Fear of dentists is actually very prevalent
Most people cope well with going to the dentist. At the same time, many of us get a little uneasy at the thought of visiting the dentist and are reluctant to go for treatment. A small group struggles with odontophobia, which is defined as a strong a strong fear of dentistry.
At Christania tannlegesenter in central Oslo, we are aware of this and treat patients accordingly. However, should you not be able to start treatment immediately, you can also get help from a psychologist who is affiliated with the dental clinic here in Oslo. We can also offer treatment under anesthesia if applicable.
For patients with severe dental fear, anesthesia or other sedation is necessary to complete the dental treatment. Christiania Dental Center offers dental treatment under anesthesia. Read more about anesthesia here.
We have many satisfied patients with us. Here you can read about what several of them think.
Dental fear can be treated!
How do we do that?
In collaboration with our dentists, we can turn a hopeless situation into giving you a feeling of mastery that makes it possible to have dental treatment performed.
The first thing that happens when you contact us is that you are assigned an hour with one of our dentists at a time that suits you. If you have acute pain, we will arrange an appointment as soon as possible.
You should show up at the clinic here in Greenland in Oslo about 15 minutes before the agreed time, so that you have time to fill in personal details and cross out a form about your state of health. You do this in our waiting room.
One of our friendly dental assistants will then take X-ray picture
Usually we take a facial image that moves around the head, the X-ray machine is then not in the mouth. Afterwards, we supplement with a picture from each side (so-called bitewings). We usually take these pictures by mouth, but we can also take these from the outside if you wish.
You will then be followed to a dentist’s office unless otherwise agreed in advance, or if you have other wishes (we have a separate chat room in our bright, modern premises in central Oslo). The dentist will then introduce himself and you will talk a bit about your problem.
The dentist may look into your mouth. Together with your information, the oral examination and the X-rays, the dentist will form a picture of your health condition in the mouth and on the basis of that could give you a price estimate. Usually there is some time afterwards to remove tartar and plaster and possibly gently start the treatment.
Other options
If dental treatment is not relevant at all after the consultation, we plan the way forward . The easiest and most common way to deal with it is for us to set up a new appointment and arrange for you to meet 30 minutes in advance to take sedatives.
These will make the fear of the dentist and the discomfort go away. We adjust the amount of tablets along the way as they work very quickly (15 min). It is also an option to consider treatment under anesthesia. Read more about treatment under anesthesia here.
If this is also not the case, we recommend that we set up an appointment with a psychologist. Either you can use a psychologist via your GP, then you have to calculate some waiting time. The alternative is our own psychologist who can step in at short notice.
The combination of cognitive therapy and sedation often has a very good effect on anxiety and fear, and enables dental treatment. It is always the case that dental treatment only starts when the patient is ready for it. As a rule, you need several treatments with a psychologist before the first meeting with the dentist, but this varies from person to person and is planned well in advance.
Price for treatment of dental fear by a psychologist
The treatment lasts 2-8 hours / visit depending on the starting point and degree of difficulty.
Price 1280, – per session (60 min)
Part of the dental treatment after the psychologist service can be covered by HELFO. Then you must have a doctor’s statement on your odontophobia from a doctor or other relevant specialist.
