Proactive Rather than Reactive

Last year I told you that after 38 years as a dentist, I was ready to draw some conclusions based on my long clinical experience. They are:

1. Remove ALL silver mercury fillings that are 20-25 years old because they all leak, have new decay underneath and cause teeth to break apart. When teeth break apart, the treatment is almost ALWAYS a crown. ~$300+ for a new resin bonded filling or $1,500 for a crown.
Do you really want to spend an extra $1200 or get a new filling?

2. Remove ALL porcelain to metal crowns or gold crowns that are 20-25 years old again because they all leak and sometimes the tooth cannot be saved even with a root canal. Again for those patients who think that by having NO treatment they save money.  Think about this:

A new crown is $1500 and an extraction, bone graft, implant and crown is $5,000.


This is a photo of a patient that was in this week. The tooth had a metal post and crown since the 1970s and he recently thought about replacing the crown for esthetic reasons. Too late!!!!!
The metal post split the root which is clearly visible in the photo and now the tooth must be removed and an implant placed.

The cost of a new crown: $1,500 and the implant and crown? $5,000
Why would you want to spend more than I think is necessary?
Please think about this....