Baton Rouge Dentist

Another victim of the new Star Wars movie

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Ever since the new Star Wars movie, it’s been all lightsabers, all the time. My sons are having light saber fights almost 24/7. I was rounding the kitchen when a lightsaber struck me directly in the mouth. One of my front teeth are a little loose. Do I need to see an emergency dentist?

Elaine F. – Birmingham, AL

Elaine,

I guess that’s better than a blaster, unless a storm trooper was behind the gun, because they rarely hit their targets anyway.  You’ll want to go in to have a dentist look at the tooth fairly soon. It’s likely just the ligament was stretched, but you want to make sure there’s not too much trauma.

They can stabilize the tooth while it heals. Most dentists make room in their schedule for last minute emergency appointments for cases like yours.

If your dentist doesn’t accomodate you and you’re concerned, there are dentists who will take non-established patients the same day in the case of emergeny.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Ryan Perry.

Need too much work done

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I just switched dentists because I moved out of state. The new dentist said I need a ton of work done. Way more work than I have the money for. Are there more affordable ways of getting a bunch of work done, like a bulk discount I can ask for?  Give me the inside scoop and deals.

Benj. – Milwaukee, WI

Benj,

There isn’t some inside passcode to get significant secret discounts, if that’s what you mean, but there are ways to do this treatment affordably. My suggestion would be phased treatment.

What I would do first is ask your dentist to list what you need in order of priority. Then do one or two treatments at a time, as you can afford it. Combine that with some low (or no) interest payment plans from a medical card, like care credit and you’ll be able to get all the work done in now time.

Also, be sure to talk to your dentist and let him or her know your financial situation. They may have some specific specials or plans unique to that practice which could be helpul.

This blog is brought to you Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Ryan Perry.

Dentist says extract my teeth and get implants

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I have severe gum disease. My dentist is recommending I remove my teeth and get dental implants instead. I can’t afford that.  I can barely afford a dentist, which is why I have gum disease. Are there any alternatives?

BreeAnne W. – Detriot, MI

BreeAnne,

I want you to get away from this dentist as fast as you can.  Don’t waste another penny or second of your life with this hack.  Thinking about this logically, if your peridontist is so advanced that he can’t save your teeth, what makes you think dental implants will be retained?  You’ll spend tens of thousands of dollars and then lose the implants.

Even if the implants would be fine, I would want to do everything possible to save your natural teeth first.

Your first step is to get to an affordable dentist. Call around. Most dentists aren’t like the fraud you’re currently with.  They care about patients. It’s why they got into their field. Tell them your situation. They’ll work out a way for you to afford treatment.

You’ll want to get this gum disease dealth with as quickly as possible, in order to try to save your teeth.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Ryan Perry.

What if I can’t afford the treatment my dentist insists on?

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My dentist said I need dental implants. I just plain can’t afford him.  I told him I would rather get dentures, but he said that would ruin my jawbone and I really need implants.  What do I do if I can’t afford the treatment? I’m not going to sell my house in order to get my teeth fixed.

Ali B. – Tucson, Arizona

Ali,

There are very few things that irritate me more than a dentist who instists on the ideal treatment regardless of the financial circumstances of their patients. It’s not only inconsiderate, it’s unethical.   Your dentist is ethically bound to tell you all the legitimate treatment options.

Yes, it is not ideal.  Yes, it will affect your jawbone. But, sometimes patients need affordable dental options . This may be the best treatment for you right now.  Then, if things change, you can upgrade later.

If your dentist has trouble understanding that, I suggest you look for a more affordable dentist.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Ryan Perry.

Can’t afford to fix my mouth

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My parents never took me to the dentist. They’ve never really bothered me, but I was alway embarrassed that I’d never gone. I’ve gotten my first real job and one of the first things I did is take my first trip to the dentist. I was in for the shock of a lifetime. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, but most of my teeth need either crowns or replacing. There is no way I can afford this kind of dental care.  I’m so afraid I’m going to be a toothless granny before I’m even thirty years old. Is there any affordable solution?

Whitney M. – Ohio

Whitney,

While there is an affordable solution I will tell you about, before you go any further I think you need to get a second opinion. If your teeth weren’t bothering you, I find it hard to believe you will need that much work. It’s not impossible, but I just don’t find it very likely.

If it turns out there is a lot of work that needs to be done, there is a way to get affordable dentistry. One way is to do phased treatment. The dentist can list out the work that needs to be done in the order of urgency.  Then you get the most urgent work done and slowly save up to do the rest.

This will enable you to eventually get everything done at a rate you can afford to do.  But, like I said before. I would get a second opinion first.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Ryan Perry.

Can’t afford extraction

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I need a tooth in the back extracted, but I don’t have the money. It’s getting pretty bad and I can’t deal with it. The pain is now spreading up the side of my face and is to my eyebrow. I have some old antibiotics that I didn’t end up needing. Can I take that, until I have the money for the extraction?

Stacey A. – Little Rock, AR

Stacey,

This is one of those dental situation where you can’t afford not to do it. You can actually die from a tooth abscess. This is spreading. What will you do if it gets to your brain?  This tooth needs to be extracted and the antibiotic will not take care of your infection.

If you’ve already got a dentist, call him and explain the situation. He’ll more than likely be able to work out some way to make it affordable.

This is something you really cannot put off.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Ryan Perry.

Affordable Full Mouth Reconstruction

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My dentist told me I need a full mouth reconstruction. To be honest it doesn’t surprise me. My teeth are terrible. However, the price he quoted is not doable. Is there any way to do this affordably?

Jana E. – St. Louis

Jana,

Generally, a full mouth reconstruction consists in getting porclelain crowns, dental implants, or a mixuture of both. It can be pretty pricey, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find a way to do have affordable dentistry.

Talk to your dentist about the situation. You can use different procedures, or staggar your treatment to fit with your budgetary restrictions. There are any number of ways to do this in a way that you can afford.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Ryan Perry.

Dentist said I need all my teeth crowned

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My dentist told me that I have to have all my teeth crowned because of TMJ. That sounds really expensive. Is there an affordable way to do it or am I destined for bankruptcy?

Danielle M. – Ft. Collins, CO

Danielle,

A full mouth reconstruction is an extremely advanced procedure. If I were in your position, the first thing I would do is get a second opinion. It is possible you need the procedure, but I’d want to be certain before doing anything quite so drastic. What other treatment options has your dentist tried.

Next, if it is determined that this is the right procedure, I wouldn’t be focused on who is the most affordable dentist. Instead, I would definitely be looking at who is the most qualified.  If a full mouth reconstruction isn’t done well, it can lead to serious problems that can mess with your quality of life. Horror stories abound of FMR’s that have caused people to no longer be able to eat solid food.

I know cost is a factor. In those cases, I would go for a no-interest payment plan that will let you pay it off in small amounts. Generally  Care Credit will do that. If not, you’ll have to do the treatment in stages, saving up before each installment.

No matter what the cost, it is imperative you remember skill is very important in this type of situation.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge dentist Dr. Ryan Perry.

 

My dentist stinks–literally

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I called around to find out who the cheapest dentist in town was, in order to save money.  I came across a dentist who was quite a bit cheaper than everyone else.  However, in my first appointment I found out why. He stinks. Like truly smells bad.  So, I went to the next cheapest dentist on my list and he had horrible chairside manner. In fact he made Dr. House seem like a cuddly, chatty teddy bear. Is there a decent dentist who is actually affordable or do they all have issues and that is why they’re so much cheaper?

Sara M. – Denver, CO

Sara,

I’ve heard of dentists who stink at their job before, but actual body odor is a new one for me. It is definitely true that dentists with…shall we say issues…tend to draw in clients by lowering their prices significantly. It may seem like a very subtle difference, but there is an important distinction between a cheap dentist and an affordable one. Sometimes fees can seem close to what a high end dentist would be, but they save you money in the long run.

One important way is by using high quality materials. Sometimes a dentist has really low fees, but that is because they purchase inferior materials. They may go into your mouth fine, but they’ll fail or break much sooner than they should.

Other dentists stay affordable through phased treatments or no interest payments.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Ryan Perry.

NOT saving money would have saved me money

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Dear Dr. Perry,

I just wanted to tell you about something that could help dental patients in the future.  Maybe they’re like me and don’t have much money. I go to the local dental school to get my teeth cleaned, because they only charge $50. They do a fantastic job with cleaning. Unfortunately, they don’t treat things like cavities and root canals.  I needed a dental crown. I called around to every dentist in the city in order to find the absolute cheapest dentist around.

I ended up finding this guy that charged less than half of everyone else. I thought this would be a great way to get affordable dental care. He was a new dentist and just opening his first practice. I thought it would be a win-win situation. He’d graduated from dental school and needed some clients. I figured he knew what he was doing, as he had graduated. I was wrong.

He’s had to reinstall the dental crown four, yes FOUR times.  That meant  I’ve missed work three extra appointments. I’m payed by the hour, not salaried, so that has cost me a day and a half of pay in total. On top of that, buy the time he went to put the crown in the fourth time, it no longer fit right and caused me a lot of pain. We had to re-do another, brand new crown. Somehow between the fourth fit of the first crown and the second crown I got an infection.  Now, I still have no crown, I’m dealing with an infection, and I’m out quite a bit of money. If I’d have just gone to a regular dentist to begin with instead of trying to find the cheapest, I would have save a lot of money.

I hope this saves some of your patients. It’s better to go to an experienced dentist, like Dr. Perry, than to “save money”.

Amelia M. – Oklahoma

Amelia,

Thank you for your warning. I have seen many disastrous “affordable” treatments in my lifetime. For future reference, there is no reason for a dental crown to fall out once, let alone four times. Competent dentists go their entire career without a crown falling out when it is cemented in.

This blog is brought to you by Baton Rouge Dentist Dr. Ryan Perry.