Let’s Talk About Avoiding a Money Pit Mouth
(A word about finances.)

Let’s talk about a money pit mouth. We believe that mouths need not become money pits!! Here’s how “money pit mouth” comes about: A problem surfaces with a patient, like, say, a broken tooth. A definite felt need by the patient is to “fix what’s broke.” Logical. But what’s the reason the tooth broke in the first place? Material failure? Recurrent decay? Bite forces not lined up properly on the tooth? Well, we don’t really know for sure at this point. It’s hard to focus long term with a short term problem like the sharp edge of a tooth bothering one’s tongue, right? So, a well-meaning dentist goes right in there and puts a crown on the tooth. Problem solved, right? But wait! There’s more. 6 months to a year later another tooth breaks, another crown gets put on. A year or two later tooth #1 requires a root canal. Three to five years later, Tooth #2 requires a root canal treatment, but it fails due to a microscopic root fracture. Now we’re looking at an implant………………and so it goes.

I know how it goes—I’ve been that well-meaning dentist!! Had I known then what I know now, I would have put the brakes on at the beginning of the relationship to investigate all the possible causative factors in order to have a more predictable future for all parties concerned. Philosophically, I had to come to a place where I wasn’t willing to just “fix what’s broke”, and look at the big picture. I finally came to that place in 1995, after spending hundreds of hours in continuing education, a good portion of it learning to take a more comprehensive look at how the teeth are just part of a larger chewing mechanism, to include jaw joints, bones, muscles AND teeth! Now, when anyone new comes into the practice, we start with a comprehensive evaluation as soon as that person is comfortable with this practice. Result: Fewer surprises. Better planning, particularly from a financial standpoint, and NOT creating a “money pit mouth!”

There’s a world of difference, for instance, if we start this process with a younger person, since they don’t have as much past dental history to deal with. Identifying early signs before they become symptoms, intercepting bite problems, and controlling decay and gum disease incidence at this point results in less future treatment for sure. Result: Lower financial commitment necessary over a lifetime, and NOT creating a “money pit mouth!”

What if you’ve travelled down the “money Pit mouth” road into mature adulthood? It’s kind of like having a nice car that’s out of alignment: You can keep putting on new tires every 10-20,000 miles, or you can stop, align the car, and start getting 40,000 miles on the tires, like they were designed to do. Which makes better economic sense?? The hard part is deciding to stop the short term focus and look at the big picture. That’s what we do for you here!

So, back to finances: The absolute best investment you can make is to take the necessary records to make a diagnosis of the present conditions in your mouth, identify the short term needs, long term needs, and the options available to suit your unique circumstances, temperament, and objectives. Sometimes, you might be surprised at how reasonable that can be, dollar-wise.

On the other hand, when resurrecting a “money pit mouth”, the investment can be substantial. Our job is to help you creatively obtain your personalized goal for your dental future. Compared to knocking around from one crisis to the next, it’s worth investigating. Over a lifetime, a money pit mouth can be VERY costly, both in terms of time, money, inconvenience, and discomfort. Planning is the best way to control as many of those factors as is possible.

That being said: We want to be sensitive to your financial concerns, particularly if you value keeping your teeth for a lifetime. We have many ways to help you arrive at your preferred dental future goals. We will take the time to talk with you openly about your concerns in this regard. If there is any possible way for us to help you obtain a more predictable dental future, we will endeavor to work with you to obtain it.

Compared to money pit mouth, the initial investment is minor, would you agree??