The cornerstone of any successful dental treatment is the initial consultation. This aspect is often neglected and trivialized with patients insisting on telephonic consultations as opposed to hands on clinical consultations.
One of the major causes of treatment failure is that of inadequate or incorrect diagnosis. In order to establish a sound treatment plan, proper diagnosis is required. Proper diagnosis can only be achieved with detailed consultation; encompassing clinical examination, radiology, study models, photography{frontal and lateral facial views as well as photography of the upper(maxillary) jaw and lower(mandibular) jaw and the respective teeth} and a clinical charting, which may on occasion involve periodontal charting.
The initial consultation should not be a rushed assessment followed by swift treatment, but rather a comprehensive assessment of the patients dental as well as general health. Medical history assessment by your dentist is vitality important, as there are systemic medical conditions that may interfere or prohibit certain dental treatments. Conditions of importance may include, Diabetes, Cerebrovascular disease, Cardiac disease such as myocardial infarction, just to name a few.
A fully comprehensive consultation usually takes anything from 45 minutes to one hour. All relevant information is gathered, assessed and processed. Once completed, your dentist is fully armed with all the information required in order to compile a detailed treatment plan and corresponding quotation for treatment required. A follow up visit may be required in order to finalize and discuss the various treatment options available. Once the patient is aware of all of their treatment options they are then able to make an informed decision regarding the course of their treatment.
The cost of a fully comprehensive dental consultation can cost anything between R1000 to R2000, depending on the diagnostics procedures employed. While a simple or specific consultation can range between R500-R750.
Do not trivialize the importance of routine dental check ups and consultations. I would recommend you visit your dentist at least twice a year (every 6 months). We routinely send out recall SMS reminders, so there is no excuse not to schedule your six monthly dental check up. See you soon!!!
