Let’s face it, dentistry is not cheap. While your likely to spend far more on cars than you do on your teeth and mouth during you lifetime, it takes more than pocket change to get your teeth fixed. So how can you save money at the dentist?
First and most importantly, an ounce of prevention is worth way more than a pound of cure. Here’s how to prevent the two most common diseases in the world (tooth decay and gum disease). The bottom line is this:
- Don’t feed the sugar bugs between meals!
- Floss daily, especially at the gumline
When you come in to see the dentist, consider spending a little on preventive measures to save a lot in the long run. Examples include:-
- sealants to seal off the grooves where sugar bugs hide and most decay occurs
- fluoride treatments to harden the teeth- gels and foam are good; varnish is better
- splints (aka- nightguards) to prevent “occlusal disease”, which occurs when clenching and grinding your teeth at night causing cracked/broken teeth, worn/failed dental restorations, sensitive teeth and TMJ problems
If you already have lots of decay or gum disease, remember the four goals of dentistry, which are listed somewhat in order of priority:
- Remove/manage dental disease- tooth decay, gum disease, occlusal disease
- Replace what’s missing
- Preserve what’s left
- Cosmetic dentistry
Make sure to treat dental disease early. All dental disease is progressive! The longer you wait, the worse (and more expensive) it gets. Here’s what can happen when you wait to fix your teeth. When it comes to fixing your teeth, you will usually have options. Weigh pros/cons of each restorative option. You can sometimes save money if you don’t mind a little silver showing, or if you choose a removable denture versus crowns or implants.
Will going to a dentist with lower fees save you money? Well… maybe. If two dentists recommend the same treatment, then of course the one with lower fees will cost less, at least initially. But sometimes dentists with lower fees recommend more treatment. Or sometimes the quality of work is not as good, so the work needs to be redone sooner, costing more money in the long run. How do you know if a dentist may be treatment planning aggressively? If you are ever unsure of recommended treatment, get a second opinion. A dental exam costs far less than dental treatment which may not be necessary. How do you know if the dentist does good work? Ask friends who’ve been seeing them for a long time. Or check out the testimonials on their website.
Dentistry is not cheap. But there are many things you can do to keep your dental costs down, while still maintaining healthy teeth and gums. As always, feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Dr. Steve
Roseville Family Dentist
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“Yamamoto and Lee is a family dental office dedicated to providing top quality dentistry and overall service to our patients.” (from our mission statement)
We take our mission very seriously and always do our best to live up to it. Yet despite our best efforts, we know we will never please everyone. So when a patient leaves our practice, we like to find out why they’re leaving so that we can hopefully learn from our mistakes and improve our service. But then, some of them come back!
We understand that there are many reasons why people leave a dental office to go see another dentist. What we fail to realize is that people don’t always leave because they are unsatisfied. Sometimes people leave because their insurance changed and they now have a list of dentists they must see if they want their dental work to be covered by insurance. Or sometimes they leave because finances are tight, and they think they can save money by going to a dentist with lower fees (and there’s always someone with lower fees). One returning patient this past week said that even though his insurance changed, he’d rather come here and pay out of pocket because the dentist he saw under his plan tried to get him to agree to treatment which wasn’t covered, and it would have cost him more than what we had recommended. Another returning patient came back because the “cheaper” dentist wanted to replace all his fillings and do full mouth deep cleanings, which we didn’t think he needed. (In my next post, I will discuss the best way to save money at the dentist.)
And then there are the times when a patient leaves because there was something about our service they didn’t like, only to return when they come to realize that we had done nothing wrong. A couple years ago we had one patient leave quite upset because I had recommended one of her teeth needed a root canal. When her tooth started aching recently, she asked to come back.
It seems like more patients than ever are returning to our dental practice. Maybe it’s a sign that our economy is turning around. Or maybe it’s just a variation of chance. Whatever the reason, we like to think that maybe we’re not doing such a bad job of achieving our mission.
What do YOU think?
Dr. Steve
Roseville Family Dentist
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Congratulations again to Karen Y for winning Yamamoto and Lee, Roseville Family Dentist’s latest Patient Appreciation Drawing. She won a $100 credit off dental services and 1 free month at Fitness MD in Rocklin. Thanks to all of you who make your appointments, keep your appointments and pay what you owe. Keep it up and you may win our next drawing! We’ll be drawing December 1 for another $100 credit off of dental services here at Yamamoto and Lee.
Dr. Steve
Roseville Family Dentist
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As a kid, Halloween was one of my favorite holidays- not quite as good as Christmas, but way better than Thanksgiving. I still enjoy Halloween, but as a dentist I realize it can be hazardous to the health of our teeth. Candy sales approach $2 billion every Halloween. And as we’ve mentioned numerous times in this blog, sugar (NOT the lack of brushing and flossing) is the main culprit in causing tooth decay (aka- cavities).
So what can YOU do this year (other than encouraging your kid to dress up as a dentist…lol) to make Halloween a bit safer for teeth?
First, resist the urge to buy your Halloween candy supply early. I firmly believe that any candy bought more than three days before Trick or Treat night often ends up rotting your family’s teeth before the big night. (Do I lie?)
Second, consider handing out non-decay causing goodies instead of candy. About.com and NationalServiceResources.org have lists of some good alternatives. These include:
- Glow-sticks
- Sugar free gum
- Halloween stickers
- Small cans of playdoh
- Pencils with Halloween erasers
- Halloween bouncy balls
- Temporary tattoos
- Small bottles of bubbles
- Temporary tattoos
- Crayons
- Coins (pennies, nickels, dimes)
- Superballs
- “Slime”
- Sugar-free candy
- Origami paper & instructions
- Bubbles
Third, make sure your little ones only dip into their candy booty at meal times (when they’re likely feeding the sugar bugs anyway) and maybe one other time during the day (if they’ve been good, of course). Remember, it’s not necessarily “how much” sugar we get, but rather “how often” that determines how many cavities we get.
So have fun this Halloween! But try not to make your teeth “scream”. Otherwise, you may end up looking like Jack up above.
Dr. Steve
Roseville Family Dentist
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Karen Y!!! Congratulations on winning Roseville Family Dentist’s Patient Appreciation drawing for a $100 credit off dental services and 1 free month at Fitness MD in Rocklin! Thank you for being a star dental patient here at Yamamoto and Lee, Family Dentistry!
Remember, if you show up for your original appointment time, or pay your portion at the end of the appointment, or schedule your next appointment before you leave the office, you could win our next drawing to be held December 1, 2011. We will be giving away another $100 credit towards dental services here at Yamamoto and Lee, Family Dentistry!
Dr. Steve
Roseville Family Dentist
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This is one of the most common questions dentists get, and it’s a good one. Our exposure to x-rays is cumulative over the course of our lives, meaning it constantly adds up and never goes away. Dentists have known this for many decades (long before we entered dental school). So we are very interested in minimizing the amount of radiation we are all exposed to. I have to say dentists have done an excellent job.
I just stumbled across a group called the Health Physics Society. They help provide health physicists with the information they need to do their job, which is ”to manage the beneficial use of ionizing radiation while protecting workers and the public from potential hazards”. (I’d never heaerd of a “health physicist” before.) Their website has a lot of great information on our radiation exposures- everything from airport screenings and cell phones to tanning salons.
Their page about dental patient issues has some great comparison numbers. Normal background radiation dose is about 360 mrem per year. That’s your annual exposure just by living on this planet. The dose for four bitewing (check-up) x-rays is 0.2 – 0.3 mrem, or less than half of what we are normally exposed to in a day. A full mouth set of x-rays is equivalent to a little more than one days normal background radiation.
On another page, they state, “differences in background levels between different parts of the country are larger than the effective dose for a bitewing. For example, moving from a lower-background region such as Minneapolis, Minnesota, to a higher-background region, such as Denver, Colorado, for a year would result in an increase in effective dose for that year that is about the same as 30 bitewing exams”. The US EPA estimates that we are exposed to 2-5 mrem on a cross-country flight, which is more than twice the exposure of a full mouth set of x-rays.
If any of you are concerned about just how much radiation you are receiving when you see your dentist, I encourage you to check out the “dental patient issues” page.
Dr. Steve
Roseville Family Dentist
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Here’s an update. As previously blogged, we were voted by our dental colleagues as one of the Top Dentists in Roseville, according to www.usatopdentists.com. At that time, we did not know how much of an honor that really was. For all we knew, 90% of the dentists were “selected”. Top Dentists had not yet posted their list. Well, the list can now be found by searching their “Find A Dentist”.
As it turns out, 12 dentists in Roseville were selected, and we were two of them! How many dentists are there in Roseville? I’m not really sure. (I’d love to hear a number if anyone can figure out how to find out.) I know there are 85 dentists in Roseville who are ADA/CDA/SDDS members. I would guess that there are another 20-40 non-member dentists in Roseville. That means about 10% of the dentists in Roseville made the list.
I guess being voted Top Dentists really is something to be proud of! If you really want to know what our dental colleagues have to say about us, visit our testimonials page.
Dr. Steve
Roseville Family Dentist
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Lately, dentists have been using headlights to better see their dental work. I’ve always felt they were way overpriced (some cost over $1,000) and not really necessary. But since Dr. Lynn and our dental hygienists have been happily using dental headlights for quite some time now, I finally decided to take the plunge and get one for myself. Last October, after much research, I bought a LumaDent LED headlight. At $400, it is one of the least expensive headlights out there, but it works great and is super light weight. Since they didn’t have a mount which fit my dental loupes, I had to jury-rig it using dental composite filling material. I’ve been loving it ever since.
A few weeks ago, one of the wire connectors loosened, so I sent it back to be repaired. Apparently in December, they started making them with metal connectors to prevent this exact problem. I sent it right before my vacation hoping it would be back when I returned.
When I got back from vacation, it hadn’t come back yet. So I called and was told they had not received it yet. Another week later, I called and it still hadn’t arrived. (I guess I shouldn’t have sent it USPS! My bad.) I asked how much it would be for a new headlight without the battery pack. Don (or was it Jose?) said they normally charge $250, but they would discount it for me because they understand how disappointing it is to lose something in the mail. I figured they’d knock it down to about $200, but I ended up paying less than half that amount! Each time I called, they knew who I was, remembered my situation, and had all my info readily available.
In addition to getting a deep discount on the headlight, he said he will send me a new mount for my dental loupes frame, which they now had. I hadn’t asked about it; he just noticed it. On top of that, he said if the original light ever shows up, they will fix it and send it to me to use as a spare! All this for something which wasn’t even their fault! I have never had a company give this much service completely unsolicited. I cannot recommend them highly enough. If you or anyone you know are looking for an LED headlight, GET A LUMADENT!
Dr. Steve
Roseville Family Dentist
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“We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected by a vote of your peers to be included in the 2011 database of topDentists.”
We just received this letter from topDentists, LLC. Our listing will be published in the September issue of SACRAMENTO magazine and online at www.usatopdentists.com (not sure when). They don’t mention how many dentists have been so honored, but I do know that I filled out a survey for this about a month ago listing who I thought were the top dental specialists in the area. So it would appear that at least one of our dental peers in town has voted for us!
“Because topDentists is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which dentists and specialists throughout the Sacramento area cast thousands of “votes” on the abilities of other dentists and specialists, and because listings cannot be purchased (and no payment is required to be listed), inclusion in topDentists is considered a singular honor.”
I’ve often told people that the featured businesses in Sacramento magazine are nothing more than paid advertisements. But it appears that in this case, at least, a legitimate voting process was involved. (Of course, there are convenient advertising opportunities associated with the article, as well as a paid opportunity to link the online listing to our website. Oh, and we can also pay to get a nice plaque!)
Still, we are honored that at least one of our colleagues has voted us a top dentist in this area!
Dr. Steve
Roseville Family Dentist
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“You have a right to know in advance the type and expected cost of treatment.” (CDA’s Dental Patient Bill Of Rights)
When you come to Yamamoto and Lee, Roseville Family Dentist for your dental care, we realize you are coming here to exchange some of your hard earned cash for quality dental treatment. We believe it’s important that you know how much cash it costs for the services we provide. So we make it a point to let you know, up front, what the fees will be before we schedule your next appointment. Now, I’ll be the first to admit it’s not always perfect. Sometimes the treatment changes. Sometimes insurance coverage changes. And sometimes we make human mistakes. But we do our very best at all times to let you know what your dental treatment will cost the very same day we treatment plan it.
I have been very lucky to not need much medical treatment in my life (knock on wood). But recently, I needed to have a screening test done (something that people get when they get older- hard to admit, but I am getting older). Since I have a high deductible medical insurance plan, I knew I would be paying out of pocket for it. So I wanted to know up front how much the procedure would cost. I called the office I was referred to and asked what my cost would be. To my surprise, the lady said she did not know. Not only did she not know, she had no way to look it up! She hesitated to even give me a range of what it might cost. She said no one in the office would be able to tell me the fee, and I should call my insurance company to find out. So I called my insurance company and they told me I would need the procedure code as well as the provider’s ID number. I called the lady back, and she told me it could be one of several procedure codes, and did I want the ID number of the provider, or of the clinic? Like a tennis ball, I was volleyed back and forth several more times until I finally got a ballpark estimate of what it might cost.
I went ahead and got the procedure done (was treated very well in the treatment room, thank you), and a couple months later (yes, a couple MONTHS later), I got the bill. It was right about what I was expecting; I was proud that I had done my homework.
Then the second bill came, from a different company. I had no idea why I got a second bill. All it said was “outpatient services” and it was for almost $2,500! So I called the number on the bill to find out what it was for. The lady on the phone at first said she can’t tell me what it is for- she can only answer questions about how to pay. She finally said she could request a list of services be sent to me in the mail!
It turns out, the second bill is for use of the medical facilities and equipment. Maybe dentists should charge separately for the doctor’s fee and facilities use fee. But my primary care physician doesn’t. They may not be very good about telling you what their fees are, but at least they don’t charge separately to use their facilities.
I’m still trying to figure out who I can talk to about this undisclosed facilities use fee. No one seems to have the authority to do anything about it.
As far as I can tell, there is no physician’s equivalent to the Patient Bill Of Rights which includes the right to know in advance the expected cost of treatment. I think we have the right to know.
What do YOU think?
Dr. Steve
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