Because of the expense, did you ever wish you could build a house one room at a time?  If you had safe, comfortable shelter that provided for your basic needs and it was not breaking down, you could conceivably build one room at a time in a well-planned construction project.  Most would agree that, in the long run, this would be better than building a series of houses that each met a different short-term goal, but never fulfilled an ideal overall plan.

            The mouth can be the same way.  I have patients come in every week whose severity of dental needs seems overwhelming to them.  There is so much to be done it appears good oral health could never feasibly be accomplished.  That’s why I often hear, “Just go ahead and pull them”.  My response is that “pulling them” would be the worst thing they could ever do and would not be in their best interest.  I find many patients have never been taught just how important our teeth are to our overall health and appearance.  The good news is that excellent, comprehensive dental care and treatment can often be phased over time – like building one room at a time in a well-planned construction project.  Once immediate needs are taken care of and a stable safe environment has been established, treatment can often be done in stages to achieve optimal treatment objectives.  This phased approach to dental “reconstruction” allows a person to pay for their dentistry over a longer period of time and still have the dentistry that is really in their best interest for long term health. 

            The last several weeks I have been discussing the comprehensive oral examination – the “blueprint for success”.  When you and your dentist thoroughly explore your current oral condition and discover what can be done to restore your mouth to health, comfortable function and beautiful appearance, the first priority is to minimize and stop any disease processes you may have going on in your mouth.  In the teeth this means controlling decay.  In the gums it means controlling infection (gum disease) and in your bite (the way the teeth come together), this means minimizing the destructive forces that accompany clenching and grinding.  Your bite affects not only the hard outer surfaces of your teeth, but also the insides of the teeth, their supporting gum tissue and bone and your jaw muscles and joints.  It’s not uncommon for patients with irregular bites to experience periodic or chronic pain in their jaw muscles.  Some live with the continuous stress of pain while some also develop complications in their jaw joints.  Add this to the greater incidence of headaches, cracked teeth, worn down teeth, root canals, loose teeth and less than ideal appearance when you smile, a poor bite can literally be something “to write home about”.

            Once any disease is under control and breakdown is put on hold, there is time to carefully examine, plan and restore your chewing system and smile to optimal health and beauty.  By focusing on “putting out the fires” before calling the lumber yard to rebuild a selected part, you and your dentist can carefully evaluate what treatment options are best for your unique situation and assist you in making thoughtful decisions.  A comprehensive, long term plan of action also means you have time to plan and budget your specific needs.  It allows you to work with your dentist to understand the priorities, accomplish what needs to be done over a longer period of time and in the end not compromise on what is in your best health interest.  The end result would be the long-term preservation of your teeth and long-lasting dentistry that looks, feels and functions beautifully. 

            Not every mouth can be treated in phases and there are some limitations to what can be done, but great dentistry and a lifetime of oral health are achievable under this type of approach for the vast  majority of patients.  Need help with a dental question?  Contact me through our web site at www.drscottlogan.com in the “Contact Us” section if I can assist in any way.