Here are the 5 most popular questions Dr. White gets asked weekly at White Dental Studio in Ashland, OR. If you have more questions, please don’t hesitate to ask us! Our goal is to empower our patients by educating them well.
If I have cavities, why don’t they hurt? “Often, it’s because the cavity is not deep enough to the nerve for the nerve to feel the pain. It takes a significant amount of time for the cavity to get to that point. Once a cavity hurts, often times, too much of the tooth is gone. At that point much more involved treatment is needed to restore the tooth, or it can even be lost. Dentists who can spot a cavity early and fix it will help save patients time, money, and pain.- Will my insurance cover that? “There are a number of different dental insurance plans and each plan’s coverage is different. We think of dental insurance as a safety net, not the primary method that a patient should be leaning on to cover their services. Our treatment coordinators will assess your insurance benefits and do their very best to provide an estimation of coverage. We do everything we can to help you understand the benefits, advantages, and limitations of your insurance before starting treatment.” (You might also be interested to read our past post: Should I Purchase Dental Insurance? The Answer Might Surprise You.)
- What does environmentally-friendly dentistry mean? “It is an approach to dentistry that utilizes practices that reduce waste, conserve water and energy, and promotes whole body health and wellness. Our website does a great job of explaining the environmental goals of White Dental Studio. We are a certified green dentist by the Eco-Dentistry Association and we are certified at its highest level, gold. To see a full list of things we do to keep our business green, visit our website.”
- How soon should I fix my dental problem? “As soon as is reasonable for you. The longer a dental problem persists, the more likely it will progress to infection, pain, or both. Too often we see patients put off treatment. By the time we start working on the problem, patients are typically very frustrated because the problem has worsened.”
- How do I take out my silver fillings? “We are asked this question more than probably any other esthetic-related question. The sad truth is that the majority of silver filings that we see and remove have decay underneath of them already. Unfortunately many times silver fillings are placed by locking them into the tooth (which means when they come out, the hole is larger than when it went in). Safe removal is accomplished by properly isolating the tooth and the silver filling, cutting around the outside of the silver to minimize cutting through the metal, and removing the silver in large chunks. It can be a fairly simple process and the tooth can be restored with a great looking tooth-colored filling, onlay, or crown.”
Have more questions? Ask in the comments below!
Dr. Brandon White is the owner dental at White Dental Studio, located in beautiful Ashland, OR.
Want more? Check out some of his other blog posts:
What IS Toothpaste
5 Best Dental Tip for Kids
What’s in my Tooth?
Tough Dental Terms Defined
Back to School: A Dentist’s Best Advice
Recent Comments