Ahwatukee Dentist Archives - Ahwatukee Dentist

Affording Dental Care without Insurance

Posted on June 4, 2019 by writeradmin.

My new job doesn’t have dental insurance and I’m looking for ideas of affording dental care without it. Any pro tips?

Kevin

Dear Kevin,

Affordable Dental Care

The best way to save money on dental care is by first making sure you are diligent with your preventative care. That means brushing twice and flossing once. It’s also important you see your dentist regularly. You can save tons of money by catching decay early. That costs significantly less than if you leave it and end up needing a root canal treatment and dental crown.

Another thing you can do is an internet search using the term “affordable dentist‘. These are usually dentists who are willing to work with patients. Either they will have in-house payment plans or they will be work through Care Credit, which is a low or no -interest medical credit card.

Be aware, there is a difference between cheap and affordable dental care. It is always better to pay a little more for quality work which lasts than it is to get cheap work which ends up being shoddy and needs to be replaced more often. Or worse, leaves you with a serious infection.

There are countless horror stories of people using the cheapest dentist only to end up needing expensive medical care as a result.

This blog is brought to you by Ahwatukee Dentist Dr. Harveer Kaur.

Can an Adult Tooth be Saved?

Posted on April 13, 2019 by writeradmin.

I have a tooth which was hit with a baseball. It’s feeling loose now. Can this be saved?

Ben

Dear Ben,

man holding jaw in need of an emergency dentist

Often a loose adult tooth can be saved. You’ll need to get to a dentist quickly. If you don’t have a regular dentist, do an internet search for “an emergency dentist“. These are general dentists who are willing to see non-established patients quickly in situations such as yours.

The dentist will do x-rays to see if there is internal damage. If there is they’ll do a root canal treatment and dental crown. If there’s not, they will likely just splint the tooth until th ligaments are healed and the tooth is safe on its own again.

If a Tooth is Knocked Out

It likely doesn’t feel like it right now, but you are lucky the tooth wasn’t knocked out. When that happens, the chances of saving the tooth go down significantly.

You’d have to get to the dentist within 30 minutes to have the best chance to save the tooth. You’ll want to hold it by the crown not the root. It’s also imperative to keep it moist while traveling to the dentist. Put it between your cheek and gums or gently place it in a cup of milk.

If a Tooth Can’t be Saved

Sometimes a tooth can’t be saved. When that happens it is time to look at tooth replacements. Fortunately, there are great tooth replacements these days. Getting a dental implant is like having a healthy natural tooth again. It’s permanent. You can eat and drink, brush and floss normally.

I don’t think you’ll have to worry about this as long as you get to the dentist.

This blog is brought to you by Ahwatukee Dentist Dr. Harveer Kaur.

Young Children and Dental Emergencies

Posted on December 4, 2018 by writeradmin.

I keep reading these stories about children needing emergency dental care because of infections. Is this normal? I’m about to have my first baby and I’m worried I won’t recognize the problem. These are kids with significant decay and the parents seemed to be clueless. I don’t want that to happen to me. What are the signs?

Lindsey

Dear Lindsey,

There are two types of dental emergencies with children. The first is unpredictable and rarely anyone’s fault. It’s when a child suffers tooth trauma. That can happen when they get hit with a ball or something hard while playing. It can happen when they fall. Honestly, there is any number of reasons it can happen.

If that happens, believe me, you’ll know. The thing to do in a case like that is to remain calm. If there’s bleeding remember the mouth bleeds often look much worse than they really are. Stop the bleeding, then call his or her dentist. They’ll do x-rays to make sure there isn’t any significant damage to the roots of the teeth and take action from there.

The second type of pediatric emergencies is completely preventable. This is the tragic part of the whole thing. These are when parents wait too long to take them to see a dentist. Decay develops. At first, it’s not noticeable or painful. But, these things can blow up quickly. Now your child is crying and in pain and needs a painful emergency dental appointment.

Preventable Dental Emergencies

The easiest way to prevent these is to make sure you take them to the pediatric dentist early. This way the dentist can keep a keen eye on your child’s tooth health and development. This has many other benefits.

First, it gives your child a positive experience at the dentist, instead of a negative one. It also will help prevent bacteria from getting to settle on the teeth and lead to decay. Finally, it also helps the dentist catch any abnormalities quickly which enables them to find solutions that may be less invasive.

I hope this helps put your mind at ease.

This blog is brought to you by Ahwatukee Dentist Dr. Harveer Kaur.

Affordable Dentist Charging Me for Mistakes

Posted on August 31, 2018 by writeradmin.

I will admit I price shopped when I needed a dental crown. I’m beginning to think this was a mistake. I’ve had to have this dental crown rebonded on four different times and the dentist charges me a visit fee every time. He says I’m getting a discount because he’s not charging me a procedure fee, just some “chair time”. Am I wrong for thinking he should be fixing this for free?

Karlyn

Dear Karlyn,

A dental crown being placed onto a prepared tooth.

When a crown is bonded correctly, it stays put.

Many people confuse cheap dentistry with affordable dentistry. As you’re unfortunately discovering, there’s a big difference. To answer your question, yes, he should fix this for free. It’s his mistake. In fact, I’m questioning his competence. Most dentists go their whole careers without a crown falling off, let alone having the same crown fall off four different times. That’s unheard of.

It sounds to me like he has no idea how bonding works, which is a rather basic service learned in dental school. I wouldn’t bother going back. If it falls off again, ask for a refund. If he gives you a problem with that tell him you’ll report him to the dental board. This will be the fifth time your crown has fallen off and that certainly wouldn’t meet the ethical standard of functional dental care.

What to Look for in an Affordable Dentist

You’ll want someone who gives you alternative treatment options. For instance, with a tooth replacement, while a dental implant is an ideal treatment, a dental bridge is a perfectly acceptable alternative. Some patients can’t afford even that, so a dentist should make sure they know about their other options such as a removable partial denture without pressuring them to get the better treatment. Of course, they can tell you the pros and cons, but leave the decision to the patients.

Also, look for a dentist willing to work with you on payments. Whether they have in-house payment plans or work through Care Credit, they should have a way for patients who don’t have all the money up front to still get the care they need.

This blog is brought to you by Ahwatukee Dentist Dr. Harveer Kaur.

Emergency Dentist Won’t Fix My Crown

Posted on June 30, 2018 by writeradmin.

I’m so fed up with my dentist. I needed a dental crown. He did it. Two days later it fell off. He said that’s because it was the temporary crown and they’re meant to be easy to get off. Then, he put on my permanent crown. It fell off. He bonded it back on for free, but it fell off a week later. He bonded it on again and it fell off. By then I was fed up and left it off, but when my husband realized what was happening he said that was a bad idea. So, I wised up and went to an emergency dentist. But, they refused to bond it back on saying they’d need to make me a new one because mine doesn’t fit. Can that be right or is he taking me for a ride?

Lisa

Dear Lisa,

When a crown is bonded correctly, it stays put.

Your dentist is incompetent. Not the emergency dentist; your regular dentist. He doesn’t understand how bonding is properly done. Most dentists go their entire career without a crown falling off once. As many times as yours has fallen off is absolutely ridiculous.

Your husband was wise to send you to get it bonded and you were wise to go to a different dentist. I don’t think the emergency dentist is trying to cheat you. It’s very possible in the time you left the crown off that your other teeth shifted a bit into the empty space. That would cause your crown not to fit.

You have a couple of options here. The first thing you need to do is get a refund from your original dentist. He shouldn’t have a problem with that. He hasn’t been able to give you a functional dental crown. Then you can let your emergency dentist make you a new one. One that will stay in place.

If you’re not sure about the integrity of the emergency dentist, then I suggest you go to a totally different dentist and get a second opinion. If the emergency dentist lied, he or she can bond it on. If the emergency dentist was right, you can have the new dentist remake your crown.

Best of luck. This blog is brought to you by Ahwatukee Dentist Dr. Harveer Kaur.