Why can planning Staged treatments for some patients be important?

 As dentists we are called on to treat a diverse group of patients with differing backrounds, different financial capabilities, and differing priorities. Although spending time getting to know each patient can be difficult for dentists with tight schedules, this is imperative in order to develop a appropriate treatment plan.  If an customized plan is not adopted, sometimes visits and can get derailed when a patient can't be relied on to either keep the many appts required or they may not have the finances needed to rapidly complete the planned treatments. Without adequate discussion and time spent educating a patient about their possible options, it may not be possible to determine the best immediate treatment plan for our patients.

Having a member of the dental team spend time discussing potential treatment plans with such a patient can be extremely important and can make a big contribution to our ability to really help them. Treatment plans often change after these discussions.

When supervising  dental residents, it is quite common for them to want to treat each patients with a plan that they feel is ideal, but sometimes it isn't that well conceived for their patients needs. I often ask them to have a discussion with their patients to get a feel for what they can afford and how much time they will be able to spend on treatment, prior to finalizing their treatment. This discussion can ultimately influence the order and nature of the treatments that we should provide.

In my own private practice, I often utilize interim restorations that allow me to excavate caries and temporarily restore multiple teeth, so that my patients if they are so disposed, can choose more ideal permanent restorative choice at a later date. 

Sometimes patients are just not ready to accept more comprehensive  treatment plans teeth, but given  more time, they may become  ready to embark on a more expensive comprehensive treatment plan. Interim restorations allow us to preserve teeth so that they can make a choice for more ideal treatment at a later date.




from Ask Dr. Spindel - http://lspindelnycdds.blogspot.com/2026/10/why-can-planning-staged-treatments-for.html - http://lspindelnycdds.blogspot.com/

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