Occasionally
a dental patient finds themselves referred to dental specialist to have a
specific treatment completed. I have been asked some variant of the following
question. Don’t you do.. ? followed by the name of the procedure. Because I am
in general practice and perform all of the usual procedures associated with
Family Practice my answer to the question is yes I do …. followed by the name
of the procedure. Most general dentists
perform Endodontics (root canals),Exodontia (extraction of
teeth),Prosthodontics(Crowns and Bridges) and Periodontics(Scaling and other
gum related therapies) but it is important to remember that each case is
unique. Some clinical situations are more difficult and complicated requiring
the expertise of the specialist who has received advanced training.
In these
situations specialist delivered services have the best chance of achieving a
comfortable and successful result for the patient.
Sometimes
there is resistance to the dental specialist referral. This is understandable
because there is often a travel requirement and certainly specialist fees are
higher than those of the general dentist. Nevertheless I believe that when appropriate
the services delivered by dental specialists are worth the extra effort and
resources.
A referral to a dental specialist
has the patient ultimate welfare and comfort as its motivation.
Cheers ,
Dr. Shawn
Lee a Vernon Dentist
No comments:
Post a Comment