There is Big Money In Dentistry

 So You Went To The Dentist

You went to the dentist and low and behold that pain that you were suffering with. You know, the pain that had you on your knees begging for mama. Well it turns out the cavity that you were neglecting. Has eaten through your enamel and has continued through the dentin and now has invaded the pulp. Where all those little nerve endings are and tiny blood vessels are. It is called the pulp chamber. The root of the tooth is now infected and all the gases that develop from the bacteria is creating pressure. That is making you want to cut off your own head.  I know you have tried an aspirin or two or four or more.  Or maybe another analgesic sold over the counter. Dental pain has been described as the most excruciating of all trauma.  It is truly amazing how a small area can give you so much discomfort. Well I have been there and I can sympathize with you.  It is truly a pain in,  "the what have you".  You will do anything to get rid of it.  Including cutting off your own head.

Before any thing is done you will have to subdue that " hot tooth". Which means that anti-biotics will be in the treatment plan and in order to nullify the pain you will go home with a prescription that will do just that. It usually takes a week and you return to the dentist. 

The dentist may send you to a specialist called an endodontist.  Or it may be done there. By your general dentist.  They will give you a choice, many are capable of doing it for you and will do a good job.  They will make that decision based upon what they see as mutual best interests.  It makes no sense to tackle something that will cause them problems later on. Litigation is runaway and it is a litigious society after all. "Blow ups" of the tooth are not good business.

Ok, so they inform you that a crown or commonly known as cap is necessary.  A porcelain to metal replacement is the preferred  and the best restoration in your particular case. So the little dental assistant enters and gives you some options. At one time a dental assistant was the gal that assisted the dentist.  In the past 15 years or so they have made a transition. They have been turned into a sales agent. They explain that your choices consist of a porcelain  bonded to non precious metal, porcelain bonded to semi precious alloy which contains some nobel metal. Last but not least and most expensive, porcelain to precious metal.  Meaning  in almost every case, gold.  As we all know the cost of gold has sky rocketed in recent years. So no doubt it will increase the cost of the restoration.

All things being equal a price will be quoted to you that reflects that. However the amount of increased cost will not be relative to the extra cost incurred by the dental office.  Laboratory fees will only reflect the cost of the metal used. It will be by weight and keeping in mind that the substructure or metal will be in all cases 3 tenths of a millimeter in thickness. The cost will increased by very little when the fee is billed for the construction by the dental laboratory.  You will however notice the cost in the increase to you is in the ball park of hundreds of dollars. Now every one has a right to make a living.  Also to  pass along the cost plus a bit more on product and material used in a process.  In other words the multiplier is way out of line with what is a reasonable profit margin because one or another materials is used. You will ask what the advantage might be versus one or the other.  They will answer and tell you.  Beleive it or not. There is only one true answer as to why the non precious metal is not "as good", as the other more expensive materials. There is a distinct and rare possiblity that you are allergic to the metal.  Hinting that perhaps you would not want to take a chance on that possibility.  Well you can know right away. Right in the dentist chair.  It is a simple matter of rubbing an exposed part of skin with the metal itself. If a reaction is observed it is a determind that the material is not for you.  Therefore you will have to go for the extra bucks.  As far as the other metal is concerned they leave it to your imagination.  Along with the proding of it being a precious metal so it must be better. Well in many cases it is not and is contra indicated. 

Now other than for the fact that you making a decision to get the more expensive metal. Which they make a hefty profit on. Considering the fact that the labor and administration costs to prepare and deliver the restoration is the same.  I have been told the little dental assistant who has no knowlege or training to recommend any restoration.  Gets a nice little cut or shall we say commission.  The most aggregious factor is that the metal should be prescribed according to what is applicable for the best results possible. In most cases the non precious alloy is the  more  appropriate material.  It gives better results for a longer period of time.