All posts by goodtooth

Affordable Dentistry

How can I find an affordable dentist for cosmetic work?

I am looking for an affordable dentist who can help me with some cosmetic teeth issues I have been battling my whole life. I have teeth in need of straightening, as well as a chipped front tooth. I consulted my family dentist, but was told the work I need done would cost over $20,000, an amount much higher than what I am able, and willing, to pay. I did inquire about less expensive options, but was made to feel like I offended the dentist. I’m not looking for a total makeover, just want some teeth straightened and a chipped tooth fixed. Any advice would be great!

Thank you,
April

Dear April,

Thanks for writing. First and foremost, your dentist should not have acted that way.

A couple of suggestions to help:

  1. Be cautious when looking for affordable  dentist who does cosmetic work. This is because anyone can claim to be a cosmetic dentist. There are currently no guidelines on training or skills. Therefore sometimes dentists who have more skill/training tend to charge more.
  2. It would be a good idea for you to find a dentist with a solid reputation. Then, have a consultation and express your financial concerns upfront. This will allow the dentist to offer suggestions which include cost-effective ways to address your dental needs, yet stay within your budget.
  3. Lastly, it is always a good idea to get more than one estimate. This will allow you to choose someone that is the best fit for your situation.

This article is sponsored by Gilbert affordable dentist, Dr. Matthew Roper.

Dental Emergency

My son’s tooth was knocked out by a baseball–should I have seen an emergency dentist?

My eight year old son lives and breathes baseball. He is constantly playing with baseballs, bats, if not on a ball field, and is always practicing. With that comes many bumps and bruises. However, he recently took a ground ball right to the mouth. He saved the ball, but lost his front tooth! There was some blood, and his mouth and gums were swollen, but he didn’t seem incredibly upset. The coach and I helped him calm down, and once he was back to his normal self, we took the tooth home for the tooth fairy.  Should I have taken him to an emergency dentist?

Sincerely,
Sarah

Dear Sarah,

I’m thankful your son is okay! Even the best ball players take one for the team from time to time. I can answer your question in two ways.

One, if your son has already lost his front tooth, I am very hopeful you have already sought dental attention. If the tooth he lost was permanent, it would have needed immediate emergency dental attention in order to be implanted again. The best course of action would have been to carefully collect the tooth, making sure to keep any attached tissue intact, place it it in wet towel, or even back in your son’s mouth, and head to the an emergency dentist right away.

If the lost tooth was not an adult tooth, it would not have been a dental emergency, nor a great need to have the tooth implanted again. However, he may have damaged his mouth in another way, or possibly  injured the adult tooth underneath. If this is the case, a  it might recommended that a spacer be placed to make sure the adult tooth has room to grow in, so visit to your family dentist, or a pediatric dentist, would be a good plan.

 

Dental Implants, Snap-On Smile

Will Snap-on Smile Work With Missing Teeth?

I am missing several teeth and I was wondering how many teeth are required for a Snap-on Smile?

– Dana in Texas

Dana,

There are several different factors involved that will vary from person to person for a Snap-on Smile.

It is difficult to estimate an exact number of teeth required, but theoretically you may be able to support the appliance with as little as two teeth per arch. If those two teeth were angled in just a way that the Snap-on Smile was able to snap over them. The issue here is that the appliance may end up placing additional stress on these two teeth. So another factor to consider is what two teeth they are. It is difficult to provide a specific answer without having actually seen your case and knowing how many teeth you are missing.

The Snap-on Smile is a temporary solution for a straight, white smile. Depending on how many teeth you are missing, you may have other issues to deal with. When you are missing teeth your body resorbs the bone and minerals to be used elsewhere in the body. So you may have some additional shifting or even jawbone loss if you are missing a lot of teeth. Dental implants are a permanent solution to missing teeth. Or a dental bridge or partial denture may be options, again depending on what teeth you are missing.

This post is sponsored by Gilbert dentist Vista Dorada Dental.

Related links: Affordable dental implants, affordable dentist

Affordable Dentistry, Teeth Whitening

A more affordable treatment

I am looking for ways to make my dental care more affordable and I was wondering if dental bonding will save me money over porcelain veneers?

My teeth are very yellow even though I brush my teeth after every meal. It seems that you can see through the ends of my two front teeth. I’m unhappy with my smile but I don’t want it to look fake.

After the research I’ve done, I don’t think I want to have porcelain veneers done. They seem like they may not look natural and they are extremely expensive. I guess I’m wondering if simply whitening my teeth will work or if tooth bonding is a better choice for me. Or maybe I should get the bleaching done first and then the bonding? I don’t want to spend a lot of money and then have my teeth turn yellow again either. Can you explain how bonding works and let me know your thoughts.

Thanks,

– Tanya from Florida

Tanya,

After hearing your case, I don’t think dental bonding is the alternative that is right for you just because you are looking to save money on porcelain veneers. Teeth whitening sounds like the best solution from what you have described. This is because good dental bonding will end up costing almost as much as veneers and it won’t last as long. In fact it would probably only last about one-tenth as long as veneers.

Teeth bleaching will take care of the yellow color of your teeth and they will not return to their original color. Your teeth will pick up stains as time passes, but you can always do some touch up bleaching to keep your white new smile.

This post is sponsored by Glibert dentist Vista Dorada Dental.

Related link: affordable dentistry

Invisalign

Frequency of visits during Invisalign

I am interested in Invisalign but I live in a rural area. I was wondering how often I have to go into the dentist for Invisalign treatment? Do I really have to go in every couple weeks for a fitting or can they send me the new aligners in the mail?

– Catherine in Wyoming

Catherine,

It is quite typical that a dentist would need to check your progress every four weeks with Invisalign. The patient receives two sets of clear Invisalign aligners to be worn, one on top and the other on the bottom. The first set is to be worn for two weeks and then the next set is to be worn for another two weeks. Then at four weeks, the dentist will likely want to check on you to monitor your progress. That said, if you live in a rural area, your dentist may be willing to work with you on the number of visits. It really all depends on the complexity of your case.

Technically speaking, all of the aligners are created when you begin treatment. So it is possible to take all of the sets home with you and come back in for an evaluation when you have been through all the steps. Although, monitoring is ideal because sometimes adjustments need to be made during treatment. Some patients actually require some shaving between the teeth at different intervals of treatment.

Hopefully that answers your question.

This post is sponsored by Gilbert dentist Vista Dorada Dental.

Other links: affordable dentistry, gentle dentist

Dental Bonding, Pediatric Dentistry

Will Snap-On Smile work for my daughter?

My daughter is ten years old and she chipped her front teeth. I was thinking I would wait until she is older before I get these teeth fixed. But I was wondering if Snap-On Smile would work until we moved forward with a permanent fix?

Thanks,

– Gina from Ohio

Gina,

Ten years old is a tricky age because your daughter likely has a mix of permanent teeth and she probably still has some baby teeth. The baby teeth she still has may be a little loose too and her permanent teeth are in the process of erupting. The main issue with choosing the Snap-On Smile for your daughter is the fact that the appliance needs to snap onto her existing teeth. And since her teeth are in such a transitional stage, it isn’t going to work very well.

Dental bonding is safe for children and would be a solution to take care of the chipped teeth. You just need to make sure that she is old enough and willing to sit in a dental chair during the procedure.

This post is sponsored by Gilbert dentist Vista Dorada Dental.

Related posts: pediatric dentist

Invisalign

I want to fix my cooked tooth

I really want to straighten my teeth, particularly one of my front teeth. I have received conflicting recommendations about what would be the best way to solve my problem and I am just not sure who to trust. My right front tooth is pushed way behind the other ones which means it is very crooked. Do you know if Invisalign is an option for me versus the conventional wire and bracket braces? Or maybe I should have this tooth pulled. Will that give me more options?

– Sal from Texas

Sal,

Invisalign is a safe and effective way to straighten your teeth in about half the time as traditional braces. Typically if you are an adult and your teeth are crooked, then you are a candidate. Porcelain veneers are another option that can be used to give the appearance of straight white teeth too.

Pulling your tooth would be an absolute last resort. This is because your teeth would always look different because you would have an uneven number of teeth in front. There are many things that can be done today to make your teeth appear straight but it is important that the symmetry isn’t thrown off because you are missing a tooth. Your smile just wouldn’t look right with five teeth instead of six showing. So even if a dentist is recommending this tooth be removed, you may want to seek another opinion.

It is difficult to make specific recommendations without having seen your case. If you find a cosmetic dentist that does Invisalign, that that would be a good dentist to consult with about what is the best treatment for you.

Best of luck to you.

This post is sponsored by Gilbert dentist Vista Dorada Dental.

Other links you may be interested in: emergency dentist, affordable dentist

Pediatric Dentistry

Should my son get his teeth extracted?

My son is almost two years old and has suffered trauma to his front teeth. They are discolored now and I think it is due to the trauma that occurred. His four teeth in front are a green color and I think the enamel is wearing down. I have tried a multivitamin for him on a daily basis but I don’t think that is doing anything to help. Do you think he will need to have these teeth extracted?

– Laura in Iowa

Laura,

It is difficult to make a recommendation without knowing exactly what caused your son’s trauma to his front teeth.

That said, the discoloration is likely due to bacteria. Sometimes kids can get stains on their teeth and their bodies become accustomed to the various bacteria. It would be good to take your child to a pediatric dentist to have his teeth cleaned. This may help with the green color you are referring to.

It was a good idea to give your child a multivitamin, although since the teeth have already erupted in the mouth it won’t have any positive effect.

What happens when you have trauma to the teeth is that the nerve endings can become severed. If this is the case, then you may need to have the teeth extracted. Although, I would not have them removed unless it is absolutely necessary. Since your son is so young, they are helpful for speech development.

This post is sponsored by Gilbert dentist Vista Dorada Dental.

Other links you may be interested in: emergency dentist, affordable dentistry

Affordable Dentistry

I can’t afford all the work I need done

I grew up with a difficult childhood and dental care wasn’t a regular part of my life until after high school. At 27 years old my teeth show it. My dental flipper just broke and I already have over $2o,000 in work that needs to be done. I simply can’t afford it. But I really wish there was a way to improve things. My dentist won’t work with me. I wish the crowns and bridges could somehow be reduced but he won’t budge on fees.

Do you have any recommendations or ideas? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

– Linda from Wisconsin

Linda,

I’m not aware of any special resources or an extremely affordable dentist that would provide discounts. But I do have some recommendations that you may find helpful.

Without knowing exactly what services you require it is difficult to make specific treatment recommendations. Although, from what you have described it seems as if you should be able to phase your treatment out over time. This will allow you to pay as you go which will make your dentistry more affordable.

If decay is a big issue and you have several teeth that need to be extracted, then you may be able to treat things economically. If the dentist removes the decay then the tooth can be filled as cost-effective as possible. Or if it’s a crown you need, the dentist can build up the area without actually placing the crown. Both of these options will help and will hopefully be less expensive.

Or temporary fillings can be placed to help with the decay. This isn’t a long-term strategy but the material used for these fillings contains fluoride. This will be a good base for a crown and the fluoride will help resist future decay.

As for teeth that need to be removed, a partial denture is much less expensive than dental implants or bridges.

If your dentist won’t work with you then make some calls and hopefully you can find one that will. Just be honest and upfront about your financial situation. I would explain that you have a lot of work to be done and you need to phase it out over time. Also, some dentists offer complimentary consultations where you can go in and discuss specifics and hopefully come up with a personalized plan that works for you.

Best of luck.

This post is sponsored by Gilbert dentist Vista Dorada Dental.

Related link: affordable dental implants

Cosmetic Dentistry, Invisalign, Porcelain Veneers

My front teeth are too big.

I really don’t like my smile because I have two really big front teeth. They are long too and actually stick out a bit from my other teeth.

Is there anything I can do to fix them? I’ve been looking into the different options with cosmetic dentistry, but I can’t seem to find something that I think will work. Whatever the case, I don’t want to end up doing something that makes my teeth look bigger.

Do you think I should have them extracted and replaced with dental implants? From what I can tell, implants seem like a good option.

– Jade in New Jersey

Jade,

There are many things that can be done for your case based on what you have described. That said, dental implants is not the way to go. Please don’t have your otherwise perfectly healthy teeth removed. That would be a bit extreme.

The first thing you should do is find an excellent cosmetic dentist. They will be able to evaluate your specific situation and make recommendations to give you a beautiful smile. They are the experts, so you don’t have to take the matter into your own hands.

Some possibilities that may work to make your teeth smaller may be done using diamond burs or strips. This will carefully file them down to make them more narrow and shorter. Then a retainer is a possibility to gently return them into alignment with your other teeth.

After they have been shaped and trimmed, Invisalign is also an option that may work to reposition them. These invisible braces straighten teeth in half the time as conventional braces. And no one will ever know you are wearing them.

Or if they are very large and need to be trimmed down significantly, they can be covered with porcelain veneers. This will give you a beautiful smile and you can work with the exact shape and color so you love your new smile.

Again, I can’t stress the importance of seeking the talents of a true cosmetic dentist. Not just any family dentist will be able to do this type of work well.

Best of luck to you.

This post is sponsored by Gilbert dentist Vista Dorada Dental.