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- Use a Risk Management Approach for Dental Care Success

As our profession advances, we dental professionals continue to find the biggest factor for successful outcomes is an informed patient. The more you know about your own teeth and gums, the greater your chance for a healthy outcome.
Regular dental care is fundamental to becoming informed. Your regular office visits and cleanings are an opportunity for us to “get real” — for you to learn the unvarnished truth about your dental issues and the reasons why you need to consider some options regarding your oral health. We also need to be just as realistic about what can or can’t be done to improve your situation and the cost involved.
The best way to approach this is to develop a plan based on managing risk. Risk is essentially weighing anything we may potentially lose against the solutions for not losing it. In dentistry, we look at risk in four basic areas: periodontal, the threats to structures like gums, ligaments and bone that support the teeth; biomechanical, the threats to the structural integrity of teeth such as decay, enamel erosion or fracture; functional, problems that can arise with how the teeth, muscles and jaw joints work together; and aesthetic, the impact of all these threats to the outward appearance of your smile.
Once we know the risks you’re facing, we then determine the best treatment approach for managing the risk based on costs and potential outcomes. For example, if you’re diagnosed with gum disease, you’re at risk for losing supporting bone and, ultimately, the affected teeth. Our primary goal is to prevent that loss from occurring through plaque and calculus removal that slow or stop the disease and allow affected tissues to heal. But if the disease has advanced and you’ve already experienced bone or even tooth loss, we may then need to modify our treatment goal by including gum surgery or tooth replacement options like dental implants.
Using a risk management approach helps us identify what needs to be treated and the most reasonable and achievable options for treating it. The foundation for this approach is prevention — stopping problems before they start or progress. Developing and maintaining this kind of action plan will help reduce your ultimate costs — emotional, social and financial.
If you would like more information on dental treatment planning, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Successful Dental Treatment.”
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Dentist - Boonville
911 Aigner Dr
Boonville, IN 47601
(812) 897-1410
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- Winning the War on Gum Disease Requires Post-Treatment Vigilance
- 3 Types of Tooth Pain and What They Might be Telling You
- Keep on Course during the 3 Phases of a Smile Makeover
- June Is National Safety Month: Be Prepared for Dental Emergencies
- Finding the Right Solution for Your Gummy Smile
- Watch Out for Signs of Gum Recession
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- Get an Early Start Treating Root Resorption Before it's Too Late
- A Partial Denture Can Restore a Smile Marred by a Few Missing Teeth
- Consider Saving a Tooth Before you Decide to Replace it
- A Child's Teeth Grinding is Normal - But You Should Still Keep an Eye on it
- A Pediatric Dentist Could be a Great Choice for Your Child's Dental Care
- 2017
- December (5)
- Survey Says: They'd Rather Have a Root Canal
- Have a Loose Tooth? You'll Need This Two-Phase Treatment to Save It
- There's Still Hope for a Re-Infected Tooth After Root Canal Treatment
- Provisional Restorations let you Try out Your New Smile First
- 3 Ways You Can Help Your Child Feel at Home at the Dentist
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- Include Limitations on Sugar in Your Tooth Decay Prevention Strategy
- Teeth Grinding in Older Children and Adolescents a Cause for Concern
- No- or Minimal-Prep Veneers Reduce Permanent Alterations to Your Teeth
- See Your new Look Before Dental Work with a 'Trial Smile'
- Overcoming Gum Recession will Restore Dental Health and your Smile
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- The Parent-Dentist Partnership: Establishing Better Oral Health for Your Child
- Know the Facts Before Considering Botox for Jaw Joint Pain
- Try Conservative Measures to Treating TMD Before More Aggressive Options
- Avoid Permanent Tooth Alteration with No-Prep Veneers
- Don't Let Your Loose Tooth Become a Lost Tooth
- 2016
- October (5)
- Cleaning Your Oral Appliance Extends its Life and Ensures Good Health
- Stop Annoying Canker Sores with These Effective Treatments
- New Understanding of Bacteria Promises Better Approaches to Oral Care
- Gum Recession Could Shorten the Life of Your Teeth
- Don't let Gum Disease - the 'Other Dental Disease' - Rob you of Your Smile
- August (5)
- A Second Root Canal Treatment May Help Save an Endangered Tooth
- Metal Dental Amalgam: Still a Safe and Effective Tooth Filling
- Keep Your Saliva Flowing - Your Oral Health Depends on it
- You can Still have Implants with Diabetes - if you have it under Control
- People Born with Missing Teeth can Still Gain a Beautiful Smile
- June (5)
- Be Sure Your Child has Access to Dental-Friendly Snacks at School
- Patchy Discolorations on the Tongue Aren't a Cause for Worry
- Take These Measures to Lower Your Child's Tooth Decay Risk
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- 4 Reasons Saving Your Child's Decayed Baby Tooth is a Good Idea
- March (5)
- 5 Ways to Make Your Smile More Confident and Inviting
- Though not Always Seen, it's Still Important to Replace a Missing Back Tooth
- Removable Dentures Remain a Viable Option for People with Total Tooth Loss
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- Gaining a New Attractive Smile is More than Achievable
- 2015
- December (5)
- Periodontal Surgery may be Needed to Halt Gum Disease and Encourage Healing
- Customized Temporary Crowns let you 'Rehearse' Your Future Smile
- Paying Attention to Certain Factors Helps Ensure Successful Implant Outcomes
- Treating Dry Mouth is Important for Maintaining Good Oral Health
- Implant-Based Removable Dentures a Good Choice for Patients with Extensive Bone Loss
- 2014
- 2013
- December (5)
- Taking Care of your Teeth During Pregnancy Helps Both you and your Baby
- Dental Amalgam Fillings Remain a Safe and Reliable Tooth Restoration Option
- New Permanent Teeth - Faster Than Ever!
- Quitting the Smoking Habit Could Vastly Improve Your Dental Health
- Loose Dentures Could Lead to Further Bone Loss
- 2012
- 2011
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