Spa Dentistry?


Everyone likes to be in a nice environment with great vibes.  Who wants to spend time in an unpleasant space? Even so, I feel the need to comment on a trend in Dentistry and Medicine, where more care is being made in the presentation and design of offices and  possibly less emphasis on the actual quality of the type care delivered.  Unfortunately state of the art decor doesn't necessarily equate with state of the art care.

 It does mean that the practice has spent beaucoup amounts of money in order  to provide an impressive environment for their patients.  These practices may be providing quality care,  as well, since probably their owners may have invested in quality continuing education as well. Yes, it is  true that one has to invest money to make money.  That being said, at the end of the day it is  their patients who are paying back the money spent building and equipping their office, using top grade materials and architectural and design services as well.

We all know that when we purchase designer products we tend to pay a premium for the privilege. That being said, I am not sure these offices fit in with the mission of "Obama Care", which is to provide affordable and quality healthcare for more of our population.  Designer offices are often meant to cater to those fortunate enough to be able to afford designer services.

I know that while I appreciate style as much as the next person, I often seek out quality goods at "reasonable prices". I  and many savvy consumers, choose to purchase their eye glasses at Costco. The Costco eyeglass frames are not necessarily the most stylish but they are a similar quality, at one third the cost, of the frames and glasses I used to purchase at Manhattan boutiques.

When I visit a beautiful and newly constructed medical or dental office I  sometimes wonder about the cost and the debt incurred. How are these bills going to be satisfied? The sad truth is that in both the medical and dental professions sometimes proposed treatments  are "up-coded" and higher cost proposed treatments are recommended, when a simpler and less expensive option might do the trick. Even though this is a not a defensible strategy, it happens due a practice's need to produce additional income.

There is dental urban legend about a very well regarded dental consultant who was asked about the secret of his success. He responded that he always recommended his clients start by spending a lot of money on newly constructed dental offices. When asked why, he replied: When faced with the debt from the office construction, his clients were better motivated to "be successful" in order to pay off their debt.

In dentistry what constitutes true value? Care should be delivered in a patient centric manner in which the patients' long term interests are best served. Restorations should be delivered that preserve remaining tooth structure, look good, cause minimal problems and last as long as possible. In this way, treatment is truly affordable.  Even if it seems initially cost prohibitive, dentistry that stands the test of time is a bargain ( when amortized over the restoration's length of service) Dental work from top labs can help, but not if the work of the dentist has performed is not done at the same skill level as dental lab that they choose. Also the quality of the re-care system and oral hygiene education that patients receive after has a great bearing on how long restorations last.

So what should a consumer look for in a dental office or dentist? First start by examining  what other patients, who have been treated, have said. This is most likely a good way of judging, as long as the practitioner has been in practice long enough to have a loyal and longstanding following. It's not as good away to judge a more recently minted dentist, who has been not practicing long enough to have such a following.

Often the staff in an office are a good indication of the quality of the office since "birds of a feather stick together" and high quality and friendly staff are a really good indicator that the dentist cares about his patients . Rude or dismissive front desk people are a really bad sign, as far as I am concerned.

The same applies to the dentist. I am really turned off by pompous, dismissive doctors who tell me what I need to have done, but will not spend the time to explain why I need the suggested treatment. I often judge the doctor by their explanation and whether it is intelligently thought out. I really don't like "cook book medicine  or cook book dentistry" since it is  not individualized and hasn't had much thought given to an individual patient's situation. When the answers to my questions are given in a thoughtful and calm manner, I tend to believe that a doctor truly has my best interests at heart.





from Ask Dr. Spindel - http://lspindelnycdds.blogspot.com/2018/09/spa-dentistry.html - http://lspindelnycdds.blogspot.com/

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