million inhabitants city about 150km away and from where my train to Iran would leave two days later and actually found addresses of recommended dentists. Once arrived in Kayseri, around 20.30, we went for a stroll to look for a place to have dinner and passed by the dentists. We realised that on Atatürk Bulvari, there were loads of hospitals, clinics, polyclinics and medical practices. We later read that Kayseri was one of the first places in the world with a medical school. The first dental clinic we passed by was still open (www.uzmandent.com) and we got I to ask whether I could get treated the next morning by an English speaking dentist. It turned out that I did not even have to wait for the next day as there was an English speaking dentist right there. His name was Ahmet Çalışkan (see photo). He briefly looked into my mouth and confirmed that within 5-10 minutes, he could glue in the crown. Unfortunately, I had left the glass with the crown in the hotel, so we had to walk back and forth for about 40 minutes but were back at the clinic still well in time before the clinic closed. Ahmet was extremely nice and said that the cement my Brussels dentist had used is supposed to only lasts for about a week or two, while my dentist was well aware that I would be away for over 4 months ..(grrrr!!!) I explained to Ahmet my travel plans and that I hoped he could fix the crown so that it holds until I am back in Brussels. He said that he could not promise anything, but used a stronger glue and - in order to allow for easier removal afterwards - put some Vaseline underneath... (interesting...) He told me that he loves travelling and reading travel blogs.. When I told him that I am writing one too and that I intend to include a chapter on my tooth, the asked me to give him the link... After about 10 minutes, when everything was fixed and I wanted to pay, Ahmet did not want to charge anything.. He said the payment was the address to my blog... Isn't that great?? So: if you read this, Ahmet, thanks again so much for your help and your friendly gesture!! For now, everything seems to be just fine and I sincerely hope it will last for the next 4 months... :-) please do not hesitate to keep in touch.. You will find my email address here on my profile...
Photos at: https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#A6GY8gBY75Wd0
As some of you know, I had to undergo a major dental treatment before leaving in order to be sure that I would not have any trouble during my trip. Despite all the planning, somehow one of the crowns I got could not be finished before I left (don't ask me why....) and I got a provisional one, receiving however the reassurance by my dentist that it would hold for the entire trip if I am careful when chewing hard food. So far so good!
On the second last day in Cappadocia, after our great hike through the Ihlara valley, we went for dinner to a small "Lokanta" on the Meydani (main square) in the calm village of Güzelyurt. It was basically one out of four options there to get anything to eat and having been to the other more or less nice looking place the day before, we thought we should try something different... We ordered two typical regional Kebap dishes with different names. After ordering, the owner asked us whether we like aubergines and we thought they would be part of one of the dishes. What we received was actually twice the same dish with exactly the same ingredients... The only difference we could figure out was the pot in which it was served...we also received a separate plate with 4 (!!) entire aubergines, just baked in the stone oven, without any seasoning (see photo below). The looks of the aubergines and the way it was served made us laugh so hard we had to cry..... It turned out that their fridge was full of aubergines, which they had bought the same morning on the villages' weekly market and they desperately tried to get rid of... They did not have much taste but we mixed them with the Kebap and it turned out ok... While the family was extremely friendly, hygiene was not their priority. The beer glasses they gave us had already been used and the owner just turned round, wiped them out with his wool sweater, and then put them on our table...
After this "exceptional" dinner, when I tried to remove a small piece of meet stuck between my teeth, all of a sudden I had a strange feeling that one of my teeth was moving and - after a short while - realised that the provisional crown had come loose. There was no other solution than removing it. Utterly frustrated that this "solution" lasted less than 3 weeks, I remembered my dentist's advice that - should the crown came off - it could easily be glued back in and carefully packed the crown in some cotton and in a small glass (which my friend and travel companion Susanne had readily available - she always comes prepared for any emergency - not surprising though as she works for the German civil protection and disaster relief organisation THW....;-) ) to protect it. We then investigated about dentists in Kayseri, a one million inhabitants city about 150km away and from where my train to Iran would leave two days later and actually found addresses of recommended dentists. Once arrived in Kayseri, around 20.30, we went for a stroll to look for a place to have dinner and passed by the dentists. We realised that on Atatürk Bulvari, there were loads of hospitals, clinics, polyclinics and medical practices. We later read that Kayseri was one of the first places in the world with a medical school. The first dental clinic we passed by was still open (www.uzmandent.com) and we got I to ask whether I could get treated the next morning by an English speaking dentist. It turned out that I did not even have to wait for the next day as there was an English speaking dentist right there. His name was Ahmet Çalışkan (see photo). He briefly looked into my mouth and confirmed that within 5-10 minutes, he could glue in the crown. Unfortunately, I had left the glass with the crown in the hotel, so we had to walk back and forth for about 40 minutes but were back at the clinic still well in time before the clinic closed. Ahmet was extremely nice and said that the cement my Brussels dentist had used is supposed to only lasts for about a week or two, while my dentist was well aware that I would be away for over 4 months ..(grrrr!!!) I explained to Ahmet my travel plans and that I hoped he could fix the crown so that it holds until I am back in Brussels. He said that he could not promise anything, but used a stronger glue and - in order to allow for easier removal afterwards - put some Vaseline underneath... (interesting...) He told me that he loves travelling and reading travel blogs.. When I told him that I am writing one too and that I intend to include a chapter on my tooth, the asked me to give him the link... After about 10 minutes, when everything was fixed and I wanted to pay, Ahmet did not want to charge anything.. He said the payment was the address to my blog... Isn't that great?? So: if you read this, Ahmet, thanks again so much for your help and your friendly gesture!! For now, everything seems to be just fine and I sincerely hope it will last for the next 4 months... :-) please do not hesitate to keep in touch.. You will find my email address here on my profile...
Photos at: https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#A6GY8gBY75Wd0
1 comment:
i m glad to See THE post finally :) Thank you for such Kind words. And u Wellcome anytime if u pass BY HERE. İf THE Crown fail ( i Hope it dosen't) LET ME know.
Have Fun.Good luck!
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