Dentist Trip in Albania

Dentist- Raise your hand if this one little word makes your knees quiver or your palms sweat? To some, going to the dentist causes major visceral reactions, others enjoy the journey. Me? I come from a lineage of bad teeth. Therefore, I take my headphones for music therapy and prepare for an uncomfortable experience.

Before we retired in August 2024, we elected to complete all annual medical and dental examinations while we still had health insurance paid by our employers. From blood work to MRI’s we saw all our primary medical professionals including the dentist. But with a mouth like mine, dental cleanings are required twice per year for healthy performance. We tried to get appointments for cleaning in February of 2025 before we set off for our travels, but both our dental offices had 2 month wait lists. So, we knew we’d need to see a dentist for cleaning while we were traveling. Some of the YouTube creators we watch have had dental work abroad. We listened carefully to Carrie of Brian and Carrie who had a dental implant in Türkiye. But we listened even more carefully to Robb and Dave from Ten Degrees Warmer who have had dental work in Guatemala and Albania. Robb, a registered nurse in Nevada, seems to have excellent teeth. They even recommended a specific dental office in Tirana, Albania where English was spoken and their experience was wonderful. Knowing we were headed to Albania, we put a dental cleaning on the itinerary much to Greg’s dismay.

At 15:00 (3:00PM) we walked over to the office, a mere 0.3 of a mile from our apartment to make an appointment. The door was closed and there were no hours posted, which is common for Albania, so after a moment of contemplation, we rang the bell next to the door. Answering the door, a dentist or technician in scrubs told us we could return for an appointment at 18:00 and 18:30 hours (6:00 & 6:30PM) that day. With a few stares of disbelief, we walked away.

Toddling back at the required time, we were greeted warmly by a receptionist in scrubs and a single dentist, Dr. Maksuti. Taking Greg first into the chair, there was no paperwork, no x-rays, and no history taken. Dr. Maksuti glanced in the mouth and cleaned Greg’s teeth in a matter of about 10 minutes. A night guard was recommended for Greg’s long-standing teeth grinding. With shock at the rapid turn-around, I was called back next. Similarly, my cleaning took about 15 minutes and with an electronic wand, Dr. Maksuti took four pictures inside my mouth. Displayed on the screen in front of me, he pointed to each photo and explained that my receding gums were causing issues by my prior crowns, which is why I was having sensitivity in those areas. After Greg got impressions for his mouth guard, we arranged to return the next day for a consultation on my crowns. He charged us a total of 7,000 Leke ($84.58) or ($42.29) each for the cleaning.

Returning the next day, we picked up Greg’s mouth guard and Dr. Maksuti got me back in the chair for a deeper examination and procedural discussion. He would need x-rays to confirm the process. There is an office a block down the street that does the x-rays, so off we went with the prescription. Staff in the Grafi Dentare office were kind and expedient as they took my personal information and completed a full-face dental x-ray. Cost of the X-ray? 2,000 Leke ($24.17) and they sent the scan to the dentist and to my phone for my permanent record keeping.

With x-ray in hand, Dr. Maksuti examined it closely. He showed his concern to Greg and me. Deep in the roots on the right-hand side was an infection. Nodding, I knew of this issue. It was a dormant infection that my endodontist has been monitoring for 4 years. It flares up under extreme periods of stress (like when I was working), but it lies dormant mostly. Greg, a registered nurse, had not seen this scan before and was concerned. The three of us deliberated with Greg and I doing most of the talking while asking questions from the dentist. Being retired now, I was on state insurance in the USA, so who knows when they could fit me in for an appointment, besides, we had MONTHS to go before we even returned to the states. What happens if it flares up again while we’re traveling? Then we’d have to face emergency care, which can cause more stress. And, if we had the dental emergency, would it be in a language we could understand? Looking both men in the eye, I realized removing the tooth now and treating the infection made the most sense. My endodontist had planned the same “treatment” if it flared up again anyway. I made an appointment for Monday, three days away.

With nervous hesitation, since I am not a huge fan of dentists, Greg and I walked back to the dentist, again, on Monday. They settled me in the chair and began to work on the extraction. I listened to music and tried to ignore the wrenching on my jaw, the discomfort in the bone where the infection lies. But as the clock ticked by 9:30…10:30…11:00, I could not ignore the growing sore on the corner of my mouth or the beading sweat on the dentist’s brow as the stupid little tooth broke apart, tiny piece after tiny piece. He knew leaving any piece, regardless of how small, could pose imminent risk to my health later.

At 11:30, he proclaimed, FINISHED and sutured my gum. That was a new experience for me too! In 10 years of dental practice, he stated, “that was the MOST DIFFICULT extraction he had ever encountered!!” Why did it have to fracture so badly? Was it the infection?

With an aching jaw I wanted to go home, but Dr. Maksuti needed one more x-ray to ensure he had indeed extracted every tiny piece of the tooth. So, we schlumped back over to the office and got another full-face x-ray for another 2,000 Leke ($24.17). Without patience, Greg held that x-ray to the sun and looked carefully at it. He spied what might be another piece, so I was ushered back to the dental office. With another client waiting in reception, Dr. Maksuti looked over the film and agreed with Greg, there was another piece of the tooth. I sighed. The dentist sighed. The assistant/receptionist sighed. And I trudged back to the chair that had been cleaned in my absence.

Thirty minutes later, with the prior sutures removed, more Novocain administered, and a bruised mouth, Dr. Maksuti held up that final piece triumphantly for me to see! With fatigue, he re-sutured my gums. Leaving the exam room, Greg hugged me tenderly as I looked around dazedly. Dr. Maksuti explained the recovery procedures to Greg and then sheepishly stated he would need to charge us more than the previously agreed upon rate of service. Repeating that it was the most difficult and longest extraction of career, he said we would need to pay double the fee quoted. Pulling out his wallet, Greg chuckled as he handed the dentist 2,000 Leke ($24.17) for the service of extracting one tooth.

Little did we know that Dentistry is one of Albania’s main industries. They have dentist offices like Washington State has Starbucks; there’s one or more on every corner. We had planned to make an appointment at the same office as Robb and Dave, but unfortunately, they were not available during our short stay in Tirana. So, when we arrived in the last 30-day destination for Albania, we HAD to find a dental office to get our teeth cleaned. Another tourist we met gave a recommendation and looking at Google, we saw it had 5 of 5 stars with excellent remarks.