More on “Why Patients Leave their Dentist.”

In between post-turkey naps and getting away from certain family members, you might have been re-reading my previous columns, a three part series titled: “Why did you leave your Dentist?”

In my 31 years of schlepping teeth, here are some common quotes made by new patients to our office as to why they left their former dentist and how we try to prevent these issues.

• “I was told I needed just a filling, but wound up needing a root canal at additional cost of $1400!” With digital radiography and fiber optic intra-oral cameras, we can better identify which teeth will need root canal treatment in addition to a filling or crown ahead of time. No surprises. And, electric drills vs. the old wining, loud air turbine drills generate less heat resulting in less tooth pulp (nerve) damage.
• “My implants failed and I paid a bundle for them!” With special implants that have a more aggressive thread design, more initial stability of the implant is possible. And, with the use of the electronic, sound wave implant testing device, Osstell, we can now measure the stability of an implant and decide on how many months we need to wait for good anchoring to the bone or if we need to abort the case.
• “A tooth under a recent crown is now chock full of decay. The doctor has to pull my whole tooth and replace it with an implant and new crown!” We use digital impression scanners called iTero Element, not the goopy, gagging molds, for greater accuracy. Crowns with gaps can lead to the tooth rotting away below.
• “They always are running late and I have to wait weeks or months to get a cleaning appointment.” By not participating in dental HMO or PPO plans, we are able to see one patient at a time, run on time and can easily get a patient in for a hygiene visit in less than 14 days.