If you've never been to Phnom Penh before, you might possibly be put off by the area. Don't be. The truth is that Cambodia as a country has suffered terribly in the past 60 years and it all looks very run down. This Clinic is almost at the southern end of Street 223, and if the local taxis have not been there before, if they come come in at the northern end, it can take you some time fight your way to No 541. It is best to tell the taxi to enter from Charles De Gaulle Boulevard.
In spite of the general appearance of the area being run down, Pka Chhouk Dental Clinic is as modern a clinic as you would find in Europe or the US and has all the latest technology. It is overseen by Dr Phyrom, and the walls of the reception as well as most of the treatment rooms are covered with certificates and diplomas from courses and schools in Asia, Europe and the US that he has attended.
My initial consultation was carried out by Dr Phyrom whose English is quite good. If he doesn't understand you, he will repeat or rephrase the question until he does. That is very important because in many Asian countries, people have a habit of telling you that they understand you when they don't. That's not what you want from a Dentist.
He was aware that everything had to be completed in a fortnight. It was a lot of work including 14 crowns and several root canal treatments. I required well over 20 hours work in the chair. I told him that I had a bad reaction to Novacaine when it contained Adrenalin, and he made sure that there was plenty of non-Adrenaline Novacaine to hand. The schedule was so tight, that on one occasion, he kept the clinic open to 20.00 instead of the usual closing time of 18.00 especially for me.
The treatment was carried out by his colleague Dr Vitou. The worst thing I can say about him is that he is a Manchester United supporter. Dr Vitou's wife is about to give birth, and I joked with him about what happens if the baby comes along while he was treating me? When you spend so many hours in a Dentist's chair you realise that modern Dentistry is a combination of medicine and precision engineering. At one stage, I felt that the new crowns were fitted perfectly, but then he took a digital photo and showed me a gap between my upper and lower front teeth. It was probably less than 0.5 millimetres, but Dr Vitou is clearly a perfectionist and fixed the problem. Another problem I have is that with upper inlay trays, I gag when the tray is pressed against the roof of my mouth. Dr Vitou modified an inlay tray so that it did not cause me to gag. I think it's fair to say that they take a pride in solving problems like these.
For friendliness, professionalism and cost, I would award them the maximum marks. The total cost was just under €2000, and if I had had the treatment carried out in Ireland, it would have been €12-14,000. My advice if you live in Ireland and need to spend a lot of money on dentists bills, is to book a holiday to Cambodia and visit Dr Phyrom's clinic instead. With the money you save, you will be able to afford another two holidays!
John