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Relationship Between Costs in Dentistry

DR ALEX HUSZTI BelleDental

If you’ve been following some of my articles regarding dentistry costs, you would be aware there are three basic costs associated with any dental (medical) intervention. There is the obvious financial cost that we all consider. There is an emotional cost – the emotional toll of undergoing the intervention. Thirdly, there is a biologic cost – the amount of your tissues involved in / lost as a consequence of the intervention.

There is a relationship between all of these costs. If you were to consider undergoing a dental procedure, you would have a few questions. Is the procedure surgical? How long will my recovery be? What kind of risks are associated with having the procedure done? What kind of success does the procedure have?

Yes, there is a lot to consider. Let’s break interventions down in terms of complexity and see how they stack up.

For a simple intervention, the expectations would read something like this: Minimally invasive. Low level of complexity. Relatively quick recovery. Low or manageable levels of risk. High level of success or reversible (which will mitigate risk).

As the complexity of any intervention increases, these metrics change. With higher complexity, the level of invasiveness increases. Recovery times increase, and risks around complications increase – sometimes impacting success rates and frequently making the intervention less reversible or irreversible.

Complexity also increases financial costs. I have always sought techniques that lowered/minimized biologic cost. Sometimes I couldn’t find a minimally invasive solution, so I formulated interventions (many based on adhesive techniques) that were minimally invasive.

Yes, I understand that, occasionally, these low-biologic cost interventions can fail. However, because many are reversible, we can recover from them – frequently without loss of tissues and often by reusing lab-manufactured components. In those circumstances where a more involved solution is required – being minimally invasive in the first instance frequently provides for a broader scope of solutions.

CRC’s can rebuild teeth to a similar appearance, strength and functionality of conventional crowns with the added benefits of being much more conservative of tooth structure, repairable, and ONE appointment restorations that are often HALF the fee of conventional crowns.

Direct Resin Veneers have a multitude of uses –they can be used to improve function, enhance the colour and shape of teeth, modify tooth position as well as in this case, restore teeth that have su ered trauma. Direct Resin Veneers can do this without cutting teeth – all in one visit.

Direct Resin Build-ups – All in ONE day! What if you have su ered with erosion... you have already lost much of your tooth structure – the last thing you need is your teeth being CUT AWAY EVEN MORE for crowns. Direct Resin Build-ups are a NO CUT, one day alternative that saves the remaining tooth structure and enhances the cosmetics and function of your teeth. They often require modifications to your bite to accomodate your new smile.