Mikkels Tannhus is a dental clinic in the heart of the artist’s district in Oslo. We spoke to today’s owner, Esben Kardel, about his passion for dentistry, family traditions, Nordic cosiness and extreme sports.
NORDIC HYGGE AND HISTORY
The building that accommodates Mikkels Tannhus is located in Oslo’s downtown, more specifically in Bergfjerdingen, also known as the artist’s district. The place is a real gem and the Mikkels Tannhus building brings to mind a Nordic chalet.
Watch the video interview with Esben here.
The houses in Bergfjerdingendate are from the 17th – 18th century, most of them constructed from wood. They were originally housing the workers and the poor people living right outside the city. Mikkels Tannhus building as it stands today dates from 1860, and was rebuilt after a big fire in 1859. At the most, there lived 33 people in the house, and it has always been some kind of shop in the first floor.
When the Kardel family bought the building in the eighties, the building needed complete renovation. Mikkel and his wife Kristin restored the property through repairs and alterations, where they made sure to keep the original elements present.
The work required to restore the building located at Dopsgate 7 was great and the Kardel family spent a whole summer working on the renovation together with Danish workers who knew how to restore houses like this.
Today, the building is a reflection of their hard work and passion for Nordic cosiness – which people in Scandinavia refer to as hygge. Every patient that visits the clinic can feel the cosy atmosphere in every detail, from the warm colours on the walls, to the paintings and the furniture. Everything is coordinated to give the patient the impression of almost being in a typical Nordic chalet. Mikkels Tannhus provides a comforting and relaxing environment.
‘The idea,’ says Esben Kardel, ‘is to reproduce a cosy atmosphere, so the patient can feel at home. We saved the modern design and cold, white walls for the treatment room, where we wanted to keep a clean, modern look.’
A SECOND-GENERATION XO CARE ENTHUSIAST
Today Mikkels Tannhus is administered by Esben Kardel, Mikkel’s son, who is a second-generation XO CARE enthusiast.
Esben grew up with an XO unit, as his father, Mikkel, had a FLEX unit back in the 1970s. For Esben, then, it was natural to continue working with an XO unit.
“The XO unit has everything I need, it allows me to work fast and the instruments have the precision I require; besides this, I like the design and the ergonomic features. Our units are 12 years old and people still ask if they are new,” says Esben.
DENTISTRY, PRECISION AND EXTREME SPORTS
Esben is a general practitioner with a thirst for knowledge and an obsession with precision. He is constantly updating his knowledge in order to keep himself at the top of his game. Because of this, people started asking him to share what he knows, so today he also lectures in his spare time.
We asked Esben which part of his everyday work he likes most. The answer? Thin veneers and lumineers (which is essentially is a “no prep” style of veneer). Many dentists thought in the past that it was not possible to make a veneer without preparation, but with the right amount of training in precision as well as a good workflow with talented technicians, the results are stunning.
See one example here: http://www.mikkelstannhus.no/lengere-tenner
Read some of his tips about how to use an ultrasonic scaler here.
Esben says that, as well as general practice, he enjoys surgery and periodontics, because they are precision work. And he likes to have all the responsibility from the surgical part to the prosthodontic in the end.
Dentistry is not the only area that this extraordinary dentist applies his abilities too. Esben is also passionate about extreme sports such as skiing or mountain biking in rough terrains, and he has even been number 11 in world in extreme multisport. He explains: ‘Sports and dentistry both requires the body to work and the mind to concentrate and a lot of passion and persistence.’
WHITE WALLS? NO PROBLEM.
Some time ago, Esben visited his aunt’s art exhibition, and at the end of the day he asked her what she did with her paintings when they weren’t being exhibited.
Esben tells us: ‘The answer was nothing. Therefore, I invited her to hang her paintings here, so our patients can enjoy her work or even buy a piece if they’re interested. This is a good solution for both of us, she can sell some pictures, and our patients can enjoy a different view at every visit, as my aunt comes and changes all the paintings every 6 months.’
