Why I refer to Root Canal Experts

My first patient on Monday morning was scheduled to have a crown on a tooth that recently had a root canal. After greeting my patient of 30 years, I reviewed that we would be preparing her for a crown. She immediately asked me if it was 'ok' to ask a question. She placed her finger between her tongue and tooth near the floor of her mouth and told me that we she pushed there, her tooth hurt and she asked, "Is this normal?" I told her that I wanted to take an x-ray of her tooth just to make sure that I should be placing a crown on this tooth. The above x-ray shows a RED arrow indicating where the endodontist finished treatment of the tooth. The green arrow shows the actual end of the root which means that the endodontist that my patient decided to have treat her tooth did not get to and clean to the end of the tooth.

My patient's tooth was still infected with bacteria and I did not believe that it would be right or ethical to place an expensive crown on this tooth. I informed her that she needed to call the endodontist and have him complete the root canal successfully.

I have worked with Francisco Banchs and Allyson Byrne for almost 7 years and they ALWAYS get to the end of the tooth.

I would strongly suggest that if and when you need a root canal that you take my advice and see the best of the best. Some dentists will charge less than others but they know what their dentistry is worth. It is less costly to see the best in terms of time, discomfort and even money because paying to have something redone IS really expensive.

Remember that I truly CARE about my patients and I would like you to be treated by the specialists that I recommend.

( I thought that you would like to see the x-ray of the completed root canal by Root Canal Experts so I have added it to this post. Now you can see why many believe that Dr. Banchs is one of the best endodontists in the world.)

Interesting Article on Health Care

Yesterday's New York Times lead story was about the cost of health care. A relatively few medical specialists make a significant amount of money while the average doctor's income has remained the same for the last 20 years or has fallen.

One of the points in the article is that physicians do not like to discuss fees with patients about what cost will be. As most physicians who wrote in to comment about the article said: It doesn't matter what their fees are, the insurance or Medicare will pay them a fraction of what their fee is so their is little point in discussing fees. The other interesting point was the many of the MDs are salaried and are paid the same salary without any bonus for production.

I think that it is worth going online and reading the article with particular attention to  both patient and physician's comments.

Big Problems, Small Solutions

Many times a patient comes to our office complaining of an esthetic problem in their smile that has bothered them for many years but they assumed that the cost to correct the problem would cost a small fortune. As I have told you many times, it is my job to conserve natural tooth structure  so that when dentistry ultimately fails in a few decades, we will still have a sufficient amount of tooth structure to enable the tooth to survive. This means that I do very few crowns on live teeth (and my 401K hates me for this).

The black triangle in the front of the mouth can be one of the most displeasing and challenging problems for a patient. The simple and costly solution is to prepare 10 teeth for veneers but my patient did not NEED, did not WANT, nor could she afford to have 10 veneers.  All she wanted was to close the space between her front teeth which we were able to do in less than 2 hours.

The best clinical dentists have the talent, expertise and passion to solve this problem using direct resin bonded veneers which can be beautiful, conservative and with a minimal cost relative to porcelain veneers. I posted this case on my Facebook page and received high praise from my colleagues around the country.

Can your dentist do this?

Saratoga at Five Years

Today is the 5th anniversary of the opening of our dental practice in Saratoga Springs. At age 60, I started all over and went heavily into debt to continue doing what I love to do…fix teeth. Had I not moved from Cropseyville, NY I would be 'celebrating' the anniversary of my retirement.

I cannot tell you that moving was financially rewarding; the same number of people that accepted big cases in Cropseyville, accept them in Saratoga. It is just as challenging to attract new patients in Saratoga as in Cropseyville and lastly the same number of people in each place complain that fees are too high.

I will say that I am much more accepted and  involved in the dental community in Saratoga than I ever was in Troy.

The best part of having opened my new office was meeting Drs. Banchs and Byrne who are not only great colleagues but great friends. They confirmed my belief that the pursuit of excellence is challenging, possible and the right (but lonely) thing to do.

I am hoping that the next ten years in Saratoga will be healthy, productive and happy years.

"All Dentists Are the SAME"

There is something about dentists and dentistry that is different from almost all other professions and products.

If we talk about cars, houses, diamonds, stoves, basketball players, musicians etc, etc, etc, everyone in America knows that NOTHING is the same as anything else with respect to quality, cost and talent.

It is virtually indisputable that Michael Jordan and LeBron James are the finest basketball players that have ever lived. It is accepted that the Beatles, Billy Joel and Elton John are among the finest and most talented musicians every to perform in front of an audience.

And yet, on a daily basis someone will tell me that all dentists are the same. Are you kidding me?
How is it possible that reasonable people would agree that a $10 million home is far superior to a house costing $250,000 but the same people believe that all dentists are the same.

Does this mean that every dentist has the same level of passion for their work or that a dentist with 3500 hours of continuing education is the same as a dentist with 350 hours of study?

To say that 'all dentists are the same' is the same as saying that the world is flat when our real world observations and space exploration shows us that the world is round.

Can you tell how I feel when I hear the statement that 'all dentists are the same?"

Show What You Offer

When you see an 'ad' in a magazine, you expect to see a photograph of an example of what product or service is being offered to the public. In other words, we expect to SEE a picture of YOUR work that you are trying to sell. If you make custom made jewelry, we expect to see one of YOUR 'one of a kind' stunning necklaces which you won't see in a MACY'S ad which resells other people's work. If you are a custom home builder and you place an ad in Capital Living Magazine or HERLIFE Magazine, we would expect to see one of YOUR custom homes in the picture.

A dentist placed an ad in regional woman's magazine which emphasizes 'cosmetic dentistry' but the photo in the ad is a STORE BOUGHT photograph and not a picture of one of his or her patients.  I can  think of no other profession or business (other than dentistry) that uses a purchased photograph that demonstrates someone else's work. In fact, neither the man or the woman in the photograph appears to have had ANY cosmetic dentistry at all.

Why would a perspective patient looking for a 'cosmetic dentist' select a dentist that cannot or will not show a single example of their OWN work?

The standard of excellence in clinical dentistry for the last 2 decades has been perfectly exposed photographs of superb clinical dentistry. If  you have it, you flaunt it.

I am from NY…the true 'show me state' where if you have excellence you are expected to show us what you have.

And Yet Again

Last night, over a glass of wine, a friend of mine told me that people only think of me as a Cosmetic Dentist.  The reality is:  1. There is no one that can legally or ethically call themselves a 'cosmetic' dentist and 2. Most of the dentists who consider themselves 'cosmetic dentists' lack the artistic talent, knowledge  etc to produce what the best dentists in the world would consider cosmetically oriented dentistry.

So given the fact that there is no such legal entity as a Cosmetic Dentist, I tell people that I am a general dentist that limits my practice to fixing teeth and restoring implants. I refer my patients to the best specialists that I can find for all other aspects of treating teeth.

What does  most of my daily schedule involve? Fixing teeth: placing direct bonded, mercury free, strong composite resin….white fillings. Sometimes, when the tooth requires it, I place a crown on the tooth. And I restore a significant number of dental implants. Sometimes, patients come to my office to have their whole mouth restored back to excellent health including a beautiful smile.

Then WHY am I known for being a cosmetic dentist?  I am the only dentist in the Capital District who has earned a Certificate of Proficiency in Esthetic Dentistry from SUNY/Buffalo almost 15 years ago. This means that I can ethically say that I am a general dentist with a specialty in Esthetic Dentistry….This is the closest thing to being a 'cosmetic dentist.'

Another reason that I am known for cosmetic dentistry is that my marketing is directed to visually appealing dentistry…Dentistry that everyone can see and recognize as beautiful work.  My ads show beautiful smiles because the average patient takes note of beautiful smiles.

If I don't show beautiful dentistry in my ads what would I say? " I participate with your insurance company which I don't and won't or that I cater to cowards which I don't and won't.

I am a general dentist that is known for how I fix teeth. So if you hear your friends refer to me as a 'cosmetic dentist' please correct them and tell them if that they are looking for  a new dentist, I would be happy to see them.