(Names have been changed to protect individual privacy)
I saw a post by my good friend Iffan about a clinic looking for someone for a tooth implant demonstration. The tooth implant would be free but there would be some incidental costs to pay. Knowing how good but expensive tooth implants are, I jumped at the chance.
I asked Iffan to help me. I told him, “Tell the clinic that I am a national record holder and I can help promote their clinic!”
A few days later, I was asked to visit the clinic. They wanted to see if I was a suitable candidate. When I arrived at the dental clinic, I immediately knew it was a high-class medical facility. The decor at the reception area was more like a cosy hotel than the local government clinic.
I met Dr Wat. She was a young doctor. I slipped in the fact that I had cycled solo to China very early on in our conversation. The first thing she did was to check my teeth and gums. She rattled off some numbers while a nurse recorded them down. Then she turned my attention to a flatscreen monitor and lo and behold, my dental record was there for me to see. She explained them all to me and pointed out some teeth that needed attention.
Then, a nurse wheeled in a machine which had a screen with a device attached to it. Dr Wat told me she was going to scan my teeth.
“Scan my teeth?” I thought to myself. I have never had my teeth scanned before.
She put the device into my mouth and moved it back and forth over every tooth. I heard the machine make a “tak-tak-tak” sound. After a minute or so, she was done.
“Here, take a look at the screen. That’s your upper teeth and gums,” she told me as she directed my attention to the machine’s colour TV screen. My eyes widened when I saw a 3D model of my teeth and gums! Using her fingers on the screen, she turned ‘my teeth’ around on the screen so I could get a better look.
She enlarged an area of my gums and asked, “See that yellow bulge? That’s pus. There is pus under that area of your gums. You should get it treated.”
I did not reply her. I was busy thinking about the device that she had used to scan my teeth. How did it work, I wondered.
Later, she took an X-ray of the missing tooth. The last time I took a dental X-ray, I had to go to the X-ray department of a hospital. In Artius, the X-ray machine was wheeled to me! Once done, I was told to go home and await their call. If I was successful, I would be called back.
I was asked to wait at the reception area. When I entered the area, I saw an old man sitting on a motorised wheelchair. His wife sat next to him, holding his hand. Around him were three men who did not look like they could afford the fees of such a high-class clinic. I did not recognise the gentleman but knew he was someone important or rich to have so many assistants.
I sat down and played with my phone. I few minutes later, the receptionist called my name and told me I could go home.
There was a couple in the lift with me as we headed to the ground floor. The man remarked to his wife, “Wow! That was Badawi!”
Huh? It did not look like the ex-prime minister to me. Maybe he was mistaken, I thought.
As I walked towards the main entrance, I saw two police cars with their siren lights flashing. My goodness! Was that really Tun Abdullah Badawi in the clinic?
Pepper's World. Notes to myself. 