Dental Care is Not Expensive, Neglect Is!

By Dr. Joseph Gurecka

That was the first thing I learned my first day in dental school. It combined nicely with the old axiom “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” and a pound of cure in dentistry is more costly than gold. Many patients face a cost vs. value decision on a regular basis in life and often the cost factor influences their decision making more heavily than long term value.

Many people spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars each year on cosmetic treatments, convenience food, or hobbies (golf!) without blinking an eye, yet balk that their insurance doesn’t cover 100% of the costs of their dental procedures from a doctor that went to medical school for 8 + years. Yet they will pay 3 times more than that for optional cosmetic procedures. Dental care is necessary for your overall health and well-being and should be a priority.

Consider the options patients have for personal discretionary spending: gel manicures $40+ every 3-4 weeks, Botox minimal $250-$600 every 3-4 months, Air Jordans $100++, Starbucks daily $90+/month, golf game $100, car hobbies thousands of dollars, hair stylist $125-$250 every 4-6 weeks, etc. etc. The cost of quality dental care pales with the real costs of money we spend on ourselves every year. And, like any quality appliance that is used daily, we expect to pay for dental procedures that work for a long period of time with regular maintenance and occasional repairs. But many times cost isn’t the only factor involved.

Along with the costs Tyranny of the Urgent often prevails in the middle decades of life where having a root canal seems more involved than having an extraction and proper treatment of gum disease is more time-consuming than our hectic schedules permit. Eventually, our office ends up seeing a number of patients who ask the impossible; “is it possible to fix this … my appliances are loose”, “I cannot chew food anymore, it hurts when I eat”, and “I am embarrassed by my smile”.

In some cases, there is insufficient bone remaining to do anything more than a removable denture appliance. In many cases, however, we are able to restore normal function through the use of dental implants combined with selective bone grafting techniques utilizing the patient’s own stem cells and growth factors. Dental implants offer advantages over other teeth replacement options and are the standard of care today for good reason. One of the biggest advantages is that attached appliances don't slip and slide in your mouth like regular dentures. Whether it is one tooth, an All-On-Four implant-supported bridge or an implant-supported hybrid denture, you care for them as you would your natural teeth. With proper care, dental implants can outlast many other options.

We have treated patients who have walked into the office with their hands over their mouths when they talk having not smiled in years. Once we complete their dental implant(s), they can smile again and speak with confidence. They no longer feel embarrassed about the way they look or are hesitant to engage in activities or personal conversations. If you are missing teeth and thinking about replacing them with dental implants, we would love the opportunity to talk with you. We are offering free dental implant consultations this summer to help you get your summer smile back. Call us today to get your free consult scheduled!

We would love to help you with your smile. If you are looking for dental implants or want to switch to a dentist who uses the latest technology and individual custom design, look no further than Dr. Gurecka (AAID credentialed) located at Valley Brook Dental in McMurray PA. Call us at (724) 942-8982 or visit valleybrookdental.com.