Wether you have ongoing toothaches or had sudden tooth loss due to some sports injury, Dental Specialists are the ones who will relieve your pain and help you get back to normal eating and smiling. But before you enter for a Dental Consultation Room or Dental Surgery Room for a dental implant or any specialised dental procedure, what do our dentists want you to know? Here's an insight directly from our Dental Specialists.
1. "When did your pain or sensitivity start? "
Don’t worry: Even if you first encountered pain while bitting on a soft cake its not a big deal - and your dentist needs to know the truth to treat you better. Please don't be embarrassed with us. Assessment of timing and occurrence of pain will help us evaluate wether the signs and symptoms are Acute or Chronic. Moreover it also helps the dentists to narrow the differential diagnosis.
2. "Your story is far more important than your X-rays."
Conversation between you and dentists, will give far more information to the dentists. X-rays, OPG's or CBCT and other imaging technologies are very helpful but only 5% of the time the Imaging/X-rays alone will tell the Dentists, whats is wrong. In-fact there can be abnormalities seen on X-rays/Opgs which can be unrelated to your pain. Most of the times the Dentists achieve the diagnosis on the basis of conversations which are then clinically and Radiologically correlated.
3. "Come with Questions - but not too many."
You should prepare for your appointment by writing down your questions in advance. However your dentist will not be happy if you walk in with a 20 page list of questions copied from Google. Be rational and narrow down your list of questions to ask few important ones. If you have plenty of questions to ask, you are advised to follow up the questions by email. You can assist our office by providing the following information:
- Your referral slip by previous Dentist and any X-rays if applicable
- A list of medications you are presently taking
- If you have medical or dental insurance/ office claim forms, bring the necessary completed forms. This will save time and allow us to help you process any claims. This will also help you more accurately determine your co-payment amount. Please contact the help-desk if you are looking for Finance Options for your Treatment.
IMPORTANT: All patients under the age of 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at the consultation visit. Please alert the office if you have a medical condition that may be of concern prior to procedure (i.e. diabetes, high blood pressure, artificial heart valves and joints, rheumatic fever, etc.) or if you are on any medication (i.e. heart medications, aspirin, anticoagulant therapy, etc.).
4. "Your expectations have to Appropriate and Justified."
You should have reasonable expectations for dental recovery. As Dr Mohit explains to one of the patients, "You are not a youngster. Your smile or biting power cant be the same at all ages nor will you recover from dental implants in coming weeks to have smile and bite as a youngster. That youngster guy is 25 years old and you are 58 years old and you haven't cared for your teeth for your whole life". You have to be rational and narrow down your expectations for recovery.
5. "Stop Listening to Dental Advice from friends."
You may know someone or your friend who encountered a similar dental problem or may have got himself/herself treated for similar condition. For better or worse, please do not assume his or her dental treatment plan or treatment outcomes will be exactly same as yours. "Every patient has an individualised set of dental circumstances that can not be applied or compared to another patient", says Dr R. Dhawan while explaining situation to her patient.
6. "Don't Repeat what other dentists told you."
It is smart to seek a Second dental opinion or even a third dental opinion. But when you meet our dental specialists, don't repeat everything you have been told by other doctors. Repeating what Dr A, Dr. B, or Dr. C said doesn't give our dental specialists an original look at your problems.
7. "Don't wait too long."
Patients are recommended not to wait too long for their follow up appointments. Do see dental specialists for dental pains, sensitivity that persists for more than 3 days or other dental issues. Report for regular follow up appointments every 6 months. Follow up with implant specialists for regular implant follow ups. Do not take any over the counter available pain killers or self prescribe with pain killers. It can aggravate your dental problems.
8. "Sometimes you don't need to see a Dentist."
Some patients rush to dental specialists with every pain or query. Certain minor dental problems such as Mouth Ulcers, can be due to Vitamin deficiencies or can be stress induced. They can be treated with rest, multi-vitamin supplements. Pain after surgeries or dental procedures can be treated with rest, home remedies, and over the counter anti-inflammatory drugs and pain pills. If you come to see our Dental Specialists for these minor problems, thats what our dental specialists are going to advise you.
9. "Don't self prescribe and evaluate from Google or Internet"
It is highly recommended that you should not treat yourself and it has been found that self prescription of medications and evaluation from internet and other sources such as Google and wikipedia are most common. Self prescription is of particular concern and widespread. A study recently concluded that as many as 45% of individuals try to self prescribe dental problems.
10. "You probably don't need Tooth Extraction or Implant Surgery."
"As a Dental Implant Specialist, I make my living operating on tooth extractions and dental implants. However only people with a surgical diagnosis and who have exhausted all other dental treatment and conservative options are offered tooth extraction or dental implant surgery. That is far less than 5%," says Dr Mohit Dhawan, MDS (Prosthodontics and Implant Dentistry). Dr Mohit Dhawan does about one tooth extraction or dental implant surgery per 14 patients.
11. "Dental Treatment is the Easy Part"
"Most people are worried about the dental treatment, but dental treatment is our Job. The real challenge for patients is in the recovery period and duration," says Dr R. Dhawan. Your dental specialists will explain in more detail as to how long your recovery will take. Patients usually recover best when they put adequate time to focus on getting better and following the detailed instructions by our dental specialists.
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Medical Disclaimer:
The content of ADC-Centre for Restorative and Implant Dentistry's Blog/website is for information only, not advice or guarantee of any outcome. Information is gathered and shared from reputable sources; however, ADC-Centre for Restorative and Implant Dentistry is not responsible for errors or omissions in reporting or explanation. No individuals, including those under our active care, should use the information, resources or tools contained within to self-diagnosis or self-treat any health-related condition. ADC-Centre for Restorative and Implant Dentistry gives no assurance or warranty regarding the accuracy, timeliness or applicability or the content.
ADC-Centre for Restorative and Implant Dentistry accepts no liability for errors, inaccuracies, omission, or misleading statements. ADC-Centre for Restorative and Implant Dentistry excludes liability for any losses, demands, claims or damages of any kind regarding information, content, or services at this blog/website. The information may be updated at any time, especially as medical/dental discoveries and research evolves regarding the dentistry and its conditions. At no time does ADC-Centre for Restorative and Implant Dentistry take any responsibility for any action taken or care chosen in reliance on information contained in this blog or this website.
