Baton Rouge Dentist

Can I Go Back To This Dentist?

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Hello,

I went to see a cosmetic dentist in my area. I wanted to straighten my teeth and whiten my smile, so he recommended getting porcelain veneers. I was all set to make my first appointment when I got the estimate for my treatment. It was thousands of dollars over my budget! I asked if there was an affordable or alternative option, and they seemed upset with me.

I haven’t been back since. I had my heart set on having him as my dentist, but I don’t think he wants to work with me. What can I do?

Beatrice, from Lexington, Kentucky

 

Hello Beatrice,

Being able to speak honestly with your dentist is important. Since you voiced concerns over payment, your dentist should have mentioned other options. You can straighten and whiten your teeth without veneers. You can try orthodontics, or get a take-home whitening kit. You could start with a couple veneers and get more as you can afford them. Since he refused, he’s not willing to work with you, and isn’t doing what’s best for you. Dentists may be comfortable with certain solutions, but a ‘my way or the highway’ attitude will not get them very far.

You should get a second opinion from another dentist. Being upfront about your cost concerns is best. Hopefully, your next dentist will work within your limits to create the best treatment plan for you.

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

Emergency Dentist Said the Wrong Tooth Needed to be Fixed

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I have some pretty severe tooth pain in one of my teeth. I know exactly which tooth hurts. I went to an emergency dentist because I don’t have a dentist of my own. He told me that it’s a tooth next to the one I showed him which has the problem. I can tell exactly which tooth hurts. Could he be just trying to get me to fix an extra tooth to get more money?  I didn’t let him move forward because I wanted to make sure he wasn’t cheating me first, but I’m still hurting. Now I feel like the appointment was wasted.

Bobby R. – Denver

Bobby,

I don’t even know which dentist you went to, but I can tell you with almost complete certainty that the emergency dentist isn’t trying to trick you. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard the phrase “referred pain”, but that’s likely what you’re experiencing. That’s when you feel pain in one part of your body, but it’s actually coming from a different part of your body.

It sounds like the dentist wanted to work on the source of the pain and not just the tooth you thought was hurting. I know this is a new dentist for you, so you hadn’t built up trust, but in the long run he was trying to not only do the right thing for you, but his actions would save you money.

He could have appeased you and just worked on the tooth that hurt you and said you also had another tooth that needs help, charging you double. He didn’t.

However, if you’re still not sure and want a second opinion, I’m going to make a suggestion that you don’t tell the second dentist who you went to and what their diagnosis was. Just tell him you have a toothache, tell him where, and leave him to make his diagnosis. If he comes to the same conclusion as the other dentist, you’ll know you’re on the right track.

What I don’t want you to do is put off getting treatment. This is likely a tooth infection and it will spread. I’m not saying this is you, but sometimes when a patient is putting off care even while in pain, it is actually because they have dental anxiety. If that happens to be you, be aware that sedation dentistry is an option. It will give you a pain-free dental experience.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Ryan Perry.

Which would be best – porcelain veneers or Invisalign?

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For years I have dreamed of having a really beautiful smile. I recently came into some money and decided to get porcelain veneers on my upper teeth. There is nothing major wrong with my teeth. They are a little small, and pretty stained, but overall structurally OK. One tooth is crooked, but it is not so bad that I ever considered braces.

And that is kind of why I am confused. The dentist I am working with says I should do Invisalign braces before we place my veneers, and that is kind of confusing to me. I thought the porcelain veneers would take care of any crooked teeth. Aren’t they also referred to as “instant orthodontics”? My dentist says that after I have the Invisalign treatment, the prep required to place the porcelain veneers would be minimal, which certainly sounds like a bonus, but is it really worth the time and expense? A year of treatment, and thousands of dollars don’t seem like a good trade for a few millimeters of tooth that will be under a veneer anyway. He wants to place Lumineers, but I’ve been reading kind of negative things about them on the web.

Do you have any advice?

Cecelia in Shreveport

Dear Cecelia,

Without seeing your case, it is impossible, of course to make definitive recommendations. It may be that you have a bite problem you are not aware of, or serious crowding issues. You really need to pursue this inquiry with your dentist, as it is quite unusual to recommend both procedures. Normally you would do porcelain veneers OR Invisalign, but not both together.

In this case, a second opinion is necessary. Go to a well recommended, experienced, artistic cosmetic dentist, and tell them what you want to have done. For the most accurate results you really should see a cosmetic dentist that also does Invisalign treatments. Don’t tell the second dentist about the recommendations of the first dentist until after he or she has offered an opinion. In this way you can get the truest assessment of the second dentist’s opinion on the best treatment options.

Best of luck.

This blog post is courtesy of Baton Rouge dentist Dr. Perry.