How to Save on Dental Treatment

Our mouth is constantly exposed to the external environment, food, air, bacteria, saliva. Therefore compared to other organs it isn’t as well protected. Delaying checkups and cleans can lead to larger problems not only in the mouth but also for your general health. It sounds strange, but the easiest way to save on dental costs is to come in regularly (every 6 months) for your check up and clean appointment, get xrays every 2 years or so and deal with any issues while they are still small. For example, in a check up appointment we might notice some staining on the grooves of your molars. At that time if the xrays doesn’t show any decay going deeper into the tooth, the staining canbe removed and the grooves sealed off for better protection and easier cleaning. If you wait a little longer, than sealant could turn into a small filling- it still wont be painful, but unfortunately now we would need to drill a bit deeper, and the cost would go up. If you wait till it hurts, then you could be looking at a bigger and most costly filling, or even a root canal.

Just like getting your car regularly serviced, if the mechanic tells you something isn’t working as well as it could and it’s a small fix now, you would do it instead of waiting for the brakes to fail, or the engine to stop working, wouldn’t you? Losing a tooth can lead to issues eating, your other teeth moving into the space, jaw issues as the force on your teeth becomes uneven and more expensive treatment to fix it. We find that our regular patients who see us twice a year spend less money on the dentist as those who only come in for emergency treatment. Make sure you are comfortable at the dental clinic you choose, and you understand you short, medium and long term issues the dentist can see. This can help you better plan financially, but also if there are preventive measures you can take to avoid those medium and long term issues, you can start doing them now. Discuss payment plan options available or how the plans can be spread out to maximise health benefits but understanding what the risks are if you leave something too long. Book your treatment planning consultation online or call 9459 6300