Crisis Treatment
 Many people don't
see a dentist on a regular basis. They go only when they feel they have
a problem. We call this "crisis treatment" as opposed to "preventive
treatment".
While these patients may feel they are saving money, it
usually ends up costing much more in both dollars and time. The reason
for this is that most dental problems don't have any symptoms until they
reach the advanced stages.
An example is tooth decay. We hear all the time, "Nothing hurts...I
don't have any problems". But tooth decay doesn't hurt! Until, that is,
it gets close to the nerve of the tooth.
Then a root canal and crown are usually necessary, instead of the
small filling, which could have been placed several years ago when the
cavity was small. We can usually detect a cavity 3-4 years before it may
develop any symptoms. It is not uncommon to see a patient with a
tremendous cavity and they have never felt a thing!
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