Comprehensive? Sounds Expensive!!

People hear about a comprehensive approach to dentistry and immediately assume it’s expensive. In our view, it’s more expensive NOT to be comprehensive!! For instance, if being thorough in the beginning saves you the cost of just one implant and the crown that goes on top of it, the savings more than offsets the investment in a thorough examination and evaluation. By about a factor of six!  

What if a person was able to intercept things that were headed in a negative direction that could be costly later?  Kinda like if you were able to know a day in advance that your hard drive was about to crash, would you just let it crash, or would you do something about it before it did? Replacing a hard drive is an investment alright, but nothing compared to having to retrieve any unsaved date on a crashed disc.  Or, let’s say you were going to build your dream house.  Would you just start putting lumber in the air, or would you give it a lot of thought?  Or, your dream vacation.  Just take off and see what develops??  I don’t think so!!

Back to health:  If you had a way to diagnose a tumor before it became obvious and symptomatic, how would you feel about that?   Okay, you’re thinking: “what kind of dentist can even recognize that kind of stuff??  What kind of dentist can help you intervene before you just start slinging money at one dental crisis after another?  All they’re interested in is maxing out my insurance until the next calendar year!”  We get that.  We hear stories of patients just slinging money at one dental crisis after another until they throw up their hands and say: “My mouth is turning into a money pit!” If only the developing problem could have been identified (diagnosed)  in it’s earliest stages.

Being an astute diagnostician takes time, effort, experience  and a TON of postgraduate education.  Why would a guy spend that kind of time and money pursuing the care, skill and judgment that it takes to become accomplished and astute?  With me, it’s a values thing–I can’t help myself.  I feel every single person who presents themselves for my care deserves the best I know how to do it.  Every year I re-define what that looks like for me, and it had better be a cut above last year.  Just because!!

Let me relate a couple of stories about being “astute.”  Webster defines “astute” as “keen in discernment.”  Several years ago, I did one of those full body scans, and something showed up on one of my lungs.  The physician who read the scan at least reassured me:  “It’s NOT cancer, but what is it?”  There then was the resultant referral to a pulmonologist who ordered several tests, including an MRI, etc.  He came to the same conclusion:  “Well, it’s NOT cancer, but I don’t know what it is.”  Not long after this all happened, I was visiting with my wise old endocrinologist.  I related the story to him, and he smiled and asked:  “Ever have pleurisy?”  Man, did I ever when I was in high school!  I can still remember having a special pad made for my ribs when I was playing football, as it was so painful!!  “Well”, he said, “that’s a scar from the pleurisy!”  That’s what I mean by astute!!

Here’s another classic:  An M.D. friend had been practicing in rural Oregon for a number of years when he decided to go back to school and get a Masters in Family Practice.  During his residency, each of the interns was presented with patients who had challenging conditions to test the interns diagnostic capabilities.  Most of the interns were very young, fresh out of medical school, while my friend had some wisdom, maturity and experience going for him.  One patient had a particularly vexing diagnosis, and it really caused the assigned intern a real challenge.  Finally, after an exhaustive battery of tests and much time spent in the biomedical literature, the proud intern was ready to announce his findings to the rest of the group.  My friend walked in the room with the group, sniffed the air a couple of times, and thought out loud: “Diphtheria!”  The intern in charge almost had a breakdown on the spot for this wise, astute physician had made a diagnosis without a single test or examination, but by the particular odor of diphtheria.   Wisdom, maturity, experience–that’s what it takes to become astute.  Do you think my friend was a pretty cost-effective  and astute physician in his little community?  Wouldn’t you feel comfortable in his presence?   Quiet confidence–that’s what evolves out of this process of “paying the price” in terms of hours and course work to become astute.

We’re offering a no-charge visit to any of you who think you or a loved one has a developing bite problem that needs attention. We believe that mouths need NOT become money pits!!

Remember that scene in the movie “The Rookie” starring Dennis Quaid as the high school baseball coach who starts on a Cinderella trip back to the major leagues?  When he gets close to being called up to “The Show” (The major leagues) he quips to the hot young rookie who is on his way up as well:  “Isn’t this great?  We get to play baseball today!!”  That’s the way I feel when I come to work:  “I get to help people by doing dentistry today!”   Everyone I see today will be unique!  Everyone I see today will be impacted by their dental condition in a different way, so I get to hear their stories!  I get to help out in whatever way I can consistent with each person’s circumstances, temperament and objectives.  How lucky can a guy get?  What a blast!!  Never a dull moment!

I also get to work with some of the finest professionals I know on planet Earth:  My team!  Our relationship as professionals has grown to be very special because we have shared wonderful moments with people who have reclaimed a lost portion of their health in ways that I never dreamed possible when I graduated from dental school.

If you our a loved one is struggling to make sense of your dental condition, trying to avoid “Money Pit Mouth syndrome,” please consider our office.  We’re hear to listen and to help!!

To your health!

Dr. R.