Your first visit

What to bring

• your health insurance booklet, if you are using national health fund cover;
• a list of the medicines you take, including supplements;
• any previous X-rays and medical records you have.

You must tell us if you

• take blood-thinning medication (anticoagulants or antiplatelets) — these affect bleeding during an extraction;
• take or have taken medication for osteoporosis, or cancer treatment that affects bone;
• have heart disease, a prosthetic valve, or a history of endocarditis;
• have diabetes, epilepsy or a thyroid condition;
• are allergic to any medicine or anaesthetic;
• are pregnant or breastfeeding.

Do not stop a prescribed medicine before a dental appointment on your own judgement. Whether and how to change it is decided together with the doctor who prescribed it.

What the examination covers

An inspection of the teeth, gums and soft tissues, a check of existing restorations, and an assessment of gum health. An X-ray is taken where needed — some findings are not visible on inspection, such as decay between teeth and the condition around a root. Modern digital sensors work at a lower dose than conventional film.

What you leave with

• a description of your condition;
• a proposed treatment plan with an approximate cost;
• the alternatives, with their advantages and drawbacks;
• what is likely to happen if treatment is postponed.

For complex or expensive treatment, consent is given in writing.

If you are not sure what to ask

• How many visits will it take?
• What is urgent and what can wait?
• What will I feel during treatment?
• What does the health fund cover and what do I pay for?

If you are afraid of the dentist

Fear of dental treatment is one reason people put off an appointment. In European health statistics, “fear of doctor, hospital, examination or treatment” is recorded as a distinct reason for unmet dental need — alongside cost and distance.

Delay has a cost. A problem that an early filling would solve later needs root canal treatment, and later still, extraction.

What actually helps

• An examination with no treatment. A first visit can be just a look and a conversation. Nothing starts that day unless you agree to it.
• An agreed stop signal. Settle on a sign in advance — raising a hand, say — at which work stops immediately.
• Explanation before the act, not after. Knowing what is coming and how long it lasts is easier to bear than surprise.
• Care over the injection itself. Topical anaesthetic before the needle, slow delivery and a solution that is not cold all reduce discomfort.
• Shorter appointments. Extensive treatment can be split rather than done in one sitting.
• An honest account of what you will feel. It helps to know in advance what will register as pressure, what as vibration, and what may be unpleasant.

Mention your fear when you book, not once you are in the chair. It changes how the appointment is planned — how much time is set aside, what is done first, and what waits for next time.