Surprise Tour

Today we were lucky enough to get to tour a Dutch orthodontist's office.

OK, it wasn't luck; my son just happened to pop a bracket and the orthodontist at home recommended we get it fixed here. Thanks to Google Maps we found a dentist nearby who was able to squeeze us in.

We weren't sure how long the tram ride would be to get to the office, so we gave ourselves lots of time. Even though we were about 15 minutes early, they got S right in. She cut and removed the wire, cleaned the tooth, re-glued the bracket and finally put in a new wire.

All for €27.37, or $31.64 US. Oh yes, and I can't forget to mention S and his sister each got to take a toy from the basket. Icing on the cake.

Actually, the icing on the cake was discovering this bakery right around the corner from the orthodontist's office. (Broodbakker Simon Meijssen  is located at Koninginneweg 135, 1075 CL Amsterdam in case you're curious.) We left with a little apple tart, an almond cookie and a bag of Madeleines to enjoy later.

If you happen to need dental work done while you are in Amsterdam,  contact Lassus Tandartsen at 020 471 3137. Just be aware they only take cash, and you need to have the exact change. Luckily a nice British woman came into the office as I was paying and was able to make change for my €50 note. I paid €28.00 and felt like I got a deal. Now I need to ask our orthodontist at home what he would charge an international tourist for the same service. I bet it's quite a bit more...