A dental clinic in Otemachi | Hamille Tokyo Dental Office
Your first visit
Will it hurt? Can you trust the dentist? So many worries
The unknown can feel unsettling. That is why we want you to know what to expect before your visit.
Pain and fear around dental treatment
The most common impression is that going to the dentist is “painful” and “frightening”. Where does this impression come from?
Why does it hurt?
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The nerve is what senses pain
When you notice pain, the infection has usually already reached close to the nerve, or the nerve itself.
Because the nerve is sensitive, if the anaesthetic does not work fully, you may feel pain during treatment. -
It hurts without anaesthetic
While the anaesthetic is working, you will not feel pain.
But once it wears off, the pain from the treated area returns and continues until it heals, so even if you felt no pain during treatment itself, you may still be left with the impression that it “hurt”. -
Waiting until it hurts is too late
Many people think of the dentist as somewhere you go once a tooth already hurts, and that is part of the reason.
Tooth decay generally cannot be removed without drilling, and drilling itself involves some pain — the anaesthetic given to reduce that pain can also leave you with the impression that it “hurt”.
Why is it frightening?
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Ultimately, it is frightening because it hurts
A toothache is hard to bear, and everyone finds pain unpleasant and frightening.
But avoiding the dentist because you are afraid of pain, only to go once tooth decay already hurts, is a contradiction in itself. -
The anaesthetic and the drill (turbine) are frightening
It is understandable to feel afraid at the thought of a needle going into your mouth, or of a loud instrument being placed inside it. It is precisely because of this fear that regular visits to the dentist, and careful care to prevent tooth decay, matter all the more.
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The dentist and staff can be frightening
Dental clinics are often busier than people expect, so small courtesies can get overlooked, and poor service is something we hear about too.
We also hear of dentists who come across as stern because they are being direct about a condition, and of treatment going ahead without enough explanation, which can feel frightening.
What Hamille does differently
Making sure it doesn’t hurt
‘Well done’ — the words that make us happiest
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Careful, attentive care
We watch closely for signs of pain and check in with you as we go, so you never have to endure pain in silence.
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High-level skill, without relying on machines
For patients whose anaesthetic does not always work well, or who are afraid of pain, we use methods such as topical anaesthetic and techniques for giving the anaesthetic itself that are less noticeable from the start, so that even a child who is afraid of the dentist can come away saying it was not frightening at all.
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Treatment aimed at keeping your teeth
We follow a policy of no pain, no drilling and no extraction, avoid unnecessary treatment, and focus on prevention, doing everything we can to find and offer treatment options that keep your teeth.
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Our focus on prevention
Of course we also carry out treatment, but a dental clinic’s real role is prevention. In other words, a dentist is somewhere you visit regularly so that you never get tooth decay in the first place. We believe that once this idea takes hold, there will be no need to drill ⇒ no need for anaesthetic ⇒ no more pain — and the impression that dentistry “hurts” will fade along with it.
Making sure it isn’t frightening
We hope you will feel, from the heart: ‘I can keep this up, and I want to keep coming!’
Hamille is here to help you live a full, happy life.
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Doing everything we can to avoid pain
Even patients who are afraid of the dentist can keep coming in without feeling pain. Through treatment of this standard, we aim to gradually change the misconception that dentistry is frightening because it hurts.
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Preventing tooth decay in the first place
We explain the cause of a problem and how to deal with it, using photos of your mouth, and do everything we can to help you avoid tooth decay in the first place. Preventing the need for frightening “treatment” is the best solution of all.
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Our aim: a dental clinic that smiles
Because patients come to us feeling anxious, we welcome every patient with a smile, and we also hold regular training sessions and seminars, working to be a clinic that feels more comfortable than anywhere else and is easy to keep visiting long term. We also keep up ongoing guidance and training to get explanation and communication right, which is why we are well regarded as a clinic where patients fully understand their treatment and feel at ease receiving it.
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With Hamille, there is nothing to fear
The unknown can sometimes be frightening. To help you see that there is nothing to fear, we place importance on communication and share information honestly, hoping to leave you with a little more peace of mind and a little less worry.
A dental clinic in Otemachi | Hamille Tokyo Dental Office
Things to know before your first visit
- 1 By appointment only
- We cannot see walk-in patients without an appointment — please book in advance by phone or online.
- 2 Bring your insurance card
- You can still be seen without your insurance card, but you will need to pay the full cost yourself. Since we check it once a month, please show your insurance card at reception. If your My Number Card has been set up to work as your health insurance card, you can use that instead.
- 3 The first-visit fee is around 4,000 yen
- This is roughly what the first-visit fee, X-ray and examination cost when your co-payment under health insurance is 30%. The actual cost will vary depending on the examination and treatment given on the day. If you also have a cleaning (tartar removal) or cavity treatment on the same day, there will be an additional charge.
- 4 Cash, bank cards, transit IC cards and PayPay accepted
- If you choose private, non-insurance treatment, you can also use a dental loan or similar plan to spread the cost in monthly instalments.
- 5 In pain right now and need to be seen straight away
- We give priority to patients with an appointment, but to relieve your pain as soon as possible, we accept emergency patients at any time — if you are willing to wait, we can usually see you the same day. Please call the clinic first.
- 6 There is a limit to what we can do in one visit
- You may wonder why everything cannot be finished in a single visit, but we have to follow the minimum interval between treatments set out in the health insurance rules, so we ask for your understanding.
- 7 Please arrive 15 minutes before your appointment
- Since you will need to fill in a medical history form, register and hear an explanation, please allow enough time and try to arrive 15 minutes before your appointment.
- 8 You can also change your dentist
- At a clinic with several dentists, you can change your treating dentist or request a particular one. If you would prefer to see a female dentist, or would like a second opinion from another dentist, please let us know at any time. * Please note that it can be harder to book a popular dentist, so we ask for your understanding.
- 9 (This clinic only) Using the childcare room
- When you book, please tell the person taking your booking that you would like to use the childcare room.
- 10 Want to know more?
- If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us at any time. If you are busy, you can also send a written enquiry through our website (please select the clinic you would like to visit). We will reply by the next day the clinic is open.