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Getting Your Money’s Worth by Dr. John F. Miller DDS
I have a couple quirks I want to share with you. The first one is that I get huge satisfaction from items in my possession that I feel have given me their money’s worth. So much pride and satisfaction actually, that I fight the urge to photograph and catalog these items along with a small history as my own non-interesting coffee table book.
to play you would think I’m scrubbing in for surgery. Others guitars I have are probably face down in one of my children’s bedrooms acting as a makeshift tea party table.
it’s food most of the time. These folks likely know someone (mom and/or dad) who has transitioned to dentures and know the functional frustrations and adaptations that are necessary.
It’s not so much that these guitars are any more or less expensive, it’s that one is shiny and new and the other has given me well beyond it’s money’s worth. I also have a terrible time with new shoes. Now, let’s try and relate this to the field of dentistry.
Someone who values Comfort has probably experienced, or is presently experiencing dental discomfort and wants to do what is necessary to avoid it from persisting or recurring.
A few items come to mind right away: 1) Four of my Thirteen guitars, especially my very first one which I refer to as Excalibur. And yes, the others are still paying off their debts and some don’t look to be working out. 2) My 1994 chrome GT Mach One BMX bike that I rode up until Dental School and that my children still ride to this day. 3) My 2003 Kia Sorento. “It takes a strong man to drive a Kia, but it takes a stronger man to laugh at that man,” my laughing friend informs me. I’ll sell it someday and upgrade, but I won’t care what I get for it because it has served its term. I’m driving in the black if you know what I mean.
Upon meeting a patient for the first time I initially ask them the following question: In order to better serve your dental needs, which of the following is most important to you?
The other quirk that I have is fear of using new and shiny items. The fear is that I will scratch or deface these items in some way. I have two guitars (...is he still talking about guitars? ...we get it.) that when I go
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● Function ● Comfort ● Cosmetic ● Longevity I don’t let them off easy either. I realize that it is a mix of all four, but I want to know the one they value most. There is no wrong answer. The patient that places the highest value on Function just wants to be able to bite efficiently, and hopefully
Cosmetically driven patients will prioritize treatment options based on the aesthetic outcome. They will fix the more visible teeth with more urgency than nonvisible yet very functional teeth. Fortunately, almost all dental procedures improve the look of our teeth. Tooth colored fillings and crowns often replace dark cavities or old silver fillings, and teeth cleanings remove plaque and stain while preventing inflamed and puffy gums. Lastly, those interested in the Longevity of their teeth are concerned with whatever will strengthen their overall oral condition. These are the folks that have lost a tooth or two in the past and are resolute in preventing the loss of any more precious teeth. Now, regardless of what you value most, the treatment needed is always the same. Cavities are cavities, plaque