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  • Affordable Solutions for Teeth Falling Out

    My mom is almost 87. She recently had to have a filling and then later that day when I went to check on her two teeth just fell out. Her dentist never even mentioned they were a problem. I can’t just leave her that way. She needs to replace them, but I don’t know if a bridge is a good idea at her age. Maybe her other teeth are too old? What would be an affordable solution for her?

    Bridgett

    Dear Bridgett,

    I need to say up front it sounds like your mother needs a different dentist. If she has teeth just falling out from no obvious issue, it means she has an advanced periodontal disease. He should be checking her gums at her regular check-ups and warning her about the state of her gums. There are steps which can be taken to treat gum disease.

    If I’m right and she has gum disease a dental bridge is out of the question. It will just pull out the remaining teeth it’s attached to. Ideally, you’d replace missing teeth with dental implants, but that’s also out of the question with gum disease. Plus, you asked for an affordable solution. Dental implants can cost upwards of $40,000.

    An image of complete dentures

    Normally, I wouldn’t recommend dentures because of their complications with bone resorption. However, your mother is 87. I don’t think that’s going to be an issue for her. It usually takes between 10 and 20 years for it to become a problem. Now, if your family has a history of centenarians, you may reconsider. But most don’t.

    Cu-Sil partial denture

    If you go to another dentist who thinks he can save quite a bit of her teeth, please do that. You don’t have to lose all your teeth to get dentures. There is something called a Cu-Sil partial (pictured directly above). It will leave holes for her healthy teeth. It uses little rubber rings to keep it secure to her teeth. It actually makes it more stable. Then, if the tooth is lost in the future, it’s simply a matter of closing up the hole and adding another false tooth.

    Affordable Dentists Will Work with You

    Most patients, especially elderly ones, don’t have the funds to just pay for large procedures outright. However, most dentists are willing to work with patients giving them payment plans. If you can’t find a dentist like that. Sign your mother up for Care Credit. It’s a medical credit card of sorts, which will allow her to pay off her treatments slowly. In fact, depending on the state of her credit, she can even get 0% interest as she pays it off. They also have no penalty for early repayment, so it’s a win-win situation.

    This blog is brought to you by Drs. Kevin and Hillary Peck.

  • Can a Pediatric Dentist Whiten My Son’s Tooth?

    I don’t know what is going on with my son’s teeth. His top two teeth are turning dark. The rest of them are okay. Can a pediatric dentist whiten them?

    Laura

    Dear Laura,

    A child holding a teddy bear at the pediatric dentists office

    If just his front teeth are turning dark and not the others, it’s not a staining issue. Is it possible your son has suffered some trauma to those teeth recently? Could he have been hit in the mouth with something?

    When a tooth is turning dark it means the tooth is either dead or dying. He’ll need a root canal treatment. You didn’t mention how old he is so depending on his age a pulpotomy might be more appropriate. It’s like a root canal for children.

    You’ll need to see your pediatric dentist and have his tooth evaluated. It’s important to figure out if there’s any other damage. If he still has adult teeth underneath you’ll need to make sure they aren’t damaged as well.

    Teeth Whitening and Pediatrics

    Professional teeth whitening only works on natural tooth structure that has been stained. It doesn’t work on dead teeth. It also won’t work on any dental work that’s been done, such as fillings or crowns.

    Most children don’t need any whitening because regular brushing keeps their teeth white. It’s us old folks who’ve accumulated years of stains on their teeth from things like coffee or tea, cigarettes, staining foods, etc.

    There are some medicines which can stain teeth. Tetracycline is the worst of these. In those cases, then some cosmetic work may be warranted.

    I’m assuming you’re son is under the regular care of a pediatric or family dentist. Please don’t put off getting this looked at. The last thing you want is for this to turn into a dental emergency. Not only are they dangerous and can turn life-threatening, but it’s important children have positive dental experiences. We want pleasant instead of painful memories of their dental care.

    This blog is brought to you by Drs. Kevin and Hillary Peck.

  • Pediatric Sealants Aren’t Working

    I don’t know what’s going on. My dentist insists my son’s sealants are on, but I don’t think they’re working. My son’s teeth look horrible. Will the sealants keep whitening from working? His teeth look so brown to me. He brushes. I’ve even started watching him to check, which really annoys him.

    Kathy

    Dear Kathy,

    Four children one behind another smiling

    I wanted to go over dental sealants with you because there seems to be a miscommunication somewhere either between you and your pediatric dentist, or possibly I’m not understanding what you’ve written. Sealants are meant to go on children’s back molars. Those have deep grooves in them which are nearly impossible for them to get clean. Because of that, we’ll place sealants on them which keep things from getting down in there. They don’t cover their front teeth in any way.

    The makeup of baby and adult teeth are slightly different. With baby teeth, the enamel over the dentin is not translucent which makes their teeth look brighter and whiter. Adult teeth are very translucent which can show more of the dentin underneath. That has a yellowish color. If your comparing the color of his adult teeth to his baby teeth, the newer teeth will look less attractive in comparison.

    When Children’s Teeth Look Dark

    Children’s bodies and dental health are as varied as their personalities. It sounds like you’ve been monitoring his brushing and he’s doing that fine. Have you noticed if he intakes and staining beverages or foods? While most children don’t drink coffee, I’m often surprised how many of them drink iced tea. That can make someone’s smile brown looking quickly.

    There are also certain spices which stain your teeth as well. If you’ve checked all these obvious culprits, the next thing to do is look into medication he may be (or have) taken. For instance, certain vitamins and antibiotics stain teeth. Tetracycline stains are some of the worst teeth stains to deal with. Not even teeth whitening makes much headway with them.

    Another possibility is that your son has thin enamel, which will reveal more of the dentin. There are steps that can be taken to help that. Have a good talk with your pediatric dentist to get to the bottom of his coloring. If he or she doesn’t know what to do, try a cosmetic dentist that enjoys treating children.

    This blog is brought to you by Drs. Kevin and Hillary Peck.

  • Are There Affordable Dentists Who Care?

    I hadn’t been to a dentist in years for financial reasons. I started to get worried about my oral health, not because of any specific issues, but it’s just been in the back of my mind. I did an internet search for affordable dentists and found two in my immediate area. I’ve been to both of them. They were both awful. The first one was just plain smelly. I don’t know why. It’s like he just didn’t care about bathing. I could barely stand to stay in the chair because of them smell. I know he said I needed some work. I expected that. But, I can’t remember anything he said because I just wanted out of there. I don’t think I could go back to him if it was free. The next one at least cared about personal hygiene. He was a bit rough in how he handles patients. He told me I have a tooth that could go any minute. I could try to save it with a root canal and crown or I can just extract and replace it. I tried to ask him some questions but he said he doesn’t have time to answer patients. I can call the office and leave a message and one of the hygienists will get back with me. On the way out I told the desk lady I didn’t understand why he doesn’t answer patient questions. She said if I want low prices he needs to keep people moving so he can make up profit losses. Is it possible to get quality service by a dentist who cares AND affordable prices? Please don’t make me go back to Mr. Stinky.

    Elaina

    Dear Elaina,

    Dollar sign hatched from an egg
    Cheap does not always equal affordable.

    It’s great that you’re working so hard to find a dentist which you can afford. It’s a shame your choices have been so limited. It doesn’t mean you won’t be able to find one, though you may have to go outside of your immediate area if those were the two closest choices.

    Reasons Dentists Choose to Have Affordable Prices

    There are several reasons dentists may choose to have prices that are lower than the average around them. Some of those motives are better than others, as you’ve unfortunately experienced.

    • To Draw in Patients

    This isn’t a bad motive (in some cases). It mostly depends on why they need to draw in patients. Sometimes it is simply a matter of being a brand new practice. They haven’t had time to develop a patient base. We’ve all had to start somewhere. However, other times a dentist isn’t that great. They need to draw in patients because they have horrible patient retention. The only way to keep their income going is to lower their prices and draw in new victims.

    • Compassion

    Other dentists simply know that every human being is working at a different budgetary level. They don’t want the working poor to be without dental care simply because their current job salary or life circumstances make affording those types of things feel like a luxury. Many of them have been in difficult circumstances before and still remember what it felt like.

    Their quality doesn’t suffer from their compassion. Often you won’t find them the absolute cheapest, though. Why is that? Because they also think patients deserve quality care. They refuse to sacrifice their patients at the altar of cheap parts to make up profits. That leads me to an important warning.

    A Cheap Dentist isn’t an Affordable Dentist

    A man holding his jaw in pain.
    When a dentist uses having the lowest prices to draw patients in, sometimes they try to make up the profits by purchasing low quality (cheap) materials. One place we’ve seen this often is with dental implants.

    In the United States, an implant fixture can cost several hundred dollars. That’s because we have high medical standards and regulations designed to keep the safety of patients in mind at all times. But, if a dentist wants to come in significantly lower in price than his nearby peers he has a couple of choices: make less money or make up the profits somewhere. Too many of them choose to make up the profits elsewhere. The dentists can simply purchase is implant part from out of the country for just a few bucks, saving him hundreds on just one phase of the procedure. Unfortunately, those cheap parts have led to many infections causing not just a dental emergency, but complete implant failure. I’ve even seen some patients come for help because their implant simply snapped in half.

    Now, that patient has to start over again, missing more work. Plus, in addition to having to get their dental implants done again from scratch, they have to add bone grafting to the mix because dental implant failure removes too much bone structure. Instead of saving money, they end up paying more than double.

    How do You Know if You’re Getting a Good Affordable Dentist?

    There’s no foolproof way to ensure yourself against a dud, but there is one simple step you can take— check their reviews. People post reviews of their experiences when they’ve either been very good or very bad. Either way, you’ll have some idea of what others experienced at the dentist’s hands.

    This blog is brought to you by Drs. Kevin and Hillary Peck.

  • Can Lower-Middle Class Afford Lumineers

    The kids at school have been making fun of my teeth. I thought this would stop after I was done with braces, but for some reason, my teeth developed some white spots on them during my braces. They keep pointing that out now. I’ve been thinking I should get one of those smile makeovers that Lumineers advertises. But, my mom works hard and stresses over money, so I don’t want to bother her if it’s not affordable. She works at a clothing store in the mall and sometimes drives for Uber at night. Is this do-able for her or would I just be stressing her more? I know the braces weren’t easy for her to pay for.

    Kara L.

    Dear Kara,

    An advertisement for Lumineers

    First, I want to commend you. You seem to be both considerate and mature. Your mother should be proud of you. It distresses me the way young people can be so cruel to one another. Even with you feeling the brunt of some of that cruelty, you’re still considering how this will affect your mother. That says so much about your character.

    Next, I want to make sure you understand that Lumineers is simply a brand of porcelain veneers, just like there are many brands of clothing at the store your mother works.

    While there are many different brands, each of them has different strengths and weaknesses. Even if you and your mother decide porcelain veneers are a good option for you, the dentist will know which brand is more likely to give you the smile you want.

    Are Lumineers Your Best Solution?

    A woman and her dentist smiling
    A Good Dentist Tells You All Your Options

    It sounds like you’re still in high school or possibly even an extremely articulate middle-schooler. What that means for your dental care is your jaw and bite are still developing. Something, like Lumineers or some other brand, will have to be re-done several times as your jaw and bite change. Porcelain veneers cost between $1,000 to $2,000 per tooth. That is a very pricey procedure to have to re-do several times. I can’t imagine if your mother struggled with braces, this will likely be out of her reach.

    But, don’t despair! There’s always more than one solution to a problem! There’s one for you too.

    You’re concerned about the white spots which developed on your teeth after your orthodontics. Based on what you’ve said, you developed some decalcification on your teeth. This is a common problem with braces. Lumineers won’t fix the spots. It’s possible they could hide the color differences. But, Lumineers are an ultra-thin brand. Without some color manipulation and possibly some filling, it’s possible the blotchiness will show through.

    There is a way to fix the decalcification spots, though, using tooth mousse or some other method. I think your best solution is to discuss with your mother what’s been going on at school. Ask her to make an appointment with a cosmetic dentist just to find out what options you have. Some will even do a complimentary consultation in situations like yours. It doesn’t obligate you to anything, just informs you of all the possibilities, along with their differences in price.

    This blog is brought to you by Drs. Kevin and Hillary Peck.

  • Affordable Full-Mouth Reconstruction?

    I never got to go to the dentist as a child. As a young adult, I couldn’t afford it. Now that I’m in my thirties, I decided to bite the bullet. I wasn’t surprised to be told I needed a lot of work. The dentist said he usually recommends a full-mouth reconstruction. He explained what it was, but the price was well out of my ability. It sounds like something that would really help me though. Is there some way to get an affordable full-mouth reconstruction?

    Elaine

    Dear Elaine,

    A smiling blonde with a beautiful smile

    Even if you had the money for a full-mouth reconstruction, I’d recommend you get a second opinion. There may be a better way to repair your smile without crowning every tooth. That alone will give you more affordable dental care.

    Go to another dentist and ask him to first list out all the work your mouth needs. It’s very likely you have teeth which don’t need work. You didn’t mention having any pain, so it doesn’t sound like you’re losing any teeth and need something like dental implants.

    If it turns out you do need a full-mouth reconstruction, you need to verify the training and credentials your dentist has. This is a serious procedure which is well beyond what a dentist learns in dental school. It requires an advanced knowledge of both aesthetics and reconstructive dentistry. If they don’t get the aesthetics right, your smile will look horrible. If they don’t get the reconstructive done properly, you’ll end up in pain for the rest of your life from a misplaced bite.

    How to Afford Dental Care When You Need a Lot of Work

    It’s hard when you haven’t been able to go to the dentist because of the amount of work you end up needing. It sounds like you’ve been fortunate and haven’t needed any emergency dental care. As I mentioned earlier, you want to preserve as much natural tooth structure as possible.

    When he lists out the work you need, have him list it from most urgent to least. A good dentist will also give you all your alternatives. So if you need a tooth replaced, which I hope you don’t, and the teeth on either side of it need crowns, it would make more sense to get a dental bridge instead of a dental implant. It’s like getting three procedures in one.

    The reason for the list is to allow you to separate out your treatment into affordable bites. Make sure he tells you about any procedures you can double up on to save money.

    This blog is brought to you by Dr. Kevin Peck.

  • What Kind of Dentist Does Teeth Whitening?

    I keep hearing you need a cosmetic dentist for that type of work. Does that include teeth whitening? I have a family dentist and he says he does whitening. Is it safe to use him?

    Bruce

    Dear Bruce,

    A woman and her dentist smiling
    Do You Need a Cosmetic Dentist for Teeth Whitening?

    First, I want to make sure you know there isn’t a recognized specialty in cosmetic dentistry by the American Dental Association. Dentists who call themselves cosmetic dentists, are really just general dentists who do cosmetic procedures in their practice in addition to their general dentistry.

    That being said, some dentists have invested much more time and energy in developing expertise in the field of cosmetics. So, for some procedures, like porcelain veneers, you will want a dentist who’s invested in training and has experience placing them. Also look at their smile gallery to see if you like the type of results they get.

    Does Teeth Whitening Require a Cosmetic Dentist?

    Teeth Whitening is a completely different story. Any general dentist can do it. It doesn’t take artistry, but rather general dental skills. When it comes to whitening your teeth, the role of the dentist is to provide custom fit trays for you to use the whitening gel, as well as monitor the patient’s oral health during the process.

    There are always things which can go wrong, such as gum sensitivity, issues with decay, etc. That’s where his skills as a dentist, much more than a cosmetic dentist, are what you need.

    I hope this helps answer your question. Most patients love teeth whitening and the results they get from it. One word or warning. If you have dental work, such as fillings or porcelain crowns, the whitening gel only works on natural tooth structure. That doesn’t mean you still can’t get your teeth whitened. It just means that (if they’re in a visible part of your smile) you’ll want to replace them after your whitening procedure so your smile will match.

    This blog is brought to you by Drs. Kevin and Hillary Peck.

  • My Grandmother Said I Have Mr. Ed Teeth

    I just got my teeth re-done with Lumineers and I was really excited about them until my grandmother said I had Mr. Ed teeth. I looked it up. Mr. Ed is a horse! Now I’m no longer sure my teeth are beautiful. Can Lumineers be removed?

    Dana

    Dear Dana,

    A porcelain veneer being placed on a tooth

    I’m very sorry your grandmother caused you to feel insecure about your teeth. I don’t know your grandmother, but it wasn’t a kind thing to say. If you were thrilled with your smile makeover, then maybe there’s absolutely nothing wrong with them and your grandmother is a bit on the mean side. Not all grandmothers are sweet and loving.

    However, it’s a different story if you’re unhappy with your Lumineers. Depending on the dentist and the process he uses, some Lumineers can look bulky. A good cosmetic dentist can do them right. Just look in the mirror and smile. If you love them, they’re fine and it doesn’t matter what your grandma said.

    If You Don’t Like Your Lumineers

    Everyone has different tastes. You’ll never find a smile that everyone thinks is perfect and some people are just plain mean out of jealousy. If you don’t like them, however, that’s a completely different story.

    If your Lumineers are already permanently bonded on, then they can’t just be removed. They can, however, be replaced. A good cosmetic dentist would never leave a patient unhappy with their smile. Usually, they’ll have some form of a beautiful smile guarantee where they’ll try on your new porcelain veneers with a temporary try-in paste. This allows you to see what they look like on your teeth and decide if you’re 100% satisfied before permanently bonding them.

    I hope this helps.

    This blog is brought to you by Dr. Kevin Peck.

  • Affordable Neighborhood Dentist? Where?

    Why does where you live seem to determine how much you have to pay for the dentist? We stretched ourselves financially in order to live in a better neighborhood, but the dentist here is almost double what our old neighborhood dentist cost. I don’t want to have to drive across town into the heart of an area we felt was unsafe in order to get affordable dental care.

    Nora

    Dear Nora,

    Dollar sign hatched from an egg

    It would be nice if the quality of all dentists were reliably equal, but that isn’t the case. The cost of a dentist varies based on several factors, though it is possible to find highly skilled dentists which are affordable, even in better neighborhoods. First, I’ll go over some factors which affect cost.

    Building Costs can Affect the Cost of Dentistry

    You’ve heard the expression, “Location, location, location…” Often offices in better neighborhoods have to pay exorbitant rental costs on their building. It’s hard for them to stay afloat, so their prices are higher so they can stay in business in that area.

    This is one of the reasons Dr. Peck chose a location just outside a more expensive area. This enabled him to keep his costs reasonable for people in more than one type of neighborhood.

    Skill Can Affect the Affordability of Dentistry

    While some dentists do not raise their prices simply because they have exceptional skills, some do. They’ve spent a great deal of money and time furthering both their education and their skills. They need to make up the cost of that education.

    Affordable Dentistry versus Cheap Dentistry

    On the other end of the spectrum, there are dentists who lower their prices significantly just to draw patients in, but the quality of their work isn’t up to snuff. They keep their profits up by purchasing lower quality materials.

    Think of it this way. What’s more affordable, a crown that lasts fifteen years and costs $900.00 or a crown that lasts four years and costs $500.00? Obviously, the cheaper crown ends up costing you significantly more in the long run.

    Ideally, you want to find a dentist who does quality work at a reasonable price. Most dentists will offer some type of payment plan option for work that has a higher cost because of the nature of the procedure.

    This blog is brought to you by Dr. Kevin Peck.

  • Pediatric Dentist Yelled at My Daughter

    My daughter is very inquisitive. I told him this before her appointment. I also told him that if he’d take just a couple of minutes before the appointment and explain what the tools are and what he’s going to do, she’d be fine and quiet. Without that, she’s likely to interrupt, grab, and ask a million questions. Well, guess what? He didn’t listen to me. He seemed rushed, greeted her and went straight into her check-up. She kept reaching around and stopping him to ask questions. He’d tell her to be still which lasted for a bit, but then the questions and reaching would start again. Eventually, he just shouted at her to shut up so he can finish. I don’t know if it was a bad day or what, but now my daughter thinks of the dentist as the “mean man” and doesn’t want to go back. Is there a way to fix this?

    Mad Mom

    Dear Mad Mom,

    Child sitting in Pediatric Dentist chair

    I don’t blame you for being upset. This is a disaster, but I think it can be salvaged. I don’t know if this is regular behavior for your pediatric dentist. It doesn’t sound like you do either. Because you were explaining your daughter’s personality to him it sounds like this may have been a new relationship. The first thing I’d do is check his online reviews. If he’s done this kind of thing before I’m sure someone would have mentioned it. I’d just look for another pediatric dentist in that case. Your daughter doesn’t need a “mean man” for her care.

    If everyone seems to have had a positive experience with him, it’s likely something caused him to have an unbelievably bad day. I’m reminded of that scene in “It’s a Wonderful Life” where the pharmacist was cruel to the boy and it turned out he’d just found out his son had died. We never know what’s going on in a person’s life. If he’s a good man who made a mistake, he likely feels terrible about it. It would be a good opportunity to teach about forgiveness. Of course, he’d need to be willing to apologize to your little girl and tell her he’ll not do that again.

    He’ll also need to be willing to follow your original advice and take her through all the cool tools. In fact, as part of the apology, maybe he can even take her on a little tour of the entire office.

    A Good Pediatric Dentist Leaves a Postive Outlook in Children

    At Peck Family Dentistry, Hillary Peck is fantastic with the children. Even though she’s not a pediatric specialist she loves working with the little ones and always brings them joy. IF it turns out this dentist is a dud, you can look for a general dentist who’s great with kids. Maybe even your dentist so you and your daughter can have a shared experience going to the dentist together.

    This blog is brought to you by Dr. Kevin Peck.

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