Dental Choices
We are very fortunate to live in Canada where our standard of living is amongst the highest in the world. Our consumer driven economy allows us to have choices in almost every aspect of our life. We get to decide on what level of service and quality of consumer products we would like to obtain.
Let’s say that you decided you wanted a larger television for the family room. Not many of us would be happy if the salesperson were to inform us that they had looked at our old television and decided that it was still pretty good and they would not sell us a new television until it quit working completely.
If you decided to get a new car, you would be shocked if the sales representative told you that you didn’t need a new car right now. “Your old car is fine, you can probably get another 100,000 km out of it, come back and see me in a few years.” Is something you will not likely hear at your auto dealer.
In dentistry, you also have choices.
Modern technology has moved dental care from its traditional pathology based roots to a new desire based model. Today, you should be involved in your treatment decisions. While it is imperative that you take steps to cure the active disease processes that may be occurring in your mouth (decay, gum disease etc.) you now have the opportunity to have treatment that is optional and can make you feel better, look better and help prevent dental problems in the future.
When your dentist is looking over your current dental situation and making treatment recommendations, he or she should now be discussing with you, all the various treatment options that are available today. What could be done to improve the appearance of your smile? Is there something that could be done to improve your bite? How could your replace any missing teeth? What could be done to correct any wear that has occurred and can further wear be prevented? Can something be done to reverse receding gums? Are your headaches and neck problems related to the way your teeth come together and is there anything that can be done about it? What type of filling material would you like for your teeth? The list of questions is endless.
It is my opinion, that every patient should be given a complete diagnosis and treatment plan that would provide the absolute best result available for the patient. This should not take into account treatment cost or complexity. Each individual situation should be treated as if this were a licensing board examination case and the dentist was going to be evaluated on the thoroughness of his diagnosis and completeness of the treatment plan.
It is now up to the patient to decide what type of treatment he or she would like to have. Firstly, the patient must decide what are their long term dental goals, they must determine if any proposed treatment fits their budget and of course, they must ultimately decide if the treatment has value for them.
These treatment decisions are tough. Prior to making any treatment choices, the patient should also learn what would happen if they were to decide on other treatment options or to have no treatment whatsoever. The dentist is in a position to help in this decision making process by answering any questions the person may have.
Ultimately the treatment decision lies with the patient. While there is an analogy to purchasing consumer goods, there is obviously quite a difference. If you choose a 21 inch T.V., the clerk at Electro-mart does not fuse the set to your body, requiring surgery to remove it if you decide to go for the 70” plasma job in a year.
When you make your dental decisions about discretionary dental care, take your time to make a thoughtful informed decision. If you elect ideal treatment, but your budget does not agree, find out if you can phase your treatment over a number of years. You will always want to get the maximum benefit with the least amount of treatment. If in doubt, ask your dentist for more information.
