The Orthodontist's Office: Japanese-style

I had an unfortunate experience with my retainer cracking while I'm here in Japan, so I had to make a trip to the orthodontist's office today to see if they could make me a new retainer. Braces and retainers aren't as high of priorities here in Japan as they are in the U.S., so my host mom warned me to not be surprised if the orthodontist was not able to fashion a new bottom retainer.

I entered the office and, just like in a house, there was an entryway area with a lower floor than that of the rest of the office. I had to remove my shoes, and then I pressed a button on this machine next to the doorway, and slippers came out from the bottom of the machine. I left my pink Converse sneakers in the entryway and put on the slippers, then I entered the waiting area. I didn't have to fill out nearly as much paperwork as I normally do at the orthodontist's office in the U.S., and the wait wasn't nearly as long.

Aside from the slipper-ejecting machine, I was shocked at what I found beyond the waiting room in the actual service area. The area where the orthodontist works on patients' teeth is smaller than the typical areas I've seen in the U.S., yet it has the same number of chairs, so four patients could be treated at the same time. I was shocked to see a television with movies playing in front of each patient's chair. One could simply sit down and watch a movie while the dentist or orthodontist works away. Maybe that's why this service I received today costs twice as much as what it does in the U.S... No personal television screens in the U.S...

I was able to complete the entire appointment using Japanese only with a little assistance from my host mom. I was relieved to find out that it would be possible for them to make me a new retainer, and it will be ready in a few weeks.

On my way out of the office, I set the slippers I had worn on top of the slipper machine, and they fell through the slots in the top of the machine and joined the pile of slippers inside the machine. I thought that machine to be an unusual, yet uniquely Japanese piece of technology.