X-Ray of my teeth taken at Klinik Pergigian Dr Shal

Name: Klink Pergigian Dr Shal or Dr Shal Dental Surgery
Where: 24A, 1st Floor, Jalan USJ 10/1B USJ 10, 47620, Subang Jaya
Contact: Call 03-8011 6877 OR message them on Facebook (quick replies!)
Operating Hours:
Mondays – Saturdays: 10am to 9pm.
Sundays: 10am to 6pm.
Closed Wednesdays and Public Holidays

TL;DR: 4.5/5 stars, make an appointment before you go. It’s kinda pricey for me, hence the loss of half a star.

So I had to see the dentist after putting it off for almost six months (or more!). The reason’s simple: my previous dentist, while cheap and competent, had very limited working hours. He also had a long waiting list and I did not like his nurses.

What prompted this trip? One of my two milk teeth had chipped, and it was starting to hurt when I ate. I googled and asked people for “dentists open on Sunday” recommendations, and finally came across Dr Shal’s website. The opening hours caught my eye, followed quickly by the description of her waiting room and the fact that her listing on Google Maps was really professional.

I made an appointment for 6.30pm today and walked into the clinic a few minutes before I was due. Several things was apparent to me the moment I stepped in.

• The clinic felt more like an exclusive spa
• It had free wifi (YAY), a massage chair you could use for free, one TV playing Nat Geo and the other Harry Potter
• Free coffee and tea, with a reminder that these drinks stain your teeth. Also plain water
• Interesting mix of Nat Geo and female mags like Her World, I think, for your reading pleasure
• Competent, friendly and warm receptionists

Now with all this just from the moment I walked in, I thought the Dr was going to be super cut-throat and not very professional about the treatment and all. I was pleasantly wrong.

Dr Shal was extremely professional and patient. She asked me to list my problems, if I was on any medications, any form of ill health, etc. I naively suggested removing my chipped milk tooth, but she insisted on me doing a digital X-ray first. Turns out, I had missing permanent teeth, so if my milk tooth was gone, there was nothing to replace it.

So she told me how much the x-ray was going to cost, and then the probable cost of the filling, and mentioned other problems I had (a lot of which I kind of suspected but it was nice to be confirmed, though my wallet disagrees). We agreed to tackle the most important issue first (milk teeth decay) and then we’d fill the other cavity in later. She got to work.

I don’t want to relive the entire thing again, but suffice to say:
* Numb lips from gel means I can spit out water properly (kept going everywhere)
* Looking up + dehydrated mouth = #NaoGetsAHeadache
* That took far longer than I expected!

At the end of it all, Dr Shal made me bite and then grind my teeth to ensure she had put enough of the filling. She adjusted it twice before she was done with me, even at that point where I thought I was ok with it. We then had a chat about my next appointment and clearing up some of my misconceptions about scaling (apparently, scaling is to remove the plaque on your teeth and is not to make you look pretty).

How was it? Quite good, actually. Dr Shal is very professional, caring and warm. Her nurses are great too! Definitely recommended if you’re looking for a dentist.

Cost:
X-Ray- RM90
I think this is a firm price. It’s well worth it, cause they take your entire jaw instead of just a selected area (like another dentist did before).

Filling – RM120
According to Dr Shal, fillings start at RM50 onwards. Mine was expensive because she had a large cavity to close. She also added at least two different meds before the actual filling to kill the infection in my tooth. This part of the procedure took the longest.

Antibiotics & Anti-inflammation meds – RM25
The antibiotics are compulsory (my teeth was fighting a bacterial invasion, after all), but the anti-inflammation is not. I took it cause it supposedly helps reduce the swelling and helps fight the bacteria too.

Local anaesthetic – RM10
Some people can do without it, I can’t. It was much more effective than other dentists I’ve been to though.