Levels of Dentistry

Our desire is to work with people who wish to achieve a higher sense of self-esteem and well-being by enhancing their appearance, comfort and ability to sustain health. We achieve this by providing the highest quality dental health care each patient can accept. Our goal is to help you become as healthy as you choose to be. Your first decision in this regard is how you would like to begin your relationship with us. There are four levels of dentistry. Our practice is primarily positioned for Levels 3 and 4.

Level 1 • Urgent Care

People in crisis or with an emergency or accident need immediate help. We see emergencies immediately, whenever possible. This is not the primary focus of our practice, however.

Level 2 • Remedial Care

Patients who choose this level of care desire treatment only when something breaks or becomes uncomfortable. Generally, patients at this level prefer short-term cursory examinations, screening for more obvious advanced problems. They usually want to correct immediate problems with as little effort as possible. Folks at this level are not yet ready for either thorough or preventive treatment.

Level 3 • Maintenance Care

The people who choose this level of care want to take an active part in the prevention of present and future disease problems, but choose repair solutions that are more short-range in duration. Usually they choose a 2-5 year reparative or corrective treatment, knowing full well that the dental treatment performed today will be repeated again in the near future.

Level 4 • Optimum Care

Patients at this level are similar to the people described in level 3. They choose to have comprehensive examination and master planning and formulate a long-term treatment plan for health and repair to achieve a future based on choice not chance. Unlike the maintenance care patient, these patients want all treatment to be completed in the most lasting fashion possible. They are happy to take an active role in their achievement of optimal oral health.

It is not uncommon for people to begin at one level and progress to a higher level over time. All insurance plans focus on urgent and remedial care, both of which, in our judgment, are not preventive in nature. They treat symptoms, but rarely are the efforts of the insurance system geared to prevent disease from occurring, or if it has occurred, to treat the problem in an optimum manner. Insurance companies are simply not ready to have patients involved in making decisions about their oral health.