Dr. Brian Saby's Dental Blog

Like everything else in the world, technological breakthroughs have changed dentistry.  Today, the modern dentist is doing things, which were technically impossible even five years ago and unimaginable twenty years ago.  With all this change, the average perception of a dental visit has not changed.  When most people go for a dental check up, they expect the dentist to tell them what is wrong, and what “needs to be done”.   This attitude is still shared by many dentists as well.  The dentist will look for problems and disease and fix these.  This “patch and fill” approach has served us well for many years, however, there is another approach which is better.  Give the patient some choices!

One of the first things you and your dentist should do when deciding you get together is determine your long-term objectives concerning your teeth.  Do you want to have your teeth for the rest of your life?  If you want to keep your teeth (most people do, and most should have no problem in this regard) is there anything you would change about the appearance, or function?  Would you like to prevent any future dental problems?   Once you have determined these goals, your dentist should perform a very thorough examination and give you some treatment options to help you achieve the desired results.  It is morally and ethically imperative that your dentist present to you a treatment plan which outlines the best treatment that is available in 1999 style dentistry.  This treatment plan should achieve your dental goals; cost, time of treatment, complexity or other factors should not be part of this planning phase.  You have the right to know what is the best available, and the dentist is morally and ethically obligated to let you know what you could have, if you so choose.  Now that you have an idea what could be done, you can now look at the other factors involved in making the decision: How many appointments would it take?  Would braces be required?  How much would it cost?  Would there be any discomfort?  Your dentist should be able to answer all of your questions or concerns.  If the treatment plan is not to your liking, it may be possible that there are other treatment modalities available which would be acceptable to you.  The dentist’s job is to let you know what treatment is available, your job is to determine if this is something you would like, is this the right dentist to perform the treatment, and what time frame you would like to do the treatment.       

Today, a person can have almost anything they want when it comes to how they would like their mouth and smile.  People without teeth can now have teeth implanted so they no longer require dentures.  Those unhappy with the appearance of their teeth can have their smile changed to give them a perfect smile.  Dental restoration can be constructed which will last a very long time, and broken teeth can be avoided.  Fillings can be made that look just like natural teeth, giving the appearance of having no fillings.  Unfilled teeth can be sealed to prevent cavities.  Missing teeth can be replaced easily.  Worn and aged appearing teeth can be restored to give a more youthful appearance.  All you have to do is decide what you want.

Tags: Comprehensive Dentistry, Cosmetic Dentistry, crowns, dentistry, Dr. Saby, implant, restorative dentistry, Saby

This entry was posted on Monday, February 2nd, 2009 at 9:14 pm and is filed under Choosing a Dentist, What's New. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.