Public Dentist in Helsinki

sassyblue · Post by **sassyblue** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 10:51 pm

So I have just moved to Helsinki Finland, I am a Finnish citizen, currently unemployed but looking for work and covered by KELA for social insurance. I have noticed what I think is a cavity in one of my teeth, how should I go about getting it seen to quickly?

I have seen posts on this forum that say that people have waited for 6 months to get an appointment with the public dentist in Helsinki. I am currently unemployed and thus public is the only thing I can do funds wise. But if I have to wait 6 months for an appointment, that's not really good considering the cavity will grow considerably in that time. Is there anyway to get an appointment faster? Has anyone had any experience with something similar in the public health care system? Thanks any help is appreciated

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Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Wed Sep 30, 2009 10:55 pm

That 6 months is express my china... BTW in estonia they do it for 1/2 the privates (not in tallinn downtown necessarily)

tizlit · Post by **tizlit** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 9:45 am

Being a Finn presume you speak sufficient Finnish, call your nearst terveyskeskus in the area you belong to, and tell them you are in serious pain thus needing immediately to see the dentist (they cannot know if you pain or not). They will arrange it for you.
And call at 8 am.

tunkkari · Post by **tunkkari** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 2:03 pm

what attitude???? I didnt see she had one!!

Anyway silly question but what is the difference between public and private here is it the same as the uk where one is subbed and the other not, I assume the one my kids are sent to from school is a public one?

Tiwaz · Post by **Tiwaz** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 2:06 pm

Pretty much on the money. Public is cheaper, you essentially pay peanuts for treatment, mainly for stuff which they used to fix your teeth and then little on the top. Kids get it for free.

Private is that you pay premium for everything.

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 4:00 pm

It used to be kids & over 65, people on pension/welfare etc. special groups got it free - kids had priority; then they opened up it for "working" people and now the queues are that 6 months +

tunkkari · Post by **tunkkari** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 4:16 pm

same as the uk then really except there it all used to be free on the nhs then when they dropped the funding most went as private dentists and nhs ones are few and far between ,so those in need of public ones find them hard to find and ques out the door, seems dentistry could be a good job to be in wherever in the world now lol.

Pursuivant · Post by **Pursuivant** » Thu Oct 01, 2009 4:20 pm

you a dentist the so owns a candy store.... win-win situation

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