CONTRIBUTED BY LAURA SNELL
If you’re looking for an exceptional dental clinic then this is definitely the place to go! I was blown away by the service, attention to detail, friendly atmosphere, I could go on forever!
It was very easy to get an appointment; most of the staff speaks English very well. The first appointment is a very thorough exam; it includes X-Rays and periodontal photos/exam. The cost is 8,000 yen, which with the current yen rate makes it close to $80.00! From there you can go a number of ways.
I didn’t need anything done other than a cleaning, so I didn’t pay too close attention to the prices on other services, but a cleaning is 5,000 yen (that’s for two cleanings). I did see that cavity repair is also 5,000 yen.
The waiting room is very clean, organized, and quiet. As an added bonus, they have free wifi, so feel free to bring your iPad or other electronic devices. When you are moved from the waiting room into the “service area,” it’s one big open room with things like shoji screens dividing you from the other patients.
During the treatment a towel is placed on your face, making the process much more relaxing. I almost fell asleep (and I’m usually a ball of nerves going to the dentist, but here I was completely at ease).
There are always several people tending to you, during the hygienist exam, when the dentist comes in, and then when the man (who appears to be the head dentist) does his final check.
I could not have been more pleased with the treatment and service that I received at Sunabe Smile Dental Clinic. If you have dental needs I would highly recommend going to them. They are very kind and walk you through every step of the process.
Hours: Monday-Friday 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Payment: Yen, Visa, and MasterCard, Diners Club, American Express, Discover (they will fill out insurance forms if you have them)
Phone: 098-926-4618
Website: Sunabe Smile Dental Clinic
Address: 1-105 Miyagi, Chatan Okinawa 904-0113
Directions: From Kadena Gate 1 – Leave gate 1 going South on 58 (get in the lane to turn down to the Sunabe Seawall), at the third light make a left, turn right at the second street, you will see a Sunabe Smile sign, Sunabe Smile Dental Clinic will be on your right (there is parking along the side of the building in designated spots)
Does Sunabe Smile (or other dentists in Okinawa) offer fluoride treatment?
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From Shawn on 9/20/13:
“I am a civilian too and work at one of the dental clinics on Foster and deal with all onbase dental aspects, including billing and costs. For an adult to get an oral evaluation, 4 bitewing films, 1 panoramic, adult prophy cleaning with flouride treatment and oral hygienist instruction would only cost about $350. You were either mistakenly overcharged,(which I’ve seen happen.) had other treatment done, or have a very large family lol I would check the bill they gave you to be sure.
On a different note, being a civilian myself I was looking for health insurance out here for civilians and you said you have Blue Cross Blue Shield? Did you apply for BC/BS before you came out here and after?”
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From LaLa on 9/20/13 (in reply to Shawn):
“We did receive all the services you mentioned and only two of my children got sealants. We do have a family of 6. We had to all make 3 visits to get those things done which was beyond ridiculous. We assumed that we would arrive at our dental appointment and get everything done that day. We were called back, xrays were taken and we were told to come back another day for an exam. We made appts and came back. At that visit we were given exams and told to return another day for cleanings and the sealants for the two kids. It was extremely frustrating that my kids had to miss so much school and my husband miss so much work, for basic dental care. The cost , which believe me, I analyzed and analyzed did come to over $ 3000. The price is conjunction with the numerous visits sealed the deal to not go that route again. Like, I said BC/BS did partially reimburse us for some of it. They do not pay a dime for panoramic xrays.
As far as how we got the BC/BS, my husband was a ciivilian on a base in the States before we came over and the BC/BS Federal Employees Plan was what we had there. We just called them and told them that we were moving here. We can use on base dental, off base dental, on base hospitals and clinics and some off base medical locations. If we use the on base hospital, the hospital handles billing the insurance for us and we just pay the difference. If we use on base dental or any off base facilites, we are responsible for paying up front and filing a claim later. I am looking forward to going back to having a co-pay if we return to the States. Hope that answers your question.”
Does anyone know if you have normal health insurance, like Blue Cross Blue Shield, where they cover cleanings twice a year, if we could go to Sunabe Smile and still get reimbursed from them? I know as a civilian trying to get into a military dentist is near impossible. Thanks!
We are civilians with BC/BS and we went to the dentist on Kinser. We received exams, xrays and cleanings only and it cost over $ 3,000!!! We had to get very detailed paperwork from Kinser stating what services Kinser performed in order to be partially reimbursed by BC/BS. After speaking with other civilians on island who use off base dentists, we decided to never use on base dentistry again. We have not been to an off base dentist yet, but I was told by BC/BS that as long as the paperwork is in English and states what services were performed, we should not have a problem. That being said, most of the civilians that we know just pay for their dental care and do not worry about reimbursement since the cost of dental care in Japan is so reasonable. Hope this helps!
Thanks!! After the crazy medical cost I am facing just to get my normal perscriptions (because I am overseas and have to get them from the hospital – I have to pay 30%) I can believe the cost of dental stuff would be crazy. I was told a couple of weeks ago the military medical stuff does cost sharing where they basically charge those of us that can pay more than those that can’t. It sucks. But I will have to check out Sunabe Dental. Anyone know if they do 2-3 year old’s cleanings? My daughter will need to go soon and this will be her first time at a dentist.