I never imagined I would be writing a post about the dentist. How different can it be?
Check in:
America:
First, get to the appointment at least 15 minutes early in case they need you to fill out paperwork or rescan your insurance information. You definitely drove there, and it is probably in a building that only has other medical things. At most dentists or doctors, you won’t enter the actual office until at least 5-15 minutes after your appointment time. You wait in a common waiting room by the check in desk with some bad magazines and usually some basic children’s toys. Eventually the dental hygienist will fetch you and take you to a room.
Finland:
Get to your appointment on time. Exactly on time. Insurance is handled at the end when you pay, so there's no reason to be excessively early, but the doctor will be confused if you are late. You probably took public transportation there, and it’s probably in a building with many other shops. Mine was on the 5th floor of a shopping center. Check in on your app or on the touch screen when you enter, which will tell you your room number. Sit in the chair outside your room and wait for the doctor to open the door.
The Order of Events
America:
The dental hygienist will generally take x-rays of your teeth once a year to check for decay (unless you are pregnant). Appointments are twice a year, so every other appointment. This involves biting in some film cards while wearing a lead apron. The X-rays are aimed manually for each different bite position (see picture below). Usually this is done first so they can be processed while the hygienist cleans your teeth. Some dentists will not even perform a cleaning until the x-rays are complete.
After the cleaning, the dentist will come in and do an inspection after hearing a report from the hygienist. Generally, many patients are having cleanings for one dentist at the same time. When you are done, they will send you home with a new toothbrush and free samples of some toothpaste and floss.
Finland:
The hygienist and dentist are both in the room, so there is a 1:1 ratio. Instead of trading off, everything is done with teamwork. X-rays were not done for me, so I assume they are only done if there is a problem. The exam is done first, then the cleaning. At the end, a fluoride gel is applied because the water is not fluorinated here (but the toothpaste is). It tastes like strawberry, like everything in Finland, and you can’t eat or drink for 30 minutes.
The Cleaning:
America:
The hygienist has some notes in your file about what you talked about last time so they can make conversation that makes you feel like they know you even just seeing you twice a year. For me, someone once wrote that I liked to garden so they only talked to me about plants. The hygienist will make sure to keep the small talk going the whole time as you try to respond to questions despite the tools in your mouth.
The process basically involves a high powered brush, and water jet, and a vacuum tube. They will brush with a gritty paste that comes in a surprising number of flavor choices. Each are will be brushed, rinsed, and then you will close your lips around the tube to let the water get sucked out. The rinse is never enough.
Finland:
Silence. Sweet sweet silence. The cleaning goes much faster as a result.
The hygienist operates the vacuum tube while the dentist has the brush and water jet. No toothpaste is used. The water is sprayed continuously on each tooth as it is cleaned, so the vacuum is continuously removing water from your mouth. No action from you is required. Continuously rinsing means it is quite cold, which I imagine is uncomfortable for many people.
Xylitol:
If you are American, you probably have never heard of xylitol. You may know that it is an artificial sweetener, or have heard some bogus health scare that it causes cancer.
In Finland, it is known for its effect at killing oral bacteria and helping dental health. Xylitol tablets are given to school kids after meals. Adults chew them when they can’t brush their teeth.
Americans have the same products in the form of Trident and some other sugar free chewing gums.
Which system seems stranger to you? What are you used to where you are from?
But the dentist turns out to be a great venue to describe the practical differences between the Finnish and American medical systems without mentioning cost and insurance. I am lucky to have rather uneventful teeth, and I see the private system in both countries, so it’s a relatively fair comparison.
For those who aren’t American, I’ll also review what is typical for an American dentist appointment.
Check in:
America:
First, get to the appointment at least 15 minutes early in case they need you to fill out paperwork or rescan your insurance information. You definitely drove there, and it is probably in a building that only has other medical things. At most dentists or doctors, you won’t enter the actual office until at least 5-15 minutes after your appointment time. You wait in a common waiting room by the check in desk with some bad magazines and usually some basic children’s toys. Eventually the dental hygienist will fetch you and take you to a room.
Finland:
Get to your appointment on time. Exactly on time. Insurance is handled at the end when you pay, so there's no reason to be excessively early, but the doctor will be confused if you are late. You probably took public transportation there, and it’s probably in a building with many other shops. Mine was on the 5th floor of a shopping center. Check in on your app or on the touch screen when you enter, which will tell you your room number. Sit in the chair outside your room and wait for the doctor to open the door.
The Order of Events
America:
The dental hygienist will generally take x-rays of your teeth once a year to check for decay (unless you are pregnant). Appointments are twice a year, so every other appointment. This involves biting in some film cards while wearing a lead apron. The X-rays are aimed manually for each different bite position (see picture below). Usually this is done first so they can be processed while the hygienist cleans your teeth. Some dentists will not even perform a cleaning until the x-rays are complete.
After the cleaning, the dentist will come in and do an inspection after hearing a report from the hygienist. Generally, many patients are having cleanings for one dentist at the same time. When you are done, they will send you home with a new toothbrush and free samples of some toothpaste and floss.
Finland:
The hygienist and dentist are both in the room, so there is a 1:1 ratio. Instead of trading off, everything is done with teamwork. X-rays were not done for me, so I assume they are only done if there is a problem. The exam is done first, then the cleaning. At the end, a fluoride gel is applied because the water is not fluorinated here (but the toothpaste is). It tastes like strawberry, like everything in Finland, and you can’t eat or drink for 30 minutes.
The Cleaning:
America:
The hygienist has some notes in your file about what you talked about last time so they can make conversation that makes you feel like they know you even just seeing you twice a year. For me, someone once wrote that I liked to garden so they only talked to me about plants. The hygienist will make sure to keep the small talk going the whole time as you try to respond to questions despite the tools in your mouth.
The process basically involves a high powered brush, and water jet, and a vacuum tube. They will brush with a gritty paste that comes in a surprising number of flavor choices. Each are will be brushed, rinsed, and then you will close your lips around the tube to let the water get sucked out. The rinse is never enough.
Finland:
Silence. Sweet sweet silence. The cleaning goes much faster as a result.
The hygienist operates the vacuum tube while the dentist has the brush and water jet. No toothpaste is used. The water is sprayed continuously on each tooth as it is cleaned, so the vacuum is continuously removing water from your mouth. No action from you is required. Continuously rinsing means it is quite cold, which I imagine is uncomfortable for many people.
Xylitol:
If you are American, you probably have never heard of xylitol. You may know that it is an artificial sweetener, or have heard some bogus health scare that it causes cancer.
In Finland, it is known for its effect at killing oral bacteria and helping dental health. Xylitol tablets are given to school kids after meals. Adults chew them when they can’t brush their teeth.Americans have the same products in the form of Trident and some other sugar free chewing gums.
Which system seems stranger to you? What are you used to where you are from?
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