Advanced Dental Concepts

What is an appropriate fee for a missed appointment?

admin — Mon, 10 May 2010 00:46:26 +0000

This week, I was reading an article in the newspaper about a patient that was charged $400 for a missed dental appointment. The author of the article was incensed at the fee and felt that people should not be charged for a missed appointment. Before I go on, I am going to tell you that I think it is necessary to charge when someone misses an appointment if just for a deterrent for people to just not show up!. If a patient has a good history and has not missed in the past and they have a good excuse, I will wave the charge. Now, concerning the $400 charge. Is it fair? At first thought, I had to agree with the author, but, as I thought about it, I couldn’t fault the practice. Dentistry has a very high overhead. Maybe, $400 was the hourly overhead of this practice and most patients don’t consider the huge impact that missing an appointment has on the productivity of the day. When you consider that there is no production for that time and the overhead is still the same, depending on what the procedure is for, could cost the practice $1000 to $1500. It wa a fair fee!

The three options to replace a missing tooth

admin — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:36:29 +0000

I try to save all the teeth I can, however, at times things happen and a tooth needs to be extracted. We have only three options to replace that missing tooth. I will take each one at a time to try to help with this decision.

The first option, if it is possible for you, is the best option. That would be a dental implant. An implant is a titanium root form that is inserted into the bone. The bone grows around it and it integrates with the bone. This osseous integration takes around 3-6 months. When integrated satisfactorily, the surgeon uncovers it and places a healing cap that is open to the oral cavity. The implant its self is worthless until a tooth is fabricated that is attached to the implant. The longevity of the implant is quite good with some lasting over 30 years now. It is the most like your own tooth that dentistry can offer today.

The second option, in order of desirability, would be a fixed bridge. In this procedure, the tooth in front of the space and the tooth behind the space are prepared for a crown and a false tooth, or as we call it, a pontic, is fabricated between the two crowns. This restoration is cemented on the prepared teeth and is not removable. Special attention has to be taken to properly clean under the bridge on a daily basis.

The third option is a removable partial denture. This option is the least like your own teeth, but is also the least expensive. A metal framework is fabricated that has clasps that fit around your existing teeth. There are plastic “saddles” that have the teeth attached to. It is removable and has to be taken out to clean the food that gets caught underneath it. A removable partial and an implant can be used when there are no back teeth to attach a bridge to.

A word about financial considerations. Most insurance companies will not cover the implant restoration. The implant is the most expensive of the options but it also has the possibility of being the longest lasting. So the investment in the implant may be the least expensive for the long term. The fixed bridge is the next restoration that resembles the original lost tooth and it is less than The implant but the advantage here is that most insurance companies may help with this procedure. The removable partial is the least expensive, especially, if you are missing multiple teeth. Insurance will probably help with the costs on this one. It is, however, the hardest to get used to wearing and the least like your own teeth.

We would all like to have implants to restore our missing teeth just like we would all like to drive a Mercedes car. Please see me so I can advise you on what would be the best treatment options for your specific situation.

Overcoming your fear of the Dentist

admin — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 06:12:23 +0000

Dentistry has come a long way in the past few years in helping the experience be less intimidating. Local anesthetics have improved and we can honestly say that dentistry can be pain free. Another thing that can make any procedure scary is not knowing what is going to happen when a procedure is performed. I try to make sure that you are prepared and understand what we are trying to do and how we do it. Education is a big part of my responsibility as a dentist and helps to alleviate that anxiety you may experience when having dental procedures performed.

This week in Dental News! How to brush better

admin — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 06:11:38 +0000

Bacteria has been implicated in almost all of the dental problems we have. The bacterial biofilm that builds up on our teeth is called plaque. In order to prevent gingival problems and decay and to have healthy mouths, we need to remove this plaque on a daily basis. This involves brushing and flossing. I have discovered that almost everyone can benefit from using a power assisted brush. The two that get good ratings in the studies are the Sonic action type and the ones with three demensional action. According to an independent study performed at Oxford University in England, the one that is the best is the Oral-B Brush with three dimensional action. This is the one that I normally recommend.

How to brush and floss correctly

admin — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 06:10:57 +0000

Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Vestibulum tortor quam, feugiat vitae, ultricies eget, tempor sit amet, ante. Donec eu libero sit amet quam egestas semper. Aenean ultricies mi vitae est. Mauris placerat eleifend leo. Quisque sit amet est et sapien ullamcorper pharetra. Vestibulum erat wisi, condimentum sed, commodo vitae, ornare sit amet, wisi. Aenean fermentum, elit eget tincidunt condimentum, eros ipsum rutrum orci, sagittis tempus lacus enim ac dui. Donec non enim in turpis pulvinar facilisis. Ut felis. Praesent dapibus, neque id cursus faucibus, tortor neque egestas augue, eu vulputate magna eros eu erat. Aliquam erat volutpat. Nam dui mi, tincidunt quis, accumsan porttitor, facilisis luctus, metus

What you should know about your toothpaste

admin — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 06:10:27 +0000

Over the years, many patients have asked me what toothpaste I recommend. My response is to use the one that helps them want to brush. Basically, it doesn’t matter as long as it’s ADA approved. They all have ingredients that bubble and fizz and a flavor to mask the nasty taste of the plaque you are removing. It is actually the action of the toothbrush that removes plaque. That said, the floride in toothpastes does have benefits, so look for one that has floride in it. Colgate Total toothpaste has an antimicrobial called Triclosan in its formula. Colgate Total has been clinically proven effective against caries, gingivitis, plaque and calculus. and it is the first toothpaste to have FDA acceptance. The bottom line, whichever toothpaste you will use daily is the best one.