Many people will do just about anything to avoid going to the dentist. If you even mention tooth extraction to some people they will turn tail and run. Visions of using a hammer and chisel to remove teeth still haunt a few older people. Modern technology has made what was once a brutal ordeal into a much more patient friendly experience. At Gentle Dental, the goal has always been to hear the patient say those five magic words, “I didn’t feel a thing”. Painless extractions happen regularly.
New instruments and techniques can help remove a damaged tooth quicker and with much less trauma to the surrounding area. Instead of just grabbing hold of a tooth and twisting and turning until the patient feels like his or her jaw is going to break, the dentist applies much less force. With the new instruments light force is applied but scientifically directed in such a way that leverage is maximized and in most cases the tooth just “pops” right out. Once in a while, a patient will complain how little time and effort was used and insist that the cost of extractions should be much less. We like to explain that we still know an old dentist who uses a hammer and chisel and charges a lot less but your face will swell way up and you will be in pain for 3 days or more. No one has asked for his name and phone number yet.
The cost of extractions has gone up quite a bit over the last fifteen to twenty years . The expense of modern sterilization and the increase in the cost of dental liability insurance has been a big factor. Xrays cost more and the expense of disposing of medical waste keeps going up. Paper work and record keeping is more costly. Considering all these factors, we feel good about our ability to hold down the fee that we charge for extractions. We usually save our patients between ten to twenty five percent on the cost compared to what other practices charge.
Drugs are another big improvement for the extraction patient. Pain pills and proper antibiotics make the recovery period shorter and more comfortable.
For the patient that is just plain scared to death to even walk into a dentist’s office, there are several prescription drugs that can sedate a patients just a little or stronger doses can put the patient all the way to la-la land. Someone needs to accompany a sedated patient at all times but if you need them, sedatives allow fearful patients to be relaxed and have healthy teeth and gums without the fear of the dentist. Of course, there is always the option of going to sleep. This is very good but has gotten quite expensive due to the high cost of liability insurance.
If someone needs extractions and also wants a new denture, we can make the denture first and place the denture in the patient’s mouth right after the surgery is done. We recommend that patients come into Gentle Dental of Baltimore for a free consultation and see what the cost is and also to get to know the dentist. Finding a dentist that you can talk to and that you like is very important. With Dr. Maloof, Dr. Vandenberge, and Dr. Nemes at Gentle Dental, you will feel comfortable and the cost will be affordable with no surprises.
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