Busan Dentist

 Does anyone have a good recommendation for a English speaking dentist in Busan?  I'm in Sinpyeong, but will go wherever.  I've read that the SanFrancisco Clinic is a little expensive, but I am looking for somewhere good.  I think I need some crown/gum work.  Any ideas?? Thanks!

Namcheon Dentist

A friend of mine highly recommends a guy in Namcheon who is considerably cheaper than San Francisco. I personally haven't used him, but will do my best with directions that she gave me. Apologies in advance if you end up hiking for a while.

His name is Dr. Lee and his clinic has his name in it in English so that's a start.

To get there take Exit 1 from Namcheon station and go straight on the main road. The road splits into two after about 200 yards you want to stick on the road to your right. You will come to an overhead pass. This is where my directions become wooly, but the guy is somewhere around here. Just look up for a sign with the word dentist and Lee on it. I think it may be just past the overpass but may be wrong.

Good luck.

I go to Motzart Dental

I go to Motzart Dental Clinins in Jangsan, across from Maris Restaurant

She is killer with good rates and very good!

Re: I go to Motzart Dental

DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME AT MOZART DENTAL IF YOU NEED ANYTHING MORE THAN A CLEANING!!! This dentist is okay for minor work, but she botched a routine root canal in my case!!!!

I went to her with a toothache and was told that she would be able to do a root canal for me in 4 visits (2-3 weeks total). I explained to her that I was leaving in 6 weeks for home, so I'd like to get the work done ASAP in case I needed to come back to her clinic for any reason. She agreed to my time constraints and insisted it would take exactly 4 visits to complete everything. The first visit went well because I was given a shot to numb my mouth, so I couldn't feel anything.

The second visit was extremely painful. I was prepared for some pain, but this was excrutiating!!! The dentist told me to lift UP my hand if I felt pain. During this visit, I never had a chance to put my hand DOWN. She would nod and say, "I know. I know" when she saw my hand up or I jumped in the chair, BUT she NEVER did anything to adjust her technique or my pain level. I was shaking and in tears from the shock of the pain afterward. She said, "I think you are too sensitive."

After the 3rd visit (ALSO AN INCREDIBLY PAINFUL ONE), I asked if I would be getting the crown the following week. SHE LAUGHED IN MY FACE and said that it would be 4 ADDITIONAL visits until I received a crown. Angered, I asked her why she had lied to me about the work, or if the situation had changed why she had not notified me beforehand. She said, "Maybe I don't speak English well." Oh, really?? I'm pretty sure she learned the numbers 4 and 8!!! Also, my Korean friend had accompanied me on the 2nd visit, so why hadn't she explained things to him during that time if she felt unsure or knew that I needed more visits?!?

Frustrated, I made an appointment in Kyungsung with White E Dental next to McDonald's. The dentist there didn't speak English AT ALL, but she knew enough to tell me it would take 2 visits just to clean up the mess that the dentist at Mozart did before starting over again. Overall, I had 5 visits to the new dentist with absolutely :)  NO PAIN :), and all the work was completed on time.

Re: I go to baek hospital

i go to the best dentist in busan. i went to mozart and she could not even freeze my tooth-this after going to some other place in jangsan for 8 visits and then being told he could not fix my tooth. i go to baek hospital now. the guy fixed my tooth-without even freezing it. the others were doing work and just killing me how he did it who knows but that sold me. i had it capped. 

that said, the other two dentists both said i needed one other capped as well but he said no way, just a filling. saved me 300 bucks. i did have dental insurance. anyway, the other two said about 900 in work needed to be done but he did everything for about 5 and change. he even gave me a needle filled with flouride to put on some sensitive area for free.

as for baek hospital, i go there for everything now as the international center is up and running and is very helpful. my korean wife goes there to-baek that is. she broke her to and some bone place said she needed surgery and pins-baek, neither. head to the 5th floor, fill in some form, and then some volunteer will take you to where it is you have to go. and of course it is all in english-dentist to. sanfransico and so on are way to expensive. the guy at baek is on salary so no doing work that does not need to be done. i really recommend him there. 2nd floor. my bet is you will not be disappointed. good luck.

 

Grilzz

Yo, I gots my opal and amber grill done at Lil' Park and his boo Kim's place. It's tight, year of the tiger and all that. Go to PNU, exit the deuce, third floor stairwell of the PC Zone, knock on the orange and blue door -- password is 'peanut butter and jelly'.  

English Dentists in Busan

 If you are looking for an English dentist in your area, then try out this website: http://www.aim.or.kr/lifeinbusan.html.  It provides a list of all English medical and dental services in Busan.  If you click on the address provided, it will bring you to a google maps page so that you can see exactly where it is.  It's a really useful site.  

Also, if you want a personal recommendation, my wife and I go to Priden Dental  Clinic in Centum (contact info and location on the website mentioned above). You can call them yourself to make an appointment as their secretary speaks English very well.  They are located on the 2nd floor of the same building as Outback in Centum. 

Hope this information helps! 

Re: Busan Dentist

i agree about the san francisco dental clinic.  that baek dentist sounds worth a try.  for just a simple cleaning, the dental clinic at the good gwangan hospital is good.  think it is fifty thousand and they do a good job.  no x-rays, just cleaning.  has anyone had any experience, good or bad, with the chicago dental clinic across from the yulim apartment building at the gwangan subway station?  you do not have to bash them on here, can send a message, just trying to figure out if my experience with root canals and caps was typical for them, because it did not seem typical to me.   thanks a bunch

Re: Dentist in Korea

I've got four crowns in my molars instead of pulling them off, since dentists educated from the US schools of dentistry prefer molar extraction to tooth treatment.  Somehow I can hardly trust any dentist in Korea where a number of dental practitioners got graduated and licensed from the philippines in order to work in Korea as a dental person.  I rather call an old friend of mine from Seoul National U, whose family are partly American.  He has his dental clinic in Yoido.  I would go up there to take care of my teeth, cos they are as precious as my life is.   I will have implant when I grow up, not any denture.  His office is named as Pine Tree Dental.  Hygienists are quite good for gum care in Busan.  I go to Han Kio Re twice a year for scaling in Namchondong.  But it takes time to decide where to go for dentistry. I am just sayin that, for I used to work as a dental ass in New Jersey.

Re: Busan Dentist

I went to the PRIDEN dentists in Centum, Trump Tower.

They are bit more expensive, but very professional  and can speak

good english. It was a good experience.

Paid w50 000 for scaling (ultra) and 70 000 for cavity.

 

Good luck!

Re: Busan Dentist

I need at least one root canal and probably a few fillings.

Can anyone give me an idea of price here in Korea to have it done well?

I will pay more to avoid pain!

Re: Busan Dentist

Kang's Dental Clinic in Seomyeon. Yah, they advertise in the magazine but they really are good.

Re: Busan Dentist

Kam, no joke, go to the Baek Hospital and get it done. The guy is western trained and on salary so no doing extra work. He speaks amazing english as well. He saved me a bunch of cash as the other two places I went to wanted to put caps on two teeth but he said no, only need to do one. That said, the other two places I went could not even do the root canal without killing me. He did it with no freezing somehow. He is amazing! And it is not expensive-just about the same as anywhere else but the difference is he is amazing and he won't tell you you need caps and fillings all over if you don't. Best place to go for sure! He is on the second floor at Baek hospital n Jangsan.

Everyone should know that jsut about every clinic tells you you need more work than you do as that is how I make money. I went to some ear place for two years because of ear aches but finally went to Baek and the guy said stop wearing ear plugs and you will be fine-and I was. The dentists here, well, nightmare. I had pnemonia and the guy iept giving me meds for 3 days so I had to go back. 10 bucks everytime plus what he got on insurance. What a joke. I could go on and on. But Baek doctors are all on salary so they offer real help-not help that helps their biz.

For doctors go to the 5th floor-the internatoinal centre. Everyone speaks english and an escort will take you to where ever you need to go. The doctors you see all speak english as well. I am so happy they built this place. I feel comfortable knowing that when I see a doctor they are truly helping me and do not want to see me more than they have to. Little clinics ihave no faith in at all. My wife recently broke two toes-she went to a small clinic. They said after 3 visits she needed pins put in. I said go to Baek and there they said no,you will be okay. Again, saved us a fortune. Baek is best!

Re: Busan Dentist

I don't know if it's true or not, but my ajumma friends told me when they were building Baek (Paik?) Hospital that the administrators were poaching the "best" doctors from other hospitals...offering them more money, etc. According to them, Baek was to be the best of the best in Busan.

I can't confirm it, but that's what they said.

Re: Busan Dentist

I had a filling break and partially fall out a week ago. On other's advice, I checked out the San Francisco Dental Clinic and was not impressed. The filling I need repaired will require no drilling or anything and yet he quoted me $320 to do it! I was absolutely floored. That's for a simple white resin filling. Back in Australia, without insurance, I could get a ceramic tile designed for my tooth and laid on top for $265! Out of curiosity, I asked what the same service costs here--$900!!! And after that, he tried to upsell me to a gold filling when I was obviously not impressed with his price! Yeesh!! 0_o

I'm going to look somewhere else. Thanks for putting up your recommendations, everyone. I live in Dongnae so I think I'll check out the Lotte place this week. Their website looks pretty good and it sounds like they've been around for a while. 

What have you guys been paying per-filling at other places?

Re: Busan Dentist

In a similar predicament; tried the Yon's in Dongnae's Lotte and found it pleasant enough. If covered by insurance. How much are crowns and fillings in other places? I was quoted $500/tooth. (Is the cost good, average, or mediocre for Korea? I know it's better than the States, but most anything health related is, money-wise.)

Also, does anyone have any experience at Gwanghye in Dongnae OR "Share and Together" Dream Dental Clinic by Myungnyung Station? <The latter of the two had a glut of old people there at the time of my inquiry. The doctor seemed a bit older...I've also heard that one should go with the younger docs due to the constant advances in tech.>

Re: Busan Dentist

years ago in haeundae san fran tried to sell me on gold to like it was cool. i walked. i still say go to baek hospital. 051 797 2151 the guy speaks great english (not sure about the peeps who answer the phone but the dentist does) and he is on salary so no BS there. he saved me a mint. other dentists said i needed two crowns but this guy said no, just one and a filling. best dentist i have had here by far.

Re: Busan Dentist

Baek sounds nice, but charges a steep 600,000 per crown. I'll probably go with either a gold or a gold-porcelain mix for the molars tho. Out of sight and lasts much longer.

Re: Busan Dentist

wow.i never paid that. i paid under 5. weird.do you have dental insurance-  i went to mozart before three and she told me the same as the other dentist guy in jangsan-2 crowns at about 4 and change per crown; but she could not even freeze my tooth to work on it. the guy at baek did it without. not sure how but im not complaining. so i did not root canal/crown and a filling. cost me about 6 total. other places were quoting me over 8. for piece of mind, though, baek because they do not do work you do not need. i am surprised about the 600, though as i paid much less. good luck.

Re: Busan Dentist

no dental, just the national health. yeah yeah, a quick call asking for prices got me that. How much is a crown? 600000 won. Boo. And I def. need two crowns. Ugh.

Right now, I'm deciding between 3 places around me - Gwanghye hospital, Chia Dream Dental clinic (which has decent prices [350-400K], a swanky HQ, an older, no-nonsense dentist, and was fairly busy when I went [elderly]), and Yons (guy speaks English, recommended by other posts, and seemed nice enough [still, 400-500K for the crown and I need 2])

Ugh, there needs to be a WedMD or a rate your dentist sort of site in Busan...

Re: Busan Dentist

I tried out Yon's Dental Clinic in the Lotte dept store based on the good feedback I had read online.
 
The receptionist speaks minimal English but very friendly and I was able to set up the appointment without too much trouble (all in English). 
 
The clinic itself is very nice and quite easy to find. The staff are all very friendly. I paid 20,000won for the check-up which included an amazing 'panoramic' X-ray. 
 
I didn't feel like the check-up was done as throughly as I had expected and I'm not sure if I will go back yet. The dentist spoke English well enough but he was working on someone else at the same time as doing my check up so it was kind of strange/unprofessional. He took a long time to explain something simple. But it didn't seem like he had the time to answer some of my questions. I was there for 40minutes, but spend a fair amount of time just waiting and wondering what was going on. 
 
Apparently root canals are covered by medical insurance. But crowns are not. 
 
Although I have medical insurance I didn't take the piece of paper with me... My ARC did not avail any connection to medical insurance. I wonder if I have the right kind of insurance... 
 
 
 
 

Re: Busan Dentist

Just adding this info if anyone searches for this topic (I found it from Google)

Went to the place in Dongae Lotte Dept Store on friday afternoon, 3 pm, no appointment just rocked up,  good place, receptionist spoke enough english to sort out my appointment. Nurse spoke good English, Dentist spoke good English (90%  style so nearly perfect)

I have one big cavity that needs filling at a cost of 100,000KRW, Using a natural white style filler composite (I'm not a pro but it was said it was good stuff to use not cheap junk other Korean places use) Scaling costs 70,000KRW and the checkup itself was 10,000KRW (basic checkup)

I initially thought  I don't ave insurance so that price is good for anyone, stone cold cash price, but it turns out  I do so will pay an amount less (don't know what yet)

Happy to reccomend the place to other expats. 

 

 

Re: Busan Dentist

I  have had two root canals at San Francisco Dental Clinic . The last one was last week . When Dr Seo was  finished I asked him Did you do the root canal ?  He said yes . Meaning there was no pain So I did not even know he did it  So I am always fully satisfied with San Fran Dental        

Re: Busan Dentist

I would not recommend Priden in Centum.

I was told by a friend to go, as he had had a positive experience.
I made an appointment, but upon showing up was made to wait 30 minutes. They did not book their translator that day, even though I had asked, and they knew I did not speak Korean well enough.

No one in the office was proficient enough at English to explain what was going on (even though they have an English website, and the Haeundae Medical guideline states that they cater to foreigners).

It took 1 hour and 45 minutes for them to take x-rays, most of the time no one would talk to me, and when I did ask questions they didn't have any answers.

I went in because I wanted something for my sensitive teeth and a scaling, and neither of these needs were addressed. They were too focused on the fact that I had some discoloration in my molars due to having flourosis as a kid, but did not understand my explanation or care to listen to my previous dental history. They then mistook this very common condition for 4 deparate cavities (I saw my Canadian dentist a few months ago, who stated that I would never suffer from cavities due to the excess of flouride in my teeth.)

After almost two hours I finally got the scaling. The dental hygenist did it within 15 minutes, and when I went home to inspect I realized she had done the crappiest job I've ever seen (back home they usually spend at least 30 minutes cleaning and polishing everything, and then end with some flouride treatment). Granted, with insurance it only cost me $14. 

I will be going to Paik next week, and hopefully they will clean the mess up and proffer some (understandable) information.

Re: Busan Dentist

Could anyone tell me exactly where Baek (paik?) hospital is in Busan? I am not sure if it is the hospital that is located in Jangsan or not. Thank you!

Re: Busan Dentist

So I paid a visit to the dentist at Paik Hospital in Jangsan (Haeundae). They were very friendly and their english was good, but for my root canal procedure they're were going to charge me 800,000 won. Even for a ceramic crown I thought that was expensive.

A friend had told me about Kang's Dental clinic in Seomyeon (go out exit 2 and walk straight about 1 block, it's the 7th floor of the tall building on the left looking for the pink and purple sign). They were very friendly and even gave me a discount because I had also seen their advertisement on Busan Haps. Their fee for a root canal was about 590,000 won including the crown, so I decided to go with them. I have had a great experience so far and recommend it to any foreigners still looking for a decent dentist.

Re: Busan Dentist

As far as I know root canals are covered by Insurance , I  have found San Francisco Dental in the Judies Taehaw Bldg to be excellent , 

Re: Busan Dentist

As far as I know root canals are covered by Insurance , I  have found San Francisco Dental in the Judies Taehaw Bldg to be excellent , 

Re: Busan Dentist

As far as I know root canals are covered by Insurance , I  have found San Francisco Dental in the Judies Taehaw Bldg to be excellent , 

Re: Busan Dentist

Hi there, just visiting Korea for the first time and wanted to share my good/bad experience. A day or so after arriving in Busan I realized my toothache wasn't getting any better, and with my bad teeth I knew it was going to be either a root canal or extraction. I call my endodontist back home to discuss my options. 

After reading this thread, I decided to go straight to the International Health Care Center at Haeundae Paik hospital. They wanted my 43,000 won exam fee right away. Then I got a few high-tech x-rays before I finally sat in the chair and talked to an older, grouchy dentist who wouldn't look me in the face for a good 10 minutes. Finally, he said he could fit me in for a root canal no earlier than 1st of August (it's July 19). I guess they thought I could live with this tooth pain for two weeks, I don't know. I said no-can-do (we leave in three days) and they directed me to the cashier again to pay 40,000 won for the x-rays they said were "too complicated" to email to the dentist they referred me to for my emergency root canal. 

That dentist, Dr. Soo-Won Lee at Centrum Asia Dental Clinic (82-51-900-8275), was a godsend. Such a nice guy, and he spoke good English. He took me as a walk-in and x-rayed me immediately before discussing my options. When we agreed to do "part 1" of my root canal (so my endodontist back home will finish and my dentist will add the crown), he explained what he'd do both before and during the procedure. He was so kind and of course gave me lots of local anesthetic so I didn't feel a thing (though he asked if I did, twice). His assistant even gave me a stuffed animal to hold onto when she knew I was uneasy.

Dr. Lee is an oral surgeon, not an endodontist by trade, but I think he did a fine job. And this part one was cheap (100,000 won) by US standards... though it's not complete and doesn't include a crown. Incidentally, he says the root canal part in Korea is cheap but the crowns are more expensive. So there you go. 

A few hours later, my pain is gone, though there's some soreness from the procedure - all better than before. I highly recommend him for your dental needs.

Re: Busan Dentist

Update: Dr. Seo and team at San Francisco Dental are the best in Busan as far my experience goes.

Re: Busan Dentist

I normally go to Line-Up Dental Clinic in Seomyeon cause they have English-speaking staff there. The prices are ok even if you don`t have a Korean medical insurance. I had my wisdom tooth extracted and some cavities filled and recovered really fast. Here is their website for your reference: http://lineupdent.co.kr/lng/eng/