Why Must You Replace My Crown...It Doesn't Hurt?

Patients can get very upset when you advise them that their 25 year old crown (or amalgam [mercury filling] needs  replacement. Everyone KNOWS that you don't buy one car or one pair of shoes in your lifetime and expect it to last forever. Unreasonably, they DO expect dental treatment to last forever. The bad news is that nothing a dentist...even the BEST dentist ....does, will last forever. Since I photograph all of my work, I can easily prove this to my patients which avoids any misunderstandings.

The red dye only stains tooth decay RED. The entire inside of the tooth had leakage and/or decay.

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This is what the tooth looks like when the old post was removed

This is what I found under the crown

This is what was on the inner aspect of a 25 year old crown.
 

"You Are Not Going to Retire, are you?"

 Every day of my career, I have been asked if I was going to retire. And every day, I have responded that I have no plans to retire and besides, you have more important things to be worried about.

I do not look forward to retirement. I LOVE what I do and I still have my talents intact.

What would force me to retire is not having a sufficient number of patients who want/demand excellence in dental care.

What does this mean?

It means that if you like and value the care that we provide for you, You must tell your friends and family about our  office. We are NOT for every dental patient. Our office is for those patients that want good care.

Please refer  your friends and family to our office. We will take good care of them.

Mini Implants

 Everyday patients ask me, "Do mini implants 'work?'

And everyday, I respond, "Depends."

If you are 40 years old, the chance of a mini implant lasting the patient's entire life is ZERO.

If you are 83 years old, frail, and have an ill fitting lower denture, mini implants might be a good thing.

Are mini implants the BEST dental implants? NO!!!! It is almost impossible to make the gum tissue around a mini implant look like a natural tooth and trust me...The gum tissue shape and contour is critical to make implants look like natural teeth.

But I see advertisements on TV for MINI IMPLANTS.

Doesn't make them the best option.

So Well Cared For In This Office

 Twice this past week patients said to me, "I feel so well cared for in this office."

When a physician, surgeon or dentist says that they will take care of YOU, the Patient should FEEL taken care of. 

What  has gone wrong?

Back in the day, the  old guys repeatedly told me, "You ALWAYS put your patient's best  interest above  your own." ie Don't let making money take precedence over taking care of your patient.

Being an honest, ethical and religious person (in the BEST sense of the word), I took those words to heart and have NEVER put making money for myself over providing the best care for YOU.

So what has changed?

Two things: 

1.Insurance companies and government programs (MEDICARE) do not allow physicians or dentists to earn a living honestly.

2. The cost of attaining a dental school education is too high (NYU Dental School charges #125,000 a year for dental school.

Insurance companies reimburse dentist 37% of the usual dentist's fee to place a filling when overhead is 70% and MEDICARE pays 10% of a physican's/surgeon's fee.

Would YOU work for 37% of  your daily paycheck at work?

And THAT is why I won't participate with insurance companies. Insurance companies don't care about YOU and I do.