There is an entire industry that helps consumers find the lowest gas prices in their area. Websites like www.gasbuddy.com and the like use “crowd sourcing” to help you find the lowest price gas in the area. As I write this, you can purchase regular gas in Denton for anywhere between $3.07/gallon to $3.37/gallon. For 12 gallons of gas, that’s a difference of $3.60 per tank! That $3.07/gallon seems like a pretty great deal, right?

But wait…I can remember when I could fill my whole tank for less than $20! Now that $3.07 doesn’t seem like such a great deal at all. It’s a little depressing to think about how much less you used to pay to fill your tank. But I’ll bet you probably thought $20 to fill that tank was expensive back then, too.

Gas is funny that way. I can’t remember a time where I ever felt like I was getting a deal on gasoline. It’s because gas is something we need to run our cars. It’s not something we would prefer to buy. I’d prefer to not spend a single dollar to put fuel in my car. I’d much prefer to buy a new iPad or a new leather coat. I’d probably spend some time researching which is the nicest leather coat I could buy for the least amount of money and I’d probably post about my sweet new coat on Facebook. I’ve never bragged about the awesome new tank of gas I bought on Facebook.

Let’s say you’re at your dentist’s office to have your teeth examined and a “cleaning.” The doctor takes a big, ugly intraoral photo of one of your upper back teeth that shows a huge, black filling. He says, “this filling is failing and there’s a cavity under it. In order to fix it, we need to do a crown. It’s going to cost about $1200.”

“Wow…$1200 is a lot of money! And it doesn’t even hurt!”

Now pretend that the dentist said, “this filling is failing and there’s a cavity under it. In order to fix it, we need to do a crown. It’s going to cost about $800.”

I just saved you $400, so you’re probably psyched about the sweet deal, right?

Yeah, I thought not. Is there any number that the dentist throws at you that makes you think, “wow, that’s a fantastic deal on a time consuming and potentially uncomfortable procedure! I think I’ll have two?” Probably not.

Let’s face it. Health care is expensive. And worse than that, it’s not transparent. We usually don’t understand why stuff costs what it does and we don’t really want to spend the time to compare prices and options. We just figure it’s expensive, that maybe our insurance will cover it and hope that when we get a statement it’s not so much that we can’t cover it.

You actually have more control than that when it comes to dentistry. The more needs you have, the more expensive your dental treatment will be. A big Suburban has much greater fuel needs than a Prius, and so it’s much more expensive to drive. If you have high risk factors for decay (lots of existing fillings and crowns, lots of mouth drying medications, drink a lot of pop, only visit the dentist when something hurts, etc.), you’re driving a Suburban. Wouldn’t you prefer the fuel costs of that Prius?

Here’s a few things you can do to drive that Prius instead of the Suburban:

• Visit your dentist often! At least every 6 months!
• If you have a tooth problem, don’t wait! Call us right away…even if it doesn’t hurt!
• Drink pop sparingly. If you do, try to consume it at meals. Avoid “sipping all day” on acidy and sugary drinks.

Of course you’d rather not pay for dentistry. Just like gasoline, it’s a need and not a want. At least it is if you want to keep your teeth! However now, every time you are waiting for your tank to fill, you’ll think of these hints to keep dental costs down. Maybe you’ll decide to keep some floss in your glove compartment…just in case!

Till next time,

Dr. Vo

Denton Smiles Dentistry provides caring Pediatric Dentistry in Denton, TX. We provide dental services for children of all ages at our Denton, Texas office.

One of the most common things that we hear from new patients is how anxious they are about dentists and having dental work done, which is one reason why we provide sedation dentistry. People with all kinds of backgrounds can have hangups about having their teeth worked on. From cops to nurses to college students we’ve run into dental patients that were apprehensive about their dental treatment. Some of them are so anxious about it they’ve stayed away from the dentist for a long time. Staying away from the dentist can lead to greater dental needs as small problems can become big problems if they aren’t treated!

So where does this widespread fear of the dentist come from? Almost universally, these patients had bad experiences as children! We’ve heard stories like, “the doctor didn’t give me any numbing medication.” Or, “he started working on me before I was numb. When I complained he told me I was numb enough and just kept working.” Can you imagine the kind of impact this could have on a child? The first impression that a dentist leaves on a person is sometimes difficult to change later in life. We believe it is better to start off with a positive visit to the dentist office!

At Denton Smiles Dentistry, we take great care with children to ensure that they have a positive experience at the dentist so that they have no reason to develop unhealthy fears about coming to the dentist later in life.

We really love working with kids; not all dentists can say that! What some dentists don’t understand is that children aren’t just little adults. For one, children’s teeth are quite a bit more susceptible to tooth decay than adult teeth. But more than that, kids often need a little more “tender loving care” during dental treatment. As parents know, kids ask a LOT of questions! It’s important for a dentist to address a child’s questions gently but directly! Helping a child to know that they’re in control of the situation is a big deal. We let kids know that we can stop what we’re doing any time if they need a break or have a question.

There’s nothing wrong with a dentist that doesn’t enjoy working on kids—as long as they aren’t working on your little one! We make children feel at home with our waiting room video games. Then, we explain what we’re going to do and how we’re going to do it. We have TVs in our treatment rooms so they can choose their favorite show or cartoon! Finally, we deliver comfortable treatment with a gentle touch to your little prince or princess! If you’re looking for a dental office in Denton that can serve your whole family’s needs, we hope you’ll contact Denton Smiles Dentistry. We understand how important it is for a child to have a bad experience with the dentist! And we can help adults with any “dental baggage” they might have picked up along with way!

“So I’m walking the dog a couple nights ago and something weird happened. I feel this itch by my right ear and so I scratch it. Wouldn’t you know….my ear falls off!”

“What! That’s horrifying! What did the doctor say?”

“Well, I didn’t go to the doctor. It didn’t hurt. And I could totally still hear. Mostly. Some of the higher pitched stuff isn’t quite as clear, but…”

I know, I know. You’re thinking I’m making this stuff up. This could never happen. Well, maybe…

Broken or Chipped Teeth

I have conversations similar to this with patients on a pretty regular basis. Patients will tell me with a straight face that a part of their body fell off, but they didn’t think that much of it. The only difference is that the part that broke off is from a tooth and not their ear.

In the case of a dental emergency, simply call our Denton dental office 940-380-1188. During non-office hours, please leave a message on our voicemail and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

You can take simple precautions to avoid accident and injury to your teeth. To reduce the chances of damage to your teeth, lips, cheek and tongue, wear an athletic mouth guard when participating in sports or recreational activities that may pose a risk. Avoid chewing ice, popcorn kernels and hard candy, all of which can crack a tooth. Instead of using your teeth to cut tape or packaging, use scissors. When accidents happen, knowing what to do can mean the difference between saving and losing a tooth.

General Advice on Dental Emergencies

• Toothache: make sure there isn’t any food debris stuck between teeth as this can cause pain. Floss around the affected area very gently and rinse your mouth with warm water. You can use a cold compress to reduce any swelling, but you should not apply any painkillers directly to the affected area.
• Knocked out tooth: pick up the tooth by the crown taking great care not to touch the root, and if the tooth is dirty then carefully rinse off the root area with clean running water. Be very careful not to damage any fragments of attached tissue. If you can, try to re-insert the tooth back into the gum ensuring that you have it facing the right way. If this isn’t possible, then place it in a small container of milk and bring it to us immediately.
• Broken tooth: rinse out your mouth with warm water and use a clean piece of gauze to stop any bleeding. You can also apply a cold compress to alleviate any swelling to your mouth. Call our office at 940-380-1188 as soon as possible.
• If your crown has fallen out: make an appointment to see us as soon as possible and bring the crown with you. You could try to place the crown back over the tooth and use temporary cement purchased from the drug store, or use a smear of toothpaste, but please try not to swallow your crown. Never use glue to reattach the crown.
• If you have bitten your tongue or cheek during an accident and it is bleeding, rinse out your mouth with water and apply a clean piece of gauze to the injury and hold in place using gentle pressure for 10 to 15 minutes. If you cannot stop the bleeding, then you should seek medical assistance immediately.
• Abscess: this may look like a small swelling on the gum and can be incredibly painful. Abscesses can do a lot of damage to the gum and teeth so it’s important to get treated immediately.

Disclaimer

Our aim is to educate our patients and potential patients by providing basic information about some common dental emergencies. We hope it will be a useful resource to help patients make informed decisions in consultation with their dentist. It is the patient’s responsibility to be seen by a dentist for a proper diagnosis based on their medical and dental history. The information provided on this blog post is NOT intended to replace a dental examination by a qualified licensed dentist. In an actual dental emergency, please contact our dental office as soon as possible!

Dental PPO Plans

Dental PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) plans offer a network feature and usually offer a balance between lower costs and dentist choice. PPO dentists participate in the network thereby agreeing to accept contracted fees as payment in full rather than their usual fee for patients with the PPO. When you visit a PPO dentist, you typically pay a certain percentage of the reduced rate (called coinsurance) and the plan pays the rest. The percentage usually varies by the type of coverage such as diagnostic and preventive, major services, etc. For example, preventive services may be covered at 80% (you would pay 20%), while crowns and bridges may be covered at 50%. PPOs usually require you to meet a deductible and have an annual maximum amount of coverage (example: $1,000 per year).

While you typically have the lowest out-of-pocket costs if you visit a PPO dentist, the plan allows you to visit the dentist of your choice, even if she is not in the network.

Why Choose a Delta Dental Dentist?

We get asked this question everyday: “What’s the difference between seeing a dentist that’s in-network and one that is out-of-network?”  The biggest difference is the amount of “out of pocket” expense that the patient pays. In other words, you will pay more seeing an out-of-network dentist. Fortunately for most families, Denton Smiles Dentistry is in-network with most insurance plans. Here’s some other reasons to stay in-network:

No Waiting for Reimbursement

When you are treated by a Delta Dental dentist, you don’t have to pay the entire bill and wait for reimbursement from Delta Dental. Instead, we pay your dentist directly, and send you a notice explaining your portion of the bill. You pay the dentist only that amount.  In some cases, if your insurance provider does not pay your portion then it is YOUR responsibility to pay the difference.

Less Paperwork

Delta Dental dentists handle all claim forms and other paperwork for you.

Delta Dental Dentists Agree to a Set Determination of Fees

For example, if you are responsible for a 20 percent co-insurance amount, you pay 20 percent of your dentist’s accepted or approved fee. We also make sure you are not charged extra for services that should be included in the cost of treatment. The only exception to this is if your insurance provider denies payment for your procedure.

What Does My Insurance Cover?

This question is probably the most asked question behind the ever popular “will this hurt?” question. All dental insurance plans are different and the amount of coverage can vary between plans. It’s important to remember that your insurance plan was chosen either by yourself or by your employer. Denton Smiles Dentistry does not make the insurance rules—the insurance company does. As always, feel free to contact us and we’ll be happy to explain your insurance plan to you. For those who are more self-motivated, you can look up your specific plan details by visiting Delta Dental online.

Important Changes to Medicaid Dental Coverage

By now, you should have received a letter telling you that changes are coming regarding your Medicaid. The good news is, if you follow the directions below, your children will still be eligible to receive their full benefits at Denton Smiles Dentistry.

When you receive your children’s new enrollment forms in the mail, just follow these three simple steps:

2.  Pick Your Main Dentist

If you have any questions at all, please call our office at 940-380-1188. We’re here to help!