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We need to have an apples to apples comparison between my conservative approach to saving teeth and what has become the traditional approach.
My goal in treating you is to keep you OUT of a crown until you are in your late 50s or early 60s. Let's show the financial cost for my approach to treatment:
1. Placement of a mercury filling at age 20. Cost: $200 (Years ago when I did use mercury fillings)
2. Replacement of a leaking mercury filling at age 45 with a bonded resin filling. Cost: $340
3. Replacement of worn resin filling at age 63 with an onlay or crown. Cost: $1400
Total cost of keeping that tooth for your entire life: $1940
What is very commonplace today in many dental offices:
1. Placement of a mercury filling at age 20: Cost $200
2. The mercury filling was failing and pretty large so a crown is placed at age 45. Cost: $1400
3. The patient calls to say that they have a toothache in the crowned tooth age 55. Cost of molar root
canal because crowns are the most traumatic treatment to a tooth in a young person: $1800
4. The root canal specialist says that there is leakage under the 10 year old crown plus the crown now
has a hole in it from the root canal treatment. Cost of new crown at age 55: $1500
5. The patient bites down on hard Jordan nuts and feels pain in the tooth with the crown at age 65.
Dentist says tooth is fractured and needs to be removed, the area grafted, an implant placed and a
new crown on the implant. Cost: $5500
Total cost to have a tooth or replacement for your entire life: $10,400
If you think I am exaggerating. This is exactly what has happened in both MY MOUTH AND SUSAN'S MOUTH. And a few thousand of my patient's mouths who have not been long term patients in my practice.
If you cut down vital (teeth with the nerve still alive) teeth in a 20,30 or 40 year old patient, this second scenario or something very close to it is very likely.
$1940 vs $10,400
But Dr. Benjamin is so expensive. Please.
(Aside: Do you think that some people might take offense to this post?)
