Matthew Ross, Author at Rising Dental Club

What Is a Dental Crown and Do You Really Need One?

by Matthew Ross | Jun 25, 2024 | Procedures

What is a Dental Crown?

A dental crown is a custom-made covering that fits over a prepared natural tooth or dental implant. It serves to protect and strengthen a tooth that has been weakened by decay, fracture, large fillings, or root canal treatment. Crowns are typically made from various materials, including porcelain, ceramic, metal alloys, or a combination of these materials. The choice of material depends on factors such as the location of the tooth, the patient’s preference, and the functional and aesthetic requirements.

Do I really need a crown?

Maybe! A crown is a great option for tooth support/strength but can often be too aggressive if the tooth is still in good condition. Unfortunately, it’s common to hear of dental practices that treat too aggressively by placing crowns on teeth that might not need them. Many corporate dental offices praise the dentists that complete the most crowns. It’s recommended to avoid payment models (fee-for-service) that incentivize volume or higher-dollar procedures such as crowns. A direct care membership model completely avoids these incentives and helps develop trust with your dental provider.

Reasons for Needing a Dental Crown

1. Protection: A crown provides a protective cover for a tooth that is weak or at risk of breaking.

2. Restoration: It restores a tooth that has been severely decayed, cracked, or worn down to its original shape and size.

3. Support. Crowns are used to support large fillings when there isn’t enough tooth structure remaining.

4. Cosmetic Enhancement: They can improve the appearance of misshapen or discolored teeth, enhancing the overall smile.

Types of Dental Crowns

1. Porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM): These crowns are not done very often anymore because they can irritate the gums, and show dark lines around the base of the tooth

2. All-ceramic or all-porcelain: These crowns provide the best aesthetic results because they closely resemble natural teeth in color and translucency. They are ideal for front teeth and patients concerned about aesthetics. These are what is most commonly done these days. Options include: eMax (more esthetic) and zirconia (more durable).

3. Metal crowns (gold or other alloys: These crowns are known for their strength and durability, making them suitable for molars or teeth that undergo heavy chewing forces. These are not done as often anymore because of their high cost or non-esthetic appearance.

The Dental Crown Procedure

1. Initial Consultation: Your dentist will examine your tooth and discuss the need for a crown. X-rays may be taken to assess the extent of damage or decay.

2. Tooth Preparation: The tooth receiving the crown is prepared by removing a layer of enamel to create space for the crown. If the tooth is severely damaged, additional material may be added to build it up.

3. Impression: An impression or mold of the prepared tooth is taken. Modern dentistry uses digital scanning instead of molds. This mold or scan is sent to a dental laboratory where the crown is custom-made to fit your tooth precisely. Sometimes the crown can be developed in a in-house lab!

4. Temporary Crown: While waiting for the permanent crown to be fabricated (usually 1-2 weeks), a temporary crown is placed to protect the tooth. Sometimes the final crown can be fabricated same-day in the office and allows you to avoid a temporary crown.

5. Crown Placement: Once the permanent crown is ready, it is checked for fit, color, and bite. It is then cemented into place over the prepared tooth.

6. Post-Procedure Care: Your dentist will provide instructions on caring for your new crown, including proper oral hygiene practices and any precautions to take.

How much does a crown cost?

A dental crown cost can vary on a number of factors, such as the dental office, dental insurance, and the amount of damage to a tooth. The cost can range up to $2,000 per tooth in a traditional dental office. In a Rising Dental practice, members only have to pay the lab or material fee for crowns! Today, that material fee is $275. Members pay $0 for the crown build-up if needed.

Conclusion

Dental crowns play a vital role in restoring and preserving oral health. Whether you need a crown for functional reasons or cosmetic enhancement, understanding the process and types of crowns available can help you make informed decisions about your dental care. If you believe you may benefit from a dental crown, consult your dentist to discuss your options and determine the best course of treatment for your oral health needs. Remember, investing in your dental health today can lead to less.

Introducing: Ford Calaway Dentistry & Orthodontics

by Matthew Ross | Apr 30, 2024 | Locations

Rising Dental Club is excited to announce the new partnership with our second location in Phoenix, Arizona! Introducing: Ford Calaway Dentistry & Orthodontics. This location is owned and operated by Dr. Austin Calaway, an incredible dentist who specializes in advanced/cosmetic dental care. Ford Calaway is ready to deliver the Direct Dental Care that this world needs.

In the bustling world of dental care, finding a practice that prioritizes both exceptional service and patient comfort can be akin to finding a diamond in the rough. However, for those in the know, Ford Calaway Dentistry & Orthodontics shines brightly as a beacon of excellence. From routine check-ups to complex treatments, this esteemed practice, nestled in the heart of Phoenix, has been transforming smiles and lives with its unparalleled dedication to quality care and compassionate service.

At Ford Calaway Dentistry & Orthodontics, the mission is simple: to provide each patient with personalized, comprehensive dental and orthodontic solutions tailored to their unique needs and preferences. Led by a team of highly skilled professionals, including renowned dentists and orthodontists, the practice offers a wide range of services designed to promote optimal oral health and enhance the natural beauty of every smile.

One of the hallmarks of Ford Calaway Dentistry & Orthodontics is their commitment to staying at the forefront of dental technology and innovation. By investing in state-of-the-art equipment and staying abreast of the latest advancements in the field, the practice ensures that patients receive the highest standard of care possible. Whether it’s digital x-rays for accurate diagnostics or cutting-edge orthodontic techniques for more efficient and comfortable treatments, patients can rest assured that they are in good hands at Ford Calaway Dentistry & Orthodontics.

But beyond the technical expertise and advanced technology, what truly sets Ford Calaway Dentistry & Orthodontics apart is their unwavering dedication to patient satisfaction and comfort. From the moment you step through the door, you are greeted with warm smiles and genuine concern for your well-being. The team takes the time to listen to your concerns, answer your questions, and address any anxieties you may have, ensuring that you feel valued, respected, and at ease throughout your visit.

Whether you’re due for a routine cleaning, considering orthodontic treatment, or seeking restorative solutions to enhance your smile, Ford Calaway Dentistry & Orthodontics offers comprehensive services to meet all of your dental needs. From general dentistry services such as cleanings, fillings, and extractions to specialized orthodontic treatments including implants, Invisalign, and more, the practice takes a holistic approach to oral care, focusing not just on treating problems as they arise, but on preventing them from occurring in the first place.

So, if you’re in search of a dental home where your smile is treated with the utmost care and attention it deserves, look no further than Ford Calaway Dentistry & Orthodontics. Your journey to a healthier, more beautiful smile starts here.

Address: 2111 E Highland Ave. STE B-105 Phoenix, AZ 85016

Direct Dental Care is a Win for Employers

by Matthew Ross | Dec 5, 2022 | Employer Benefits

Employers want their employees healthy.

Teeth included.

Even if you’ve never employed someone yourself, keeping them healthy is common sense.

As a general rule, healthy employees are present at work, and more likely to be productive, and focused. You and your customers can rely on them… and when they show up for work, you thank your lucky stars.

Unhealthy ones?

Not so much.

When push comes to shove, they’re out for a doctor’s visit. They’re stuck at home recovering, or waiting on a test result. When they do come in, they’re often unproductive, unfocused, and saddled with other concerns. Even with an insurance plan, their claims, benefits, and medical bills pile up in ways you never imagined.

Between poor health and expensive treatment that may not even be covered by third party insurance, they’re usually not happy.

Not pretty.

To put it bluntly, healthy, happy employees are money in the bank. But chronically unhealthy employees are a costly burden—not only in terms of absence, insurance claims, and lost productivity, but also when it comes to basic reliability.

“Employees’ poor health causes loss of production estimates at $575 billion and 1.58 billion days a year, according to the Integrated Benefits Institute and Bureau of Labor Statistics. This means that for every one dollar spent on healthcare benefits, $.61 is lost to illness and injury.” -EBO MD.com

In the end, unhealthy employees contribute to an even bigger headache—employee turnover.

And while throwing fancy, employer-sponsored dental insurance plans into the mix should help, it often doesn’t. If anything, an outdated, misaligned dental care model that drives up costs and erodes trust only makes employee retention harder.

Dental Insurance is a Lose-Lose

For employers and employees alike, traditional employer-sponsored dental insurance doesn’t lighten the load. Rather, and where it claims to lower costs, the opposite occurs.

Like too many employer-sponsored health plans, dental insurance plans are expensive, constantly changing, and riddled with costs and fees that surprise everyone. In their best impression of the water levels in Venice, Italy, hidden costs of dental insurance seem to rise annually… and when a storm hits, you’re suddenly underwater.

That happens because dental insurance is misaligned from the start.

Rather than focusing on preventative dental care that saves time and money, encourages cooperation between patients, dentists, employers—all parties—and makes for all-around healthier teeth in the long run, the fee-for-service insurance model incentivizes dentists to pursue costly, invasive procedures.

The kind that employers don’t need to pay for.

Sadly, and while dental practices themselves do great work, third party insurance providers make trust, cooperation, and price transparency difficult. This misalignment moves more employees into the unhealthy / unhappy category that causes so many headaches.

Employers lose, and their employees lose out as well.

But It Doesn’t Have to be That Way

What if employers could provide direct, unparalleled dental care to their employees at a fixed, monthly cost? What if that dental care came with no unused benefits, no surprise coverage limits, no unfulfilled reimbursements, and far fewer work days missed?

What if participating employers saw:

No surprise fees
Cost savings
Happier/healthier employers
Good incentives for recruitment and retention
Less employee absences and more productivity
All around cost savings

…now wouldn’t that be something?

It certainly would.

More people would pay attention…and even more employees would switch from confusing, costly insurance plan to a healthier approach for everyone.

Direct Dental Care for Employers?

Yes, we invented it.

Rising Dental Club is part of a movement around the country—one offering employers a transparent, membership model of direct dental care for their employees. Our partnership with employers breezes past what traditional, employer dental insurance can offer.

For a flat, monthly fee, your employees receive all the preventative dental care they need.

That means no maximum coverage limits.

That means 100 / 100 / 100 with no deductible.

That includes invisalign.

And rather than head-scratching extra fees, that includes clear, set costs for add-on cosmetic procedures.

Above all, that means a trusting relationship between your employees and their dentist. Not to mention dental care that they (and you) will appreciate much more than a surprise root canal.

In the end, that means employers see less turnover, less frustration, and all the benefits of a healthier, happier work culture… and at any rate, a few more gorgeous smiles in the office.

Talk about a win-win-win.

A Better Way is Rising

If you’ve had enough of frustrating, entangling dental insurance plans, give us a shout and learn more about the Direct Dental Care we offer.

For employers of five to five thousand, our fixed monthly membership plan offers employees the best dental care in the world. Onsite, nearsite or virtual, we’re always available and always transparent. Preventative oral care that drives cooperation and satisfaction while eliminating costly procedures is always the goal.

Come on over and see what you can save with an early adopter rate.

Fee for Service Dentistry is Full of Problems

by Matthew Ross | Sep 28, 2022 | Pricing

Too many fee for service dental practices operate like an auto mechanic.

That doesn’t mean they’ll change your engine oil instead of cleaning your teeth…although if there’s a small town where the local dentist-mechanic offers both those services, we’d like to see it. It means that, like an auto mechanic, many dentists hand their patients a long bill of the services they performed after the work is done.

Straightforward enough, right?

But if you think about the last time you had your car worked on, did you only pay for things you expected to when the work began? Or rather, did your bill for parts and labor also come with a dozen smaller fees for materials, replacement fluids, inspections, regulations, and the like?

Even if your mechanic was good and honest, if you’re like us, you did a double take.

Dental practices that run on a Fee-for-Service model handle billing in much the same way. The cost of a crown or a filling comes with a dozen other fees, from supplies and materials to things like X-rays, inspections, tests ordered or prescriptions given. Like a mechanic’s bill, everything is listed separately in one rambling, confusing invoice…and unless they’re in dental school, any patient trying to read it might as well be reading Sanskrit.

But as it turns out, confusion and frustration with billing aren’t the only drawbacks to the Fee-for-service model.

From insurance reimbursements that don’t cover everything on the bill to incentivizing dentists to pack more patients in and rush them through unnecessary tests and procedures, there’s a ton of reasons why more and more people are leaving fee-for-service dentistry… and trying membership-based Direct Dental Care.

Here’s a few of them.

Fee for Service Lacks Accountability

Using the fee-for-service model, hospitals find creative ways to bill patients insane amounts… without letting them know about it.

One example: a college student in Colorado who went to the emergency room for a ruptured ovarian cyst was charged $700 every time a nurse gave her medicine through an IV.

Her grand total?

$19,000.

While advocates of fee-for-service might use eye-popping incidents like this as an argument for traditional insurance, that’s precisely where it gets tricky. Like medical insurance, traditional dental insurance doesn’t always cover everything on the bill.

With costs, regulations, insurance coverage limits, and dental technology all changing rapidly, practices stuck with the fee-for-service model risk charging patients for items that may not be covered.

Intentional or not, a model that obscures treatment costs and leaves patients wondering whether or not everything on the long invoice will be covered is one that lacks accountability.

Fee for Service Discourages Preventative Care

Brushing.

Flossing.

Routine check-ups with a dentist you know and trust.

We all know that optimal oral health is best achieved with minimal, preventative, long-term care.

Unfortunately, the fee-for-service model discourages that.

Instead, dentists paid for services they perform often find their calendars squeezed with too many patients. As far as costs and incentives go, many find their practice tilting toward invasive (yet profitable) dental procedures, along with tests and treatments that patients may not even need.

The incentives, along with the rising costs for everyone involved, are such a huge problem that even dental insurance companies recognize it. But while many companies try to lower costs by bundling procedures together, the overall structure of paying dentists for services they perform remains in place.

Meanwhile, third party control over dental services and their respective fees grows even more complicated, arbitrary, and costly. In the end, the system pressures dentists to cram more patients in, and go right for drastic procedures where they should emphasize long-term prevention.

The biggest loser?

Patients and their teeth.

Fee for Service Gets in the Way

People didn’t always hate going to the dentist.

But in the fee-for-service model, with third party insurance reimbursing those fees, the patient-dentist relationship grew a lot more complicated… and that mental image of the dentist as a mad scientist with a huge, whirring drill grew a lot scarier.

We’re taking some artistic license here.

But even so, it’s a sad, widespread truth that many patients don’t have a close, trusting relationship with their dentist—the one person who can guide them toward best practices for a lifetime of oral health.

Why don’t they?

Along with third party insurance interfering more and more, the fee-for-service emphasis on volume and productivity minimizes the relationship. Where insurance companies, and health care providers like Medicare and Medicaid grow overburdened with fee-for-service costs, limits and restrictions get passed down to the patient.

That can even mean roadblocks for personal visits, routine tests, follow-ups, and the like. On the dentist’s end, the calendar is usually crammed full.

Is it any wonder that patients who are overcharged, deprived of preventative care, and not given enough facetime don’t know or trust their dentist?

Go figure.

Direct Dental Care

What’s the alternative to fee-for-service dental care?

Turns out, it’s something that’s appropriately called Direct Dental Care.

Instead of a long, itemized list of services provided and what they cost, dental patients reap all the benefits of complete, preventative care for a flat, monthly membership fee. With predictable costs, the direct dental care model offers a full spectrum of dental treatment, and without the lack of communication and facetime that strains dentist-patient relationships.

In many cases, direct dental care offers elective and cosmetic services for a straightforward, reduced fee, offering price transparency and accountability.

Most importantly, dentists and patients are incentivized to take the superior, preventative approach together. Rather than working to fill out long invoices with unnecessary services, dentists are free to focus on prevention, holistic treatment, and patient satisfaction.

Better than traditional insurance, and free from the hang-ups of fee-for-service, direct dental care unlocks the service, care, and satisfaction that patients increasingly prefer.

A Better Way is Rising

We dare you to join us.

Leave that list of fees behind and try Rising Dental Club’s superb, affordable, direct dental care. If a flat monthly fee for all your dental needs, and clear, transparent pricing for cosmetic procedures sounds splendid, give our team a call.

Why Is Dental Insurance a Bad Deal?

by Matthew Ross | Sep 5, 2022 | General

Let us count the ways dental insurance is a bad deal.

Or rather, and with a topic this roastable, let’s go with a late night show countdown. Cue the drumroll, and we’ll start at four, counting down to the number one reason why dental insurance is an all-around a bad deal. While we’re at it, we’ll explain how, and why the increasingly popular, membership-based Direct Dental Care beats the old model in every way.

Are you ready?

Here are four of the ten reasons why dental insurance is almost always a bad deal.

Number Four: It’s Not Even Insurance

Not if you think about it.

What is insurance anyway?

It’s money you pay, usually at monthly or annual rate, for someone to take care of you when an accident hits. A fender-bender, a flooded basement, having your identity stolen by teenage hackers in Belarus—something like that. When the unexpected hits, you might even pay a premium… but the reimbursement you receive is enough to cover your unexpected costs, get you back on your feet, and even pay for hospital bills that would otherwise be sky-high. In short, what you receive (or the peace of mind knowing what you will receive) when the unforeseen happens is worth everything you’ve been paying on a regular basis.

Makes sense, right?

But that’s not how insurance in the dental, or even the medical industry works today.

Insurance for dental or medical care used to run on reimbursements. But overtime, third party control, arbitrary coverage limits, and confusing policies warped the trust between patients and practitioners. With their primary source of income being insurance companies rather than patients themselves, hospitals, doctors, and even dentists found incentives to pack schedules, charge additional fees, insist on treatments patients don’t even need, and get creative with their billing.

In short, it became less about covering someone when an illness occurred, and more about third parties and their shareholders regulating access to all care, preventative or otherwise.

The end result of this slide from how actual insurance works?

Dentists getting creative.

Teeth not taken care of.

Patients confused when they pay for costly procedures they don’t even need… from dentists they don’t even know.

Surprise bills—not reimbursements—after the fact.

If we go back to where this misleading model came from, that leads right into our next reason why dental insurance is a pretty bad deal.

Number Three: Dental Insurance is Outdated

Dental Insurance dates back to 1955, but it really took off in the early seventies. While a lot’s changed in fifty years, with technology, tools, dental training, and innovations like 3D imaging transforming dentistry in incredible ways, the insurance model is still the same.

In fact, most plans offer an annual maximum coverage limit of $1,000… (some go up to $2,000 and some hover in between).

Do you know the exact maximum limit offered by one of the first Delta Dental insurance plans in 1970 was $1,000? By and large, the amount hasn’t changed.

Take a bite out of that.

Where the prices of gas, food, rent, and everything else have risen nearly thirty percent since 1970, the amount dental insurance companies will cover for annual dental work hasn’t changed at all.

If all this were some teenage high-school movie, dental insurance might be that grizzled, dinosaur of a tenured science teacher… the one with no cellphone, the same outfit everyday, and old, yellowed projector slides instead of PowerPoint.

But we digress.

Number Two: It Makes for Poor Incentives

Dental insurance is a lucrative business… if you’re a dental insurance company.

Unfortunately, and over time, the incentives of dental care paid for through third party insurance nudged dental practices in a poor direction. No longer paid by individual patients who knew and trusted them, dentists learned to deal with PPO contracts offered by insurance providers; contracts that often changed, confused patients, and required dentists to charge set prices for approved services like crowns or fillings.

In a broad picture, muddied waters.

While the model worked for insurance companies, it drove dentists to one side of the road—finding creative ways to not cover dental problems in the first place—or to the other—prescribing big, costly procedures that insurance contracts would pay for… but that many patients didn’t even need.

The end result?

Dentists incentivized to make the most of insurance contracts, not out of relationships built on routine, preventative care that turns grateful patients into lifelong customers.

Patients who don’t know their dentists, confused and frustrated… strapped with plans and treatment they may not even need.

Surprise fees and annual readjustments that make the jaw drop.

Here it is… the Number One Reason Dental Insurance is a Bad Deal

Are you ready?

It’s not those bills that arrive in the mail. It’s not strict coverage limits, changing policies, and fine-print that would take its own Master’s Degree to understand.

It’s not even that surprise root canal that made your Friday so very colorful.

As plain as day, the number one reason why dental insurance is a bad deal is that it’s imaginary.

That’s right.

Knowing that dental insurance is outdated, knowing that it isn’t really ‘insurance,’ and that it traps dental providers with undesirable incentives, we arrive at a full picture of how the dental insurance model is one big bait and switch.

It’s a system in which people pay insurance companies to pretend to care about their teeth.

We realize that’s a bold claim… and we don’t make it lightly.

But the fact that countless, dedicated dentists and many honest, helpful insurance providers do treat and care about their patients doesn’t offset the built-in dishonesty of the model itself.

First, if dental insurance companies really cared about people’s teeth, they would incentivize dentists to focus on regular, preventative oral care—the kind that makes for satisfied, empowered patients, healthy teeth, few, if any, invasive procedures, and a cooperative, life-long relationship between dentist and patient.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the case… and for most people, having a dental insurance plan doesn’t equate to getting the preventative oral care they really need.

Second, dental insurance plays on the idea of insurance without really stepping up to it. In an article posted in Today’s RDH.com, Dental Hygienist Trish Walvern lays this out:

“If it really paid for them, like insurance is designed to do, it would cover the unexpected problems, especially in emergency situations. Instead, dental insurance gives you just enough coverage to make you feel like it’s a value and scares you into thinking you can’t go to the dentist without it.”

Remember what we mentioned earlier? Most dental insurance plans have a fixed dollar amount of what they’ll cover per year, period.

In most cases, if your teeth need repairs or dental work that exceeds that maximum, you foot the rest of the bill.

Does that sound like insurance? To us, it sounds like a friendly discount… and one that might only shave $1,000 off a $5,000 dental bill in the case of a costly but necessary dental procedure.

Case in point, there’s some sneaky deception at the heart of the promise dental insurance makes to its patients .

With that, and with more and more people waking up to the fact that paying your dentist directly, with a flat monthly membership fee that covers procedures, exams, and all the preventative care you need, is the best deal all around.

Next to dental insurance, direct dental care is a better deal in every way.

And That’s Why It’s Rising

If you’re tired of high premiums, surprise bills, and a dentist that’s hard to even get a hold of, consider Direct Dental Care.

And if you’re in the Phoenix area, give the Rising Dental Club team a call to find out how our excellent care, flat membership fees, and transparent pricing can get your teeth to their healthy, showable, best.

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