NOW YOUR DOCTOR’S APPOINTMENT IS A SPA DAY
“We tried to fit in a medical check-up, a dentist appointment, and a facial all in one day, and in one place”
By Sara Yeoh
9:50am I pull up to the UOB building in Bangsar where Boren Medical Hub is housed in and hand my car over to the valet. Then I ascend to the 1st floor where the clinic is. As soon as the lift door opens, I thought I was at a boutique hotel instead of a clinic with its white, gold and marble aesthetics – not a bad start to a doctor’s day.
10:00am I fill in a patient’s registration form brought right to my lap by a nurse – all in the comfort of my armchair. I’m happy to skip the dreadful queues (ugh, so inconvenient) and the part where I have my name shouted across the waiting room in your typical neighbourhood clinics. I have no problem waiting for my turn as I sip on my morning coffee served by a clinic assistant in the chic lounge area (did you know you can actually have coffee during your health screening fast? Neither did I.)
10:30am I go into Dr. Ho’s treatment room to start the health screening with a blood test. He sits me down on a plush leather chair and a nurse puts a blanket over my legs. We chat for a bit to calm my nerves before Dr. Ho proceed to draw my blood. Aaaaand it is over! Yay! It isn’t as bad as I made it out to be.
11:00am I have to say this is the first time I do a pee test in a fancy bathroom with a reed diffuser, hand lotion, rolled up hand towels and plants.
11:30am And brunch is served! (They serve brunch! How amazing is that?) I get to choose from a soft shell croissant or Caesar salad from La Juiceria (La Juiceria!). Of course I go for the salad in effort to keep up with the healthy lifestyle theme going on here.
12:30pm It is almost time for my dentist appointment – so I sip the last of my coffee before my pearly whites go in for a deep cleanse.
12:45pm The dentist Dr. Zeng orders a CT scan for me, which is basically an x-ray for the whole mouth. Apparently it gives a more accurate diagnose of your wisdom teeth andhelps with the results. I go into the CT scan room and clench my teeth onto the machine while it scans my face. Thirty seconds later, voila – I’m looking at a panoramic view of my teeth. The dentist reviews the scan, showing me where my wisdom teeth and pain nerves are located, and I’m advised to get my wisdom teeth removed some day, but it’s not that urgent of a matter.
1:00pm I lie down on Dr. Zeng’s dentist chair and it’s time for the Airflow spa. He applies a dye solution on my teeththat exposes where the plaques are on my teeth prior to cleaning. This guides the dentist to more effectively and efficiently clean the plaques. I’ve been told that it involves an air polishing technique using one of the finest powders with the smallest particle size to clean the teeth, so there is no discomfort and pain. And true enough, though the piano jazz music they’re playing could’ve got me fooled, it really does feel like a spa or a teeth massage session. And I’m in and out the room in 30 minutes. There wasn’t any pain for me at all. The soothing sound of the Airflow device also eliminates my fear of metal and drilling sounds. Now this is a dentist appointment that does not feel like a chore and I’m actually looking forward to my next one!
1:30pm I chill in the lounge for a while, sipping water instead of coffee now since my teeth are all nice and clean.
1:45pm Up next is my pico laser appointment. I’ve been suffering some breakouts around my jawline and dullness of the skin due to a combination of factors like stress, haze, and too much boba for my own good. So, a brightening and toning laser it is!
2:00pm The facialist removes makeup and cleanses my face. She performs extraction and applies numbing cream on me before the doctor performs pico laser on me. After the laser, they follow through with a proper facial treatment. I get aloe vera applied on my face, followed by a facemask to soothe the skin. When the session is over, the facialist meticulously applies skincare on my face, from serum to moisturizer and even sunblock, so that I’m good to go right after. Everything from the laser settings to the post laser treatments are personalised and prescribed for each individual.
3:30pm I emerge out of Boren Medical Hub, feeling efficient that I actually managed to complete my health screening, dental appointment, and even a facial within a day – and I get nice teeth and nice skin at the end of it too!