Keep reading to find out the 5 questions you need answered if you’re going to find your best denture dentist and avoid disappointment
1. A la carte or All-inclusive?
How do you want to pay for your denture package? Some offices charge every procedure separately while others bill in packages. When you compare denture prices at offices, ask if the price is for the denture alone or if it includes adjustments and relines as part of the package. Whenever you get a new denture, you need several adjustments. If it’s a first denture, you’ll also definitely need several soft relines. It’s important to ask because a “cheap” price that doesn’t include the needed adjustments and relines can actually end up costing you more compared to a package price. Make sure you ask.
2. How much do you care what your denture looks like?
Some people just want the bad teeth pulled and some kind of teeth put in their place. They don’t want to spend much and they figure that anything is better than the nasty teeth they’ve got right now. They’re looking for basic tooth replacement. If you’re one of these people, go to a national corporate dental office. They’ll give you the lowest price possible for a denture and you’ll be set. You won’t receive much follow-up customer service and the denture won’t look like real teeth, but that was ok with you from the beginning. You knew what you wanted and you got it.
Other people really care about how their denture looks and really want a lifelike smile. If that’s you, you need to find a private practice dentist with extra denture experience and training. You will pay more than at the national corporate offices, and you’ll also receive the lifelike denture smile you’re looking for. Crafting a lifelike denture is cosmetic dentistry at its finest and not any dentist can do it. It requires specific training and technology.
If you want a gorgeous denture that looks absolutely natural and you go to a national chain, you’re going to end up very angry at your ugly denture. On the other hand, if you want a cheap denture and you go to a private office, you’ll be angry about the price. Decide how you want your denture to look find the dentist that does that.
3. Which do you care about more: comfort or discounts?
If you are like EVERYONE else in the world, you’d like to have comfort AND discounts. That’s normal. However, denture comfort depends on the dentist’s experience and the materials used. It also takes time to get the design and fit just right. In a dentist’s office, time is money.
You will not ever find the best comfort at a discounted price. You can buy a cheap denture and put up with the discomfort. Or you can choose an ok denture for a middle of the road price. And on it goes. People like to think that there is only one type of denture and that some dentists are just more expensive. That is not true. There are many different levels of denture comfort and each one is made a specific way for a specific price point.
Where can I get dentures? Well, do you care more about comfort or discounts? If you want comfort, find a dentist in private practice who takes the time to understand each patient’s mouth. He will care more about your comfort than a dentist in a corporate office who is going to be moving on in a few months anyway. If you want discounts, find a national corporate denture chain.
4. Does it matter to you if you’re someone’s guinea pig?
Some people don’t mind being a guinea pig. If you don’t want to be an inexperienced dentist’s guinea pig, you need to ask the dentist and team about how many full dentures they’ve done up until that point. Ask to see pictures. This applies to corporate discount chains and private offices. Don’t let age fool you either. A local dentist I know only likes to do fillings and crowns. He does less than one denture a year. I would never, ever ask him to make me a denture even though he’s a “great dentist” because he’s doesn’t have enough recent denture experience. My advice is to find an experienced denture dentist if you want to avoid bad surprises and oral health complications.
5. Digital, traditional or discount?
Digital dentures use the latest technology and have distinctive advantages including superior fit and cosmetics. Traditional dentures made according to the old textbook methods fit and look better than discount dentures that skip steps, but can’t compete with digital ones. Have a preference? If you do, ask the offices you call what type of denture they make. Do they have an in-house dental lab? If they employ an outside dental lab, does that lab make complete dentures using digital technology, traditional technology or cheapskate corner-cutting technology?
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