My experience of Thapar dental clinic
India? Dentistry? Why?
I might have asked this question, worried about the risks it involved - until a real situation occurred. Between 1997 and 2000 I was spending the winter half of each year in Jaipur doing research for my doctorate. For the first two years, I remembered to visit the dentist in Oxford to get anything done that might be needed as I dreaded the idea of having to go to a dentist in India. The third year, I didn't have time - and a fortnight into my 6 month stay, a filling and chunk of tooth dropped out. I remembered that my Canadian friends who also stayed in Jaipur a lot had recommended a local dentist and contacted them to find out who.
The Thapar Dental Clinic actually has 3 clinics in Jaipur - Daddy's a dentist, Mummy's a dentist, both sons are dentist, their wives are dentists - and now their children are training as dentists. They have the resources to go to the most recent conferences, buy the most up-to-date equipment, do their own lab work (unusual even in India) and provide the best dentistry I've ever come across.
I should mention at this point that I'm terrified of dentistry - and Dr Rajeev Thapar is not only the most skilled and professional dentist I've ever encountered, he also knows how to deal with patients with serious fears. (He's actually one of the foremost paediatric specialists in India - perhaps dealing with children is what gives him the ability to deal with big babies like me...)
I now go to a dentist in England only in dire emergencies and visit Jaipur at least once a year for my check up and any work that needs doing. May sound a bit extreme but in my book, very worth it. And India has so many other joys - not least bright sunshine in the dark months between November and March.
Dr C A Suthrell