Time to sharpen up that bubur ayam?
Dr Retno has a neat, nondescript office that’s easy to miss opposite McDonalds on the bypass in Sanur. I’ve seen her for a tricky filling and several cleans, and my kids have both seen her for checks, while Ms 4 has even had a quick and successful clean. Dr Retno’s manner is very calm and reassuring and she seems to know her stuff: apples and carrots are good for your teeth, for instance (she teased this from Ms 4, though we had to go back later and check on whether seaweed is good as well).
Dr Sucipto in Denpasar also has an excellent reputation in Bali and may be the more appropriate route to go for complicated procedures, but we haven’t had any experience with him directly. One of us though has seen one of his colleagues at his large practice and were happy with our treatment.
Both dentists need to be booked several weeks in advance, but might fit you in more quickly in a genuine emergency. You could definitely book in ahead of a trip to Bali to have a clean — my most recent visit to Dr Retno was 350,000 rupiah for a good clean, while the kids’ visits were 100,000 rupiah a pop.
Dr Sukmawati is located in Denpasar as well (on a one-way street — a bit tricky to find but cabbies should know Prodia Lab, which is opposite) in a busy clinic/eyeglasses shop/chemist. She too has a lovely manner with children and a good sense of humour, taking Ms 4 through her paces for an eye check up as well as myself. If your eyes however are worse than mine — I clocked in at 7.0 — you won’t be using her machine for a vision check, as it only goes up to 6.5. But I do believe she’ll then use the old-fashioned method to check the extent of your blindness.
The bill? Just 100,000 rupiah a pop for each of us. Yes, at many optician shops a vision check is free, but by seeing an eye specialist you’ll get that extra bit of reassurance as she’ll check you out for other warning signs of eye problems as well.
You can generally get in the same day or with a day’s advance notice to see Dr Sukmawati.
Dr Retno Ngurah Rai Bypass, opposite McDonalds, T: (0361) 288 501
Dr Sucipto Jl Diponegoro 150 / 32, Ruko IDT (Genteng Biru) Denpasar
T: (0361) 222 541
Dr Sukmawati 135 Jalan Diponegoro, Denpasar T: (0361) 237 066, (0361) 234 023
Reviewed by
Samantha Brown
Samantha Brown is a reformed news reporter. She now edits most of the stuff you read on Travelfish.org, except for when you find a typo, and then that's something she wasn't allowed to look at.
