About Cosmetic Dentistry Discussion : Re: Do I need a referral from dentist to go see an oral surgeon?

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Re: Do I need a referral from dentist to go see an oral surgeon?

Posted by cs on 5/30/2012, 10:17 am, in reply to "Do I need a referral from dentist to go see an oral surgeon?"

Just curious, techreo . . .

How do you know s/he is the perfect oral surgeon if you have haven't met with him or her yet?

Like the rest of us, oral surgeons are not all created from a single same mold.

Also, how do you know that your tooth is in such a poor condition, that the only solution is to have it extracted?

For all you know, that perfect oral surgeon may paint all new patients with the same brush (no pun intended): i.e., Extraction only; while after a careful examination of your tooth, a philosophically ethical one might refer you back to a general dentist to fill or crown that tooth.

Though from the perspective of cost, the outcome might seem similar: i.e., unless both the general dentist and the oral surgeon offer complimentary initial visits, you could end up paying for two office visits. But the costs of treatment could differ significantly.

e.g., A filling (even a deep one) probably would be the least costly.

If the tooth has an especially large cavity, a crown would cost more . . . and even more than that if the remnant of the existing tooth has to be built up to support a crown. Yet depending on their respective fees, the total cost of having a general dentist treat the tooth still could be less than that of having an oral surgeon remove it.

As for having the tooth removed, if that is what you are determined to do . . . have you given any thought to what you will do after that?

e.g., Depending on its location, what will the loss of the tooth mean? If the tooth is visible when you speak, will the empty space it leaves detract from your appearance? . . . Or if it's a molar needed for chewing, how will that affect your nutrition?

Also, what about the opposing tooth? (It's not unusual for such teeth to over-erupt to fill the empty space opposite it . . . or for other teeth to shift laterally to fill the void.)

To avoid those possibilities, either a permanent or removable bridge might be recommended . . .or more often today, an implant. If that happens in your case, ignoring other options in favor of heading directly to an oral surgeon might prove to be less of a cost-saving than you realize.