I went to the dentist for the first time in the US last night. It was a pretty odd experience. 19 xrays (apparently that’s standard here), a TV set on the wall where they showed me the tooth which needs a filling, and then showed me the filling after it was done, photos of my teeth with a digital camera so they can show me before and after in a few years. Heck, they rubbed lotion on my lips for me so that I wouldn’t have to suffer at all by keeping my mouth open for more than 30 seconds.
The best bit? They came up with a written estimate before they did the filling, and made sure I was ok with the whole thing before they did any work.
I think I like the dentist here.