GO AS SLOW AS POSSIBLE

Over the course of my 22 years in dentistry I have witnessed some significant changes in the materials that are used to restore teeth. In fact, most of the materials I use today were not in existence when I started to practice. The demand for materials that are tooth-colored have taken over. There are very few patients who ask for gold or silver fillings any more. And, while some of these newer materials are white, there are many factors which need to be considered in determining what material is appropriate for each individual situation.

As I said last week – The best dentistry is NO dentistry. Prevention of decay and other factors that require teeth to be restored is the best defense to not needing restorative dental work. Keeping up with maintenance cleaning appointments and listening to your dental team’s recommendations regarding diet, homecare and other forms of prevention such as nightguard use, is key to avoiding many dental problems.

One of my favorite quotes in dentistry comes from a pioneer dentist who was killed in a plane crash back in the 1970’s named Bob Barkley. He said, “The goal of dentistry is to make the patient worse at the slowest possible rate”. I think about this quote all the time when making recommendations and treating patients. Sometimes it leads me to recommend extensive treatment and other times it leads me to not recommend any treatment at all, even despite apparent need.

Dr. Barkley also coined the phrase “co-diagnosis” which refers to the patient taking an active role in their dental health. It is the role of the dentist to not only educate the patient on their specific situation and different options for care, but to also extract (no pun intended) from the patient their goals for their dental health. It is so important to think beyond the immediate fix sometimes. Taking the time to talk to patients about why things are happening and about their choices for prevention and treatment allows patients to become active participants in their health.

However, there are many barriers to this model including the patient’s lack of interest or concern, time involved, lack of trust, money and even fear. The dentist can also be a limiting factor depending on their philosophy of care. And one of the biggest issues facing both dentists and patients today is the role of patient’s dental benefit companies. This broken system is often responsible for patients choosing less than ideal care, thereby setting themselves up for more problems down the road.

My simple suggestion is to take a more active role in your own dental health. Think forward and ask your dentist or dental hygienist about things that can make your situation worse at the slowest possible rate. You very well may be doing fine or just need a couple tweaks to your home care regimen. Or maybe it’s time to consider preventive treatment or re-consider your dental team’s suggestion for an increase in the number of times you visit your hygienist a year.

Unfortunately, lack of pain is not a good indicator of lack of problems. Put your health first, find a dental team that listens to your concerns and takes the time necessary to establish a plan that makes sense and you are on board with.

I strayed from my original intention of discussing more on CAD/CAM dentistry that I introduced last week. However, as you will see next week, CAD/CAM dentistry often aligns perfectly with making your situation worse at the slowest possible rate.