Therapy Dent, the first dental clinic with free psychotherapy, meditation, and massage sessions, has launched in Bucharest after an investment of roughly EUR 400,000.
Founded by Cosmina Maftei, a coordinating physician with over 12 years of experience in the field, and Mihai Chiriac, with 15 years of business expertise, Therapy Dent comes with a new concept on the dental market, being the first dental clinic in Romania which focuses on combating the fear of the dentist through the holistic approach to oral health and free psychotherapy and meditation.
The concept of integrating psychology in dentistry was created by Vicentiu Maftei, a psychotherapist and clinical psychologist for over 20 years.
The total investment in the clinic amounts to approximately EUR 400,000, an amount allocated to the purchase of equipment and computerized systems for treatment and investigations, but also to the interior design meant to ensure a relaxing atmosphere and to remove feelings of fear, anxiety, and stress.
“We want to help Romanians get rid of the fear of going to the dentist to take care of their health - teeth have an extremely important role in maintaining general health, they should not only receive care for the aesthetic part. Once the dentition is affected and the teeth lose their strength, chewing becomes inefficient, and gastric conditions appear. We created Therapy Dent with an important wish for all of us: by educating Romanians and removing the fear of going to the dentist, Romania will no longer be in last place in the EU for visits to the dentist,” said Dr Cosmina Maftei.
The Therapy Dent clinic, located in a two-level building, has an area of 180 square meters, 3 dental offices, and a team of 10 specialists, including 8 dentists. The clinic’s patients, children and adults, benefit from complete services of general dentistry, oral surgery, implantology, prosthetics, endodontics, orthodontics, dental aesthetics, pediatric dentistry, and periodontology.
Psychotherapy sessions, guided meditation, and massage are free for those who fear the dentist, with patients benefiting from these services upon request before any treatment or intervention.
Costs start from RON 160 (EUR 32) for professional brushing and can reach over RON 20,000 (EUR 4,000) for dental implants. The clinic also offers patients dental subscriptions.
“At Therapy Dent, the patient arrives 20 minutes before the appointment at the dentist, sits in the massage chair, puts on the headphones, detaches from the environment, and begins to relax progressively, focusing on breathing. This service, together with the warm atmosphere in the clinic, contributes to a general state of well-being,” explains Vicentiu Maftei, the psychotherapist of the Therapy Dent clinic.
In the first months after its opening, the Therapy Dent clinic registered more than 1,500 patients.
More than 60% of people say they fear the dentist, and 4% say they have never been to the dentist, according to a recent survey conducted by market research platform DentaVox on a sample of 18,000 people worldwide. Romania also ranks last in the EU in visits to the dentist, according to a Eurostat survey this year.
(Photo source: Therapy Dent)