the treatment seems reasonable. the fees sound quite high. I personally do not like resotrations made in the office. i am not sold on that technology. the fees are high because more than likely you are helping to pay the lease payments on that very expensive machine. to me, and again this is my opinion, there is no substitute for a very accurate traditional impression, and a deliberate, talented laboratory technician who wont settle for less than the best he can do.
the "in the office" machine method is attractive to the dentist for the following reason:
1. no lab fees
2. less schedule time per procdure (1 visit instead of 2)
3. it's fast for the patient also.
4. It is new technology which can help sell dentistry, and justify the high fee.
in my opinion, it is not "better"-- it is "bells and whistles" dentistry to me.
if a root canal needs to be performed under an onlay, can it be drilled into, like you can with a crown? Or do you need a whole new onlay?
every tooth is different. it depends on how well YOUR onlay fits. I just do not like these ceramic onlays. I like even less these machines that make them in the office. In my mind it seems they cannot be done as well as they can in a good lab with a good technician and a good impresssion.
Mike,
You have been helping me with my onlay issue in the other thread. My onlay was built in the office, I guess by the Cerac machine as well. Do you think that could be the root cause (pun kind of intended)? You have been commenting generically on onlays... now that you know my onlay was built in office, does that add any additional information for you?
The machine is Cerac. The tooth is scanned by a computer and the restorations are produced while you wait. I have no difficulty in conserving tooth structure but I also feel if it ain't broke don't fix it. That is a philosophy that may not be shared by all my fellow dentists.If there is no decay then I do not feel it is necessary to treat the tooth. As far as the fees--that is very subjective but it does sound a bit high.