Frequently asked questions about oral healthcare

• Six regional care teams (MyTeams) were launched in VAKE’s oral health services on 1 September 2025. 

• The oral healthcare MyTeams are visible in Maisa as of 1 September 2025. The information is displayed in Maisa under the heading “MyTeam”.    

• If you cannot check your care team in Maisa, you can contact any of the oral health MyTeams by phone and we will direct you to the right place.  

• During the transition period, unfinished courses of treatment can be completed where they were started.    

• Electronic appointment booking via the Maisa.fi portal is possible for young children (aged 1 year, 3 years and 5 years) and adolescents (aged 17 years) who have been invited for periodic check-ups. 

• In other non-urgent matters, you can contact the oral health service via the “Click on a symptom” electronic symptom questionnaire. We will respond to your request within one (1) working day by text message or telephone. An oral health professional will always assess the need for treatment and its urgency. 

• If your need for dental treatment is urgent, always first contact the oral health service by phone. 

• At the dental clinics in the health centres, you can use a check-in machine to check in by showing your Kela card, ID card or driving licence. You can also check in at the machine by entering your personal ID code. You will be called in by the check-in number printed on the receipt that comes out of the machine.  

• In dental clinics that are not located at health centres, you can take a seat in the waiting room without checking in.  

• If you would like to receive service in English or Swedish, we will direct you to an English-speaking or Swedish-speaking professional if possible.  

• For other languages, we will use interpreting services if necessary.  

• When booking an appointment, please indicate that you require an interpreter for your visit so that an interpreter can be booked in advance. For same-day urgent oral healthcare appointments, we can use telephone interpreting.  

• The wellbeing services county will pay the cost of the interpreter service on your behalf.  

• An appointment booked for another person cannot be used by anyone other than the person for whom the appointment was made.  

• Contact the oral health appointment service so that your care needs can be assessed.  

• If you are unable to attend your booked appointment, you must cancel it.  

• You can cancel your appointment via the Maisa service (orthodontic appointments can only be rescheduled by phone)  

• or by calling 09 4191 2020 (the number is available 24/7; you can leave a voicemail)  

• Rescheduling and cancellations for orthodontic appointments can be made by phone from Monday to Friday between 07:30 and 15:00 09 4191 2030  

• You are not entitled to reimbursement from Kela for the costs of dental care incurred in public healthcare.  

• Contact our urgent oral healthcare appointment booking number, and we will refer you to a professional for an assessment.  

• We do not issue sick leave certificates via the online service (Klinik, Maisa).  

• When you move to another wellbeing services county, book an orthodontic appointment in your new place of residence. The wellbeing services county you are moving to will then ask us to send them your orthodontic treatment documents. It is advisable to inform your current orthodontist of your upcoming move in good time. Your orthodontic treatment will be transferred to your new place of residence or study unless you exercise your right to choose your healthcare provider and transfer all your healthcare services to the Wellbeing Services County of Vantaa and Kerava.     

• You can find more information about the right to choose where to receive care on our website. 

• Dental implants are provided within the oral health service in the wellbeing services county if the criteria for specialised treatment are met. Basic oral healthcare must be performed before referral to specialised care. You can enquire about the criteria for dental implants at the time of your basic oral healthcare visit.  

• If it has been a while since your most recent oral health check-up, we recommend that you contact our non-urgent oral health appointment service. Otherwise, you can contact a specialist dental technician directly.  

• We do not directly continue treatment plans made elsewhere; instead, we begin with a full oral health check-up, during which we create a treatment plan for you.  

During your flexible appointment, you may receive other dental treatment in addition to a check-up, so please reserve a little extra time for your visit. 

• You can fill in an information request form for a copy of your patient and client data at https://asiointi.vakehyva.fi/. To log in, use your online banking credentials or Mobile ID.  

• You can also make an information request using the form that can be printed from the website of the Wellbeing Services County of Vantaa and Kerava and from the patient office of the dental clinic at the Tikkurila Health Centre. The form is to be submitted to the Wellbeing Services County of Vantaa and Kerava’s Vantaa Info or the Kerava service point.   

• Tikkurila Health Centre’s dental clinic office is open on weekdays 08:00–15:00. Address: Kielotie 11, 3rd floor  

• Please note that you can also view your own medical records via the electronic health record system MyKanta.  

• More information on information requests is available at https://vakehyva.fi/fi/tietopyynnot.   

• The pain is usually at its worst for a few days after the procedure, but may last up to two weeks. Follow the instructions on the prescription or the instructions given to you at the surgery when taking pain medication. If the pain is severe or gets worse, contact emergency dental care.   

• A slight fever is also common during the early stages of healing. If your body temperature rises above 38.5 °C, you should contact emergency dental care.  

• If the pain in the treatment area becomes particularly severe 2–3 days after the extraction, contact emergency dental care for further treatment.  

• You must not eat or drink anything for 4 hours before premedication. The patient must arrive at the clinic accompanied by an adult who will also escort them home. You must come to the clinic 30–60 minutes before the procedure in accordance with the instructions given by the dentist.  

• Driving, physical exertion and activities that increase the risk of injury, such as riding a bicycle, are prohibited for the next 12 hours.  

• If your retention wire is stinging or chafing, contact the oral health service in your wellbeing services county for first aid (tel. 09 419 12030, Mon–Fri 07:30–15:00). As a rule, the first line of treatment is to cut the wire.   

• A detached retention wire can only be reattached within the wellbeing services county if you have received orthodontic treatment within the previous two years, either at a health centre or in specialised healthcare, and if the orthodontic treatment at a health centre was provided when you were under 18.   

• Retention wires fitted in a private practice must be fixed in a private practice.   

• Oral health is an essential part of the well-being of the entire body. It is particularly important in the context of general diseases, such as diabetes, rheumatism or cardiovascular diseases.  

• Infections in the mouth can increase the risk of developing a disease or aggravate existing ones. 

• Similarly, many diseases and the medicines used to treat them can impair oral health, for example, by reducing the secretion of saliva.  

• Tooth sensitivity can have many causes. The most common cause of tooth sensitivity is abrasion of the tooth surface or receding gums, so using toothpaste for sensitive teeth can be beneficial. If necessary, you can rub the toothpaste directly against the surface of the sensitive tooth with your finger.  

• Other causes of sensitive teeth can be cavities, cracks or chips in the tooth or night-time tooth grinding.  

• If you have sensitive teeth, it is best to avoid drinking acidic beverages.