Each 45,000 Vietnamese have one dentist but that fact does not hinder people from ‘showing off’ their teeth. While many people in cities race to beautify their teeth by expensive, modern techniques, many others still use odd methods to keep their teeth healthy.

Filling teeth with gemstones in HCM City.

Rinsing mouth by urine

In the past, there were peddling mountebanks who were specialized in pulling teeth out for kids. They rode bicycles, taking only a reel of thread and some coal with them.

Parents of children with shaky teeth usually hired these mountebanks to extract these teeth for their children. There were several methods as follows:

A mountebank tied a thread into the shaky tooth and tied that end to the big toe of the kid. “Stand up,” he told the kid, and the tooth was pulled out from the kid’s mouth.

He could also tie a thread to a shaky tooth and the end of the thread to a stone. Then he told the kid: “Let’s throw the stone as far as you can.” And the tooth was pulled out.

There are a lot of folk measures to treat dental diseases or to keep teeth healthy. Though they are not verified by scientific tests, but in fact, some of them are proved to be effective.

An herbalist named Nguyen Duc Nghia, in Hanoi, said that his teacher, a martial-art instructor named Xuan Binh, 95, has very good teeth. This man always rinses his mouth by his own urine every morning.

Mr. Thanh, from the military printing enterprise, also said that his grandfather does the same like Mr. Xuan Binh - rinsing his mouth by his own urine every morning, as the way to keep his teeth healthy.

‘Pulling doctrine’

Herbalist Nguyen Duc Nghia introduces lau tree, which is useful for treating dental diseases.

Pulling teeth was the most popular method of dentists when they could not cure dental diseases. Around 30 years ago, dentistry in northern Vietnam was a zero. In the south, until the 80s, dentists still used tools and materials of the 70s. 

Ms. Bau, one of the first dentists in HCM City after the country’s unification in 1975, said: “Our course included 18 students. The city was liberated in April 1975, the time of our graduation. Many teachers left the country so we could not organize a final exam. After liberation, we studied for one year and received dentist diplomas. We were the first dentists in southern Vietnam after 1975.”

According to Ms. Bau, dentistry was in crisis at that time. As the charge for orthodontia was very expensive while people lived by coupons so they did not have cash for dental treatment.

“We worked in rural areas, where many people had toothaches. The only way of treatment was pulling teeth out. I cannot remember how many teeth I extracted each day,” she recalled.

Since 1986, when the country began implementing the renovation policy, dental tools and machinery had been imported into Vietnam and many dental practice offices have been opened.

Diamond teeth

Doctor Nhat works at a dental office in District 1, HCM City, said: “HCM City has around 500 dental offices. There are several offices on each road, on average.”

Along with the renovation policy, Vietnamese people are getting rich and they have opportunities to buy good food and to beautify themselves. Dental services, thus, have developed strongly. Middle-aged people, who experienced a hard time, have flocked to dental offices.

For people who lost their teeth during the subsidy time (before 1986), to have new teeth, dentists have to graft bone to their jaw to be able to give false teeth. This kind of treatment is costly and painful.

Recently, new techniques have been applied, which is called a tooth implant. This service is advertised to be ‘a perfect solution when you lose teeth’ and ‘your false teeth look natural and work very well.’ The service is favored by middle-aged people, though it costs them $1,200-1,500 per tooth.

Not being taken care when they were children, people of a generation have sloping, toothy and buck teeth. Orthodontia service is priced up to VND30 million ($1,500), equivalent to salary of an entire year of a normal civil servant.

Advertising of diamond teeths.

Ms. Hien, 47, had her four front teeth pulled out when she used orthodontia service. After that, she has regular teeth, but Hien lost ten kilos and she could not chew normally.

Hien’s children and kids of their age are now aware of the importance of good teeth. Pulling teeth is now unpopular. Kids also take orthodontia services.

However, when people are so interested in their teeth, it has resulted in extremism. Many dentist offices advertise services to stick diamonds to teeth. Some young people show off their teeth, with diamonds worth hundreds of USD/diamond.

A dentist said that this job is very lucrative. “Only the conscience of a dentist knows about the material of false teeth,” he said.

The price for an artificial tooth which is made of porcelain is VND6 million ($300) and it is only VND200,000 ($10) if it is made from unknown material.

A technician who makes artificial teeth earns VND30 million ($1,500) per month, which is higher than the salary of doctors or professors, a dentist said.

Vietnam has to import all equipment and material for dentistry. Herbalist Nguyen Duc Nghia, who has never contacted dental diseases and usually cleans his teeth by salt water and coconut coal powder, said: “It is pity that our oriental medicine does not cover dentistry.”

Source: Tien Phong/ VNN