A practical guide for patients
How to get started when you haven’t been to the dentist for years, are embarrassed about the state of your teeth and don’t know what to expect.
When searching online Dental restoration… often isn’t looking for a specialist lecture or a clinic’s advert. Most of the time, they want to know something much more practical: who to call, what to say on the phone, whether the dentist will judge them, whether they’ll be drilled straight away, whether they’ll get an injection, how much it might cost, and what will happen if their teeth are in a really bad state.
This page is written precisely for this kind of situation. Calmly, without scaremongering and without pretending that fixing teeth is always easy. The aim isn’t to sort out your teeth via the internet. The aim is to help you understand how it all begins, what you can expect on your first visit, and how to prepare so that you don’t go into the dentist’s surgery completely in the dark.
Dental treatment is not a single, specific procedure. For some, it means a small cavity; for others, a broken front tooth; for others still, old fillings; for others, missing teeth; and for others, a whole set of teeth that has been neglected for years. This is precisely why it is impossible to say in advance whether you will need one filling, one drilling session or a specific amount. First, we need to find out what is actually going on in your mouth.
During an examination, the dentist doesn’t just look at what you can see in the mirror. They also look at cavities between the teeth, the condition of the roots, old fillings, the gums, tartar, missing teeth, inflammation beneath the teeth, and the overall plan for the order in which it makes sense to carry out the necessary repairs. What you perceive at home as ‘my teeth are terrible’ is broken down into specific steps at the dental surgery.
Your first visit doesn’t necessarily mean the dentist will start drilling straight away. Very often, the first step is an examination, an X-ray, an explanation of the condition and a treatment plan.
This page is mainly for people who have felt for some time that something needs to be done about their teeth, but don’t know where to start. Perhaps you haven’t been to the dentist for five, ten or even more years. Perhaps you’ve had a bad experience, perhaps you couldn’t afford it, perhaps you were afraid of the pain, or perhaps you simply put it off for so long that it’s become a problem you’re afraid to even look at.
Just because you’ve been putting it off doesn’t mean all is lost. It just means you need to start sensibly now: first, assess the situation; then, get the options explained to you; and only then decide what to do first.
A good dentist shouldn’t start by making accusations. They should begin with an examination and ask what can be saved, what needs to be dealt with first, and what can be planned for later. If you’re worried or feel embarrassed, it’s perfectly fine to say so right at the start.
The first phone call is usually the hardest. Not because you don’t know how to speak, but because you don’t know what to say. Many people are afraid they’ll sound silly, that the nurse will ask why they didn’t come sooner, or that they’ll be booked straight away for a procedure they aren’t ready for.
In reality, you don’t need to use any technical terms. You don’t need to know whether you need a filling, a crown, root canal treatment, an extraction or an implant. That’s precisely why you’re booking an appointment for a check-up.
It’s really easy to get started:
“Hello, I’d like to book an initial dental check-up. I haven’t been to the dentist for a while and need to find out what condition my teeth are in and what treatment would be required.”If you do not want the procedure carried out on your first visit, please feel free to mention this when booking:
“I’d like an examination, an X-ray and an explanation of the options first. I’d only like to go ahead with the procedure once I know what to expect and how much it will cost.”If you’re really scared of the dentist, you can put it even more simply:
“I’m very afraid of the dentist, so I’d like my first visit to be relaxed, mainly just for an examination and to draw up a plan.”That’s all you need to say. The receptionist at the surgery doesn’t need your life story or an apology for all these years. She just needs to know that you want to book an appointment, that you haven’t been to the dentist for a while, and that you’d like to start with an initial check-up.
When you call, it’s worth asking a few practical questions. It’s not a bother. It’s precisely these questions that will help you feel more at ease on your first visit, as you’ll know what to expect and how much the examination itself might cost.
If you feel embarrassed to ask about the price, try to remember that it’s a perfectly normal question. Dental treatment can be a minor procedure, or it can involve a longer plan spanning several appointments. You have the right to know what’s being proposed, why it’s being proposed, and what the approximate cost will be.
You don’t need to do anything special before your first visit. You don’t need to diagnose the problem yourself at home, you don’t need to know the names of the teeth, and you don’t need to prepare a technical explanation. All you need to do is gather some basic information that might be important to the dentist.
If you are taking blood-thinning medication, have diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, a medication allergy or any other health condition, please mention this during your examination. This is not to alarm you, but to ensure the procedure is safe and so that the dentist knows what to expect.
On the day of your appointment, simply brush your teeth as you normally would. If your teeth are in very poor condition, don’t put off your appointment just because you’re embarrassed. The dental surgery is exactly the place where such issues are dealt with.
This is one of the greatest fears. Many people do not book an appointment not because they do not want healthier teeth, but because they are afraid of embarrassment. They fear being asked: ‘Where have you been all this time?’ They fear the look, the silence or a comment that would upset them even more than the condition of their teeth itself.
A professional dentist should not humiliate you. They may tell you frankly that the condition is serious, that something will be more difficult to treat, or that some teeth may no longer be salvageable. That is professional information. But reproaches, ridicule or shaming the patient have no place in a dental surgery.
If you’re very worried about this, you can say so quite directly:
A sentence like this is polite, calm and clear. It shows that you’re aware of the problem, but at the same time you need help, not to be shamed.
People often use harsh words: rotten teeth, black teeth, decayed teeth, mouldy teeth. That’s how you describe it when you look at yourself in the mirror at home and feel that everything is already wrong. In the surgery, however, the dentist sees things differently. They don’t judge it with a single sentence. They break the problem down into specific teeth, specific causes and specific options.
Even very poor dental health does not necessarily mean that all your teeth will automatically have to be extracted. Sometimes some teeth can be saved; some need to be cleaned first, some treated, some covered with a dental crown, and some may indeed need to be extracted. However, without an examination and an X-ray, this cannot be reliably determined at home.
That’s why the first goal is simple: don’t go to your first appointment expecting your whole life to be sorted out in a single day. Go there with the aim of getting an overview. Once you have an overview, fear turns into a plan.
Not automatically. If you book an initial consultation, the first visit may consist solely of an examination, X-rays and a treatment plan. Of course, if you come in with a problem that needs to be dealt with straight away, the dentist will explain what they recommend doing. But when starting routine dental treatment, you have the right to know first what will be done and why.
If you do not want the procedure carried out on that day, state this clearly and calmly:
Your dentist should explain what they have found, what they recommend, what the options are, and what will happen if any problem is left untreated. When having dental work done, it is important that you understand not only the name of the procedure, but also the reason why it needs to be carried out.
Fear of pain is perfectly normal, especially if someone has had a bad experience in the past. However, modern dental treatment should not be about the patient suffering in silence. Local anaesthesia is used for many procedures – an injection designed to ensure that the treatment itself does not cause sharp pain.
The injection may be uncomfortable; it may sting or feel like pressure, but its purpose is to ensure that the subsequent procedure is bearable. During treatment, you may feel pressure, vibrations, water, the sound of the drill or a pulling sensation. This isn’t pleasant, but there is a difference between discomfort and sharp pain.
It is best to agree with your dentist before the procedure, whilst you are already sitting in the chair and know that something is about to be done:
This is a practical arrangement, not a childish demand. It is difficult to speak with instruments in your mouth during the procedure, so a simple hand signal is often the best way to maintain a sense of control.
This is a question everyone wants to know the answer to, but without an examination, there is no single definitive answer. Dental treatment can mean a single small filling, but it can also involve treatment of several teeth, dental hygiene, root canal treatment, extractions, dental crowns, bridges or replacement of missing teeth.
The price depends on how many teeth need treatment, their condition, whether the dental practice has a contract with your health insurance provider, the materials used, and whether an X-ray, anaesthesia, dental hygiene treatment or multiple appointments will be required. For some procedures, part of the cost may be covered by health insurance; for others, you may be required to pay a co-payment or make a direct payment according to the clinic’s price list.
That’s why, when undertaking a major dental restoration, it’s sensible not to just ask: ‘How much will the teeth cost?’ A better question is:
This is how a big, daunting problem becomes a concrete plan. You don’t have to fix everything at once. First, address what is medically important, painful or risky. Aesthetics and restorations are often planned only once it is clear which teeth can be saved.
A price becomes useful when you know the country, the procedure and the payment rules behind it. These published examples illustrate different national arrangements. They are not interchangeable treatments or a price list that applies throughout the EU.
The conventional tariff published by Assurance Maladie.
KZBV guidance for average treatment effort, not a fixed fee.
ÖGK tariff for 1–3 surfaces from 1 September 2026.
Confirm what you pay after any applicable reimbursement.
For a useful quote, ask for the procedure, the number of teeth or root canals, materials, laboratory work and any separate imaging, anaesthetic or follow-up charges. For an implant, check the implant, abutment and crown individually. A fee for one component is not the price of a finished replacement.
If you are considering treatment in another EU country, check reimbursement and any authorisation requirements with your insurer before booking. The rules for planned treatment differ from using an EHIC for necessary care during a temporary stay. Travel costs and return visits also belong in your budget.
Public sources · checked 12 September 2026
France: Assurance Maladie dental tariffs · Germany: KZBV professional cleaning guidance · Austria: ÖGK tariffs · Your Europe: planned healthcare abroad
Many people don’t take the first step because they tell themselves: if I can’t afford a full restoration, there’s no point in going at all. This is a very common pitfall. However, without an examination, you won’t know what’s really most important, what can wait, and what might be resolved more easily than you imagine.
In more extensive cases, the treatment can often be divided into stages. First, we address anything that may be causing pain, inflammation or a worsening of the condition. Then we tackle the teeth that can be saved. Only later do we address the final aesthetic results, such as crowns, bridges, implants or dentures.
The most important thing is to have a plan. Without a plan, people are afraid of the unknown cost. With a plan, they know what the first step is, what can wait, and what they need to prepare for financially.
If a person has several damaged teeth, the repair is not usually carried out in such a way that everything is resolved in a single visit. It makes more sense to divide the process into stages. First, any issues that may be causing pain, inflammation or a worsening of the condition are addressed. Next, the teeth that can be saved are treated. Only then are the final aesthetic solutions – crowns, bridges, implants or dentures – considered.
Examination, X-ray and consultation. The aim is to understand what is happening in the mouth.
Teeth that are painful, inflamed or broken may cause complications.
Fillings, root canal treatments, restorations or other procedures depending on the specific condition.
If a tooth is missing or needs to be extracted, options for its replacement will be considered.
Check-ups, dental hygiene and care to ensure the same problem does not recur.
One of the biggest fears is that the dentist will say: ‘This tooth has to go.’ Sometimes a tooth can be saved, sometimes it cannot. If a tooth is severely damaged, has a bad root, is severely inflamed or no longer has sufficient support, extraction may be the most sensible solution. However, this does not mean that’s the end of the story.
If your dentist tells you that a tooth needs to be extracted, ask calmly and specifically:
These questions will help you understand what happens next. Sometimes a replacement can be arranged quickly; at other times, you’ll need to wait for healing, the next appointment, the replacement to be made, or funding to be secured. It’s important that you don’t leave feeling anxious, but with a clear explanation.
| Situation | What’s a sensible first step? | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| I haven’t been to the dentist for a long time | Book an appointment for an initial examination and treatment plan | “Can the first visit consist solely of an examination and an X-ray?” |
| I’m ashamed of the state of my teeth | Put it bluntly and to the point | “Please, I don’t want any lectures, I just want to know the procedure.” |
| I’m afraid of the pain | Ask about anaesthesia and agree on a hand signal | ‘Can the procedure be carried out with an anaesthetic injection?’ |
| I don’t know how much it will cost | Ask about the first stage, not the whole set of teeth at once | “What needs to be addressed first and how much will it cost?” |
| I have several bad teeth | Request a phased plan | ‘What can be saved, what can wait, and what is probably beyond repair?’ |
If you’re looking to have your teeth treated, the most important thing is not to panic. You don’t need to know straight away what treatment you need. You don’t need to know how much it will cost. You don’t need to decide at home whether you need a filling, a crown, an extraction or an implant. The first step is simpler: book an initial consultation and get a treatment plan.
If you haven’t been to the dentist for years, say so straight away. If you’re afraid, say so. If you’re embarrassed, say so. A good treatment plan doesn’t start with reproaches, but with assessing the situation and breaking the problem down into manageable steps.
Simply say that you’d like to book an initial dental check-up, that you haven’t been to the dentist for a while, and that you need to find out the condition of your teeth and the treatment plan. You don’t need to use technical terms or make excuses.
Not automatically. During the initial consultation, the first visit may consist of a discussion, a dental check-up, an X-ray and an explanation of the treatment plan. If you would prefer just a consultation and treatment plan to begin with, please mention this when booking your appointment and at the clinic.
A professional dentist should not humiliate you. They may openly describe a serious condition, but the aim of the visit is to determine what can be saved, what needs to be addressed first, and what the next steps will be.
Local anaesthesia is used for many procedures. During treatment, you may feel pressure, vibrations or discomfort, but you should not have to endure sharp pain in silence. Before the procedure, you can agree on a hand signal.
It is impossible to give an accurate estimate without an examination. The price depends on the number of teeth, the extent of the damage, the type of procedures, the materials used, the health insurance provider and the clinic’s price list. For more extensive work, it is sensible to enquire about the first stage of treatment.
Many dental restoration plans can be broken down into stages. First, the issues that are most important from a health perspective or pose the greatest risk are addressed, followed by other teeth, aesthetics and any necessary replacements.
You pay according to the number of missing teeth. Composite dental crowns selected to match the width of your gap, DentiFlex and a personalised guide are all included in the price.
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