Twelve people, and you need one of them

CBCT and digital planning first, then a surgical guide, and only then surgery. He declines to operate if the natural tooth can be saved: extraction, as he puts it, can always wait.

Restores old mechanical watches and insists it is the best possible training for the hands. Two sons, both play ice hockey, so he knows about front-tooth trauma from more than a textbook.

University of Helsinki, Faculty of Medicine, DDS; specialist training in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Member of the Finnish Dental Association; more than 900 hours of postgraduate implantology in Switzerland and Germany.

Fillings and root canal treatment under a microscope, artistic restoration of the front teeth, porcelain veneers and onlays, and shade selection by digital colorimetry.

She believes a tooth should be preserved as far as possible: the minimum necessary preparation, and every case photographed before and after. She shows the patient the scan on screen before starting.

Takes watercolour classes, which shows in the way she picks shades. Keeps two cats at home who, she says, test the doctor’s patience on a regular basis.

University of Turku, DDS. Certified in endodontics under magnification and in adhesive restoration; teaches on microscope courses for the Finnish Dental Association.

Implant-supported prosthetics, zirconia and ceramic crowns, full-bite rehabilitation, the CAD/CAM protocol, and removable and fixed-removable constructions.

He works only from digital impressions — a scanner instead of a tray of impression material. Before final bonding he has the patient wear a temporary and adjusts the shape by how it feels rather than by the book.

Goes to the fells: twice a year he heads to Lapland with a tent. Collects vinyl from the seventies and maintains that silence in the treatment room is overrated.

University of Oulu, DDS; specialist training in prosthetic dentistry. Certified CAD/CAM user, with digital-protocol placements in Italy.

Protocol-based professional hygiene with index scoring, treatment of gingivitis and periodontitis, maintenance therapy, and home-care coaching with product selection.

She does not simply clean teeth, she follows the patient: measures pockets, records indices and shows the trend from visit to visit. If a cleaning has not changed a habit at home, she considers the appointment wasted.

Runs long distances and has finished two marathons. Bakes sourdough bread and hands the starter out to colleagues together with a two-page instruction.

Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, BSc in dental hygiene. Courses in guided biofilm therapy and in ultrasonic root debridement.

Surgical extraction of wisdom and impacted teeth, flapless gum grafting, recession coverage, frenectomy, and removal of soft-tissue lesions with histology.

He sticks to gentle protocols: piezosurgery instead of a chisel, minimal incisions, and a suture that does not get in the way of eating. He always calls the patient in the evening after surgery.

Plays in goal for an amateur football team. For fifteen years running he has gone fishing on the same lake in Savonlinna with the same group of friends.

University of Eastern Finland, DDS; specialist training in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Certified in piezosurgery and in soft-tissue grafting techniques.

Clear aligners and fixed braces for adults, preparing the bite for prosthetics and implants, management of TMJ dysfunction, and the retention protocol.

She starts with digital occlusion analysis and a cephalometric X-ray rather than with a photograph of the smile. She says plainly when orthodontics is not needed and selective adjustment or a splint will do.

Twenty years of competitive rowing, now in a masters crew. She believes patience for long distances is the main quality an orthodontist and their patient can share.

University of Helsinki, DDS; specialist training in orthodontics. Certified clear-aligner provider, with courses in gnathology and functional diagnostics.