Tag Archives: Dentists in Lafayette

Lafayette LA Dentist

Can I Bill Ex-Husband for Emergency Dental Work?

I’ve been divorced for about ten years. I left my ex-husband because he was abusive. It wasn’t until recently I developed the confidence to start dating again. When my ex-husband found out, he showed up at my apartment after one of my dates and beat me pretty badly. Thankfully, a neighbor noticed what was happening and called the police. He’s been arrested. But, I’ve been left with one chipped tooth and three loose teeth. I’m worried I’m going to lose them if I don’t get seen by a dentist, but I don’t have any money. Would an emergency dentist be willing to bill my ex?

Tanya

Dear Tanya,
Woman covering her mouth

I’m so sorry you had to experience that. You’ve been through a lot. Unless your ex-husband signs something saying he’ll pay for the appointment, there’s no legal way for the dentist to bill him. However, given the situation, I am pretty positive any dentist would be willing to allow you to get the services you need to save your teeth and pay out the bill a little at a time. Even if they don’t offer in-office payment plans, they’re sure to work with Care Credit.

It’s a medical “credit card” of sorts. It’s more financially friendly than your typical credit card, allowing the patient to get a much lower interest rate than would otherwise be possible. There’s also no penalty for an early payoff.

Given your ex-husband has been arrested for the assault, if you took him to small claims court you’ll be quite likely to win your money back.

You Need to See a Dentist Right Away

With you having some loose teeth, you don’t want to put off seeing a dentist. This needs to be dealt with immediately. If you don’t currently have a dentist, do an internet search using the term “emergency dentist“. These are general dentists who are willing to see non-established patients in cases where urgent care is needed.

They can splint your teeth and fix the chip with dental bonding. They’ll also do an x-ray to make sure there’s no internal damage to the teeth. If there is, they’ll do a root canal treatment and provide a dental crown.

You should know, there is a charity called “Give Back a Smile” that does free dental work for those who’ve suffered domestic abuse. After you get this emergency work done, you should apply.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Dr. Mike Malone.

Lafayette LA Dentist

Pediatric Dentist Strapped My Child Down

I am absolutely appalled. I took my daughter to the pediatric dentist for the first time. I got a little nervous when they didn’t let me back with her, but I didn’t want to make her worry so I pretended it was no big deal and she’d have a lot of fun. You can imagine how heartbroken I was when she told me that she got scared so they strapped her down. When they brought her out I could tell she’d been crying. I called, thinking I must have misunderstood her or she didn’t know how to explain what actually happened. They told me it’s standard procedure in dealing with an uncooperative child. Please tell me that’s not correct. She doesn’t ever want to go back.

Amy L.

Dear Amy,

Boy smiling and holding a toothbrush
Dental Care for Children Should be All Smiles

I’m heartbroken with you for the trauma your little girl experienced. I believe what you’re referring to is a papoose board. It wraps the child which essentially keeps them from moving during their appointment. It used to be a regular practice in many pediatric offices but has come under fire in recent years. Even the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry has warned of its drawbacks and said parents have the right to terminate its use at any time.

While some children do better alone, many feel comforted knowing the mother is there to look out for them during their appointment. The goal of pediatric dental care is to give children a positive experience and get them excited about taking care of their teeth. I’d say your pediatric dentist totally failed at that.

Finding a Good Pediatric Dentist

You’ll obviously want to switch to a different practice. You can take your daughter to a pediatric specialist or a general dentist who enjoys treating children. One way to know how good a general dentist is with children is the age they’re willing to first see them. If they say around two years of age, you can feel pretty sure they’re comfortable with the wee set. If they say 8-10, then I’d look elsewhere.

Given your daughter’s experience, you’ll want a dentist who will let you go back with her. She’ll need to feel safe. You may also want to give her some nitrous oxide. It’s commonly called laughing gas and will help relax her. Wherever you end up, be sure to check their reviews ahead of time as well.

Please tell the new dentist what your daughter went through so they’ll be prepared to handle her understandable fear. We want to get her on the right track having positive experiences.

Most adults who end up with dental emergencies do so because they had a traumatic experience as a child and now avoid the dentist until their services become unavoidable.

For those patients, we recommend oral conscious sedation. It’s stronger than nitrous and will allow them to sleep through the appointment. That would be the last resort with a child, though. Let’s see if we can’t get her relaxed and happy without it.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Mike Malone.

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Can an Adult Tooth Be Saved Once it’s Knocked-Out?

At my son’s football game one of the young men had a tooth knocked out. He just tossed it aside and kept playing. I’ve been wondering about that ever since. Could the tooth have been saved? Are there steps that need to be taken?

Arlene

Dear Arlene,

hockey player missing a tooth
How to Save an Adult Tooth

It’s good that you’re asking about this ahead of time because there is very little time to actually save a tooth during the trauma of the event. At max, you have 30 minutes. If a series of unfortunate events take place which causes an adult tooth to get knocked out here are the steps to take:

  • Grab the tooth by the crown only. That’s the visible part of your tooth when you smile. DO NOT touch the roots.
  • The tooth needs to stay moist. If milk is available, place the tooth in a cup of milk.
  • Call your dentist’s office and let them know you have a knocked out tooth and are on your way in. They’ll know time is of the essence and will be ready for you when you arrive.
  • It’s also a good idea to keep a short list of emergency dentist numbers on hand who see non-established patients, even after hours, in case you can’t reach your dentist.

What to Do if the Dentist Can’t Save the Tooth?

Sometimes you and the dentist can do everything right, but the tooth cannot be saved. In that case, you’ll want to know about your tooth replacement options.

Fortunately, the advances in dentistry have been useful. Your best option, if you’re a good candidate is to get dental implants. Depending on the age of your son, he may not be a good candidate. Teenager’s jaws are still developing.

If that’s the case, your dentist will go over temporary options for him that will give him a false tooth and hold the space available for implants in the future. Make sure he knows you son is in a contact sport so he takes that into consideration with any temporary replacement.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Mike Malone.

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Can a General Dentist do Dental Implants?

I need to replace a tooth. Everyone says dental implants are the best replacement. Are there implant specialists or can a general dentist do them?

Max L. – Connecticut

Max,

First, I’ll say, yes, dental implants really are the top of the line tooth replacement. Be aware that not everyone is a candidate for dental implants. There are some conditions which are contra-indicative, like gum disease. Or, if you’re a smoker, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a good dentist willing to go forward with the procedure. If it turns out you’re not a candidate, there are other good options which we’ll discuss momentarily.

As to whether or not you need a dental implant specialist, that’s a yes and no. There isn’t actually a recognized specialty in implants, so any dentist who does them is a general dentist. However, it takes some additional training than what they get in dental school to be skilled in this procedure.

Dental Implants are an advanced procedure, with potentially severe complications if things go wrong. Because of that you’ll want to be bold in asking the dentist some blunt questions. Some things to ask are “What type of implant training have you had?” “How many implant procedures have you performed?” “What percentage of them are successful?”

So, what if you’re not a good candidate? Whatever dentist you go to should give you all your options. For instance, the next best procedure would likely be a dental bridge. In fact, if your adjacent teeth need a crown, a dental bridge might make more sense for you.

The important thing is you find a dentist you trust and then have them explain all the procedures you’re a candidate for.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Mike Malone.