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Archive for the ‘Affordable Dental Care’ Category

How to Choose a Reconstructive Dentist in Omaha

07 May

If you are facing reconstructive dentistry, you may be feeling anxious about the dental work, the cost, or both. Don’t let your anxiety stop you from getting the reconstructive dental work that you need. Take a moment to do some research, and find the reconstructive dentist who is right for you.

  1. Start with your family dentist. Your family dentist probably makes referrals to reconstructive dentists on a regular basis, and should be able to provide you with a good recommendation.
  2. Check whether the reconstructive dentist you are considering is a member of the American Dental Association. You can get this information from the ADA website.
  3. Make sure that the dentist is properly licensed and certified in your state. The dentist’s website will often provide information on his education, training and licensure. Don’t feel uncomfortable asking for this information; a reputable, quality dentist has nothing to hide and will be proud to share his background with you.
  4. Ask the dentist how many times he has performed the procedure that you will be having. You don’t want to be the dentist’s guinea pig while he tries out a procedure for the first time. The reconstructive dentist that you choose should have performed the procedure that you will be having many, many times.
  5. Ask to see before and after photos of the procedure you will have. The dentist that you choose should have photographic evidence of his quality work. You deserve to know what kind of results you can expect before you turn over your care and the future of your teeth to a reconstructive dentist.
  6. Meet the dentist for an initial consultation before you commit to a big procedure. This will give you a good idea of what kind of bedside manner the dentist has to offer. You should always choose a dentist who makes you feel as comfortable and relaxed as possible. The same goes for the office staff. Everyone there should make you feel both welcome and comfortable. If you meet the dentist and dislike his bedside manner or feel anxious about the situation, move on. There are reconstructive dentists who will do everything they can to put you at ease.
  7. Ask for detailed information about your procedure. The dentist should be able to explain to you in detail what will happen in your procedure and what results you can expect. It is always important to be an informed patient, and your dentist should be willing to take the time to explain everything to you in terms that you can understand.
  8. Don’t be afraid to discuss the financial aspect of your treatment. Your reconstructive dentist’s staff should verify your insurance coverage for you prior to treatment so that you know your financial responsibility prior to the procedure. Ask about payment plans; reconstructive dentists are often willing to set up a payment plan so that you can get the treatment you need and structure payments that work for your budget.



When you need a reconstructive dentist in Omaha, call Dr. T.J. Bolt. Dr. Bolt has been in practice since 1984. In addition to his own educational dental credentials, he has also taught dentistry as a clinical instructor and serves as a faculty member of the Schuster Center.

We at Dr. Bolt’s office want to provide you with comprehensive dental care in a soothing, calm environment. We see just one patient at a time, so that you have our full attention. Our procedures are performed in a treatment suite equipped with state of the art tools, and we have a patient lounge where you can retreat for a break during your procedure.

Contact Dr. Bolt for your reconstructive dentistry procedure, and let us provide you with a relaxing dental experience that achieves beautiful results.

 
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Posted in Affordable Dental Care

 

How to Choose the Right Periodontist in Omaha

12 Apr

If you have a fear of visiting the dentist or periodontist, you are not alone. Many people are uncomfortable with getting dental treatment but avoiding dental care can lead to bigger problems. When you need treatment by a periodontist, you can calm your fears by doing some research ahead of time to make sure that you are choosing the best periodontist in Omaha. Here are some tips to help you find the best one for you.

  1. First, verify the periodontist’s education and board certification. A periodontist is a specialist who has completed four years of training as a dentist and additional training in a periodontology program. Your periodontist should be a certified member of the American Board of Periodontology (ABP). That certification must be renewed every six years, and ABP requires a certain amount of continuing education credits for recertification. However, any additional continuing education beyond the minimum required by the ABP is an asset, because it means that your periodontist is familiar with the latest science and procedures. In addition, some of them are members of the American Academy of Periodontists, which is a professional association for specialized periodontists. Check whether he or she is an active member of the AAP.
  2. Consider the number of years that your periodontist has been in practice. A periodontist who has been practicing for many years will have lots of experience with difficult or complicated cases. However, a periodontist who has been practicing for many years may be set in his ways or unfamiliar with newer techniques and methods. A periodontist who is new to practice has the benefit of being well versed in the latest techniques. This can provide an edge over a more experienced, but old-fashioned periodontist. Ideally, you should choose a periodontist who has a reasonable record of experience but who has also kept up to date with the newest methods and techniques through continuing education opportunities. This combination gives you the best of both worlds.
  3. Identify your reason for needing treatment with a periodontist, and make sure that it aligns with his or her specialty. Within the field of periodontology, some periodontists specialize in more specific treatments. For example, some periodontists specialize in non-surgical treatment options, while others specialize in particular procedures, like gum grafting or bone regeneration. The more experience he or she has in cases like yours, the better your results will be.
  4. Before you commit to a long treatment regimen, meet the periodontist and his staff. Periodontic treatment often involves many visits. Your periodontist and staff should make you feel welcome, relaxed, and comfortable. Your periodontist’s job is not only to care for your mouth, but also to make you feel at ease throughout the process. Take note of whether the periodontist and the other employees in the office are patient and sensitive to your concerns, and whether they spend sufficient time addressing your needs. You should not feel rushed when you visit the office. The right periodontist will make you feel comfortable and well cared for throughout your course of treatment.



Dr. TJ Bolt provides periodontial services to residents of Omaha, NE. He believes in providing excellent dentistry by offer a low volume, private care environment characterized by individual relationships between the patient and his team members. We work closely with the patient to create a lifetime plan for treatment that focuses on complete dental health, including the mind, body, and spirit. We have made it our commitment to help every patient need the least amount of dental care over their lifetime. Contact Dr. TJ Bolt’s office today for an appointment with an excellent dentist in Omaha.

 
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Posted in Affordable Dental Care, Preventative Dental Care

 

Being A Patient Advocate

25 Feb

My goal for all my relationships with the people that I serve is to be their advocate. This is done by a careful structure from the first phone call to the office.  It then is designed in our structure, to make sure that we understand, and so does the patient, the purpose of our relationship.  In other words we start with “Why”.  This is done by meeting with the patient and spending some time prior to the clinical evaluation making sure we are directed to the patients expectations.  Then once that is determined, the patient is invited to enter with the doctor and the team, a co-discovery process, where we learn together the things that are healthy and those that are not as healthy as the patient would like to see.  Ultimately the patient learns the cause of disease and what they can do to take control of their own health.  We truly become the advocate for the patient and help them determine how healthy they want to be.  This is a successful model for health.

 
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Posted in Affordable Dental Care, Preventative Dental Care, Principles of the Path

 

Recession Proofing Your Mouths With or Without Dental Insurance

15 Jul

In this time of economic down turn even though I don’t see much of this going on in Omaha compared to other city’s across the country, concern on making good spending decisions run higher than normal. In making these decisions sometimes health is put on the back burner. This many times causes more problems than it prevents because in dentistry the cue that something is wrong is pain. Pain is the last stage of the disease process. I also hear a great deal with new patients coming into the office that they waited because they did not have dental insurance. Let’s talk for a minute what dental insurance is and is not. Dental insurance is not like medical insurance in that there are no tables to determine when a person is most at risk to dental disease unlike with the rest of the body. Statistics can determine how many people are most susceptible at a certain age for heart attacks, strokes, diabetes etc and tables are determined so that Insurance companies can set tables to determine costs. Dental Insurance is a prepaid program with limitations to the amount the insurance company can pay out to each policy holder in any given year. To complicate the issue they have procedures that they pay very well for and those that they don’t. Many times there is no guarantee that they will pay at all. The important thing to note is that in 1971 General Motors had the first dental insurance plan, and at that time, they had a maximum pay out for one year at $1000. Today even though the premiums are a great deal higher, most plans average $1000. Now with the cost of inflation it should be at least a payout of $3,500 per year. Dental insurance bought a great deal of dental care in 1971 with very few limitations, but today as you can see, it’s a completely different story. People are being misled that if they have dental insurance that all is well. Those that I have seen who have not had an examination for some time, seem to have this expectation that since they have dental insurance now that they will get healthy. Depending on their state of health there is not enough benefit in their plan to get them beyond disease and back to health. Many times if a patient is waiting for a new maximum per year because they have exhausted the dollars for that particular year they could be getting further and further behind THE GOOD NEWS IS PREVENTION AND FOLLOWING A SYSTEM OF HEALTH INSTEAD OF PUTTING OUT FIRES IN DISEASE CARE. Dental disease is a disease of choice.

The protection that one has against expensive dental bills is PREVENTION. How does one prevent dental disease? There are three reasons why people lose their teeth. They are, tooth decay, gum disease, and bad bite. The first two reasons, tooth decay and gum disease in most cases are diseases of choice. They are caused by acids that coat the teeth, eating away at everything it sits on. Understanding what you can do to remove this acid is the key to prevention.

People are not born with this knowledge, and having a dental team that is skilled in coaching techniques, partnering with you to help you take control is the secret to recession proofing your mouth. To many people leave their health to fate or luck, and this is very sad. Just going to the dentist is not good enough. It is what you are doing out of the office that is what will keep you healthy. The key is finding the right team for not all dental offices is skilled at prevention. The practice team must be designed with the intention of helping people be healthy, for the alternative is an office team designed to fix disease. There are two fundamentally different positions philosophically The way to tell what office you are in is if the discussion with you is future focused on where you see yourself 10 years from now looking at causes of disease or is the office team just interested in fixing the problem with no discussion on how it happened and what to do to prevent it in the future.

Knowing how to prevent dental disease being coached to meet your goals is the key to recession proofing your mouth For more information you can visit my website at www.drtjbolt.com.

 
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Posted in Affordable Dental Care, Mouth-Body Connection, Preventative Dental Care, Uncategorized

 

Dental Health Coach

23 May

There are several things to note as a Dental Health Coach:

1. The importance of Goals for the patient.
2. There are 4 elements of health. The gums and bone that holds the teeth in the mouth. The tooth itself is important. The third element of health is the chewing system, and lastly the total health of the body (Systemic Health).

Poor health in any one of these areas leads to a decline of health of all the other areas as well. For this reason it is in the patients best interest to remain mindful of these elements and their impact on each other.

As a patient the Dental Fitness Program is singly the best way to take an active part in staying healthy. It allows you not to leave your health to fate or luck.

 
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Posted in Affordable Dental Care, Preventative Dental Care

 

Recession Proofing Your Mouths

16 Oct

In this time of economic down turn even though I don’t see much of this going on in Omaha compared to other city’s across the country, concern on making good spending decisions run higher than normal. In making these decisions sometimes health is put on the back burner. This many times causes more problems than it prevents because in dentistry the cue that something is wrong is pain. Pain is the last stage of the disease process.

The protection that one has against expensive dental bills is PREVENTION. How does one prevent dental disease? There are three reasons why people lose their teeth. They are, tooth decay, gum disease, and bad bite. The first two reasons, tooth decay and gum disease in most cases are diseases of choice. They are caused by acids that coat the teeth , eating away at everything it sits on. Understanding what you can do to remove this acid is the key to prevention.

People are not born with this knowledge, and having a dental team that is skilled in coaching techniques, partnering with you to help you take control is the secret to recession proofing your mouth. To many people leave their health to fate or luck, and this is very sad. Just going to the dentist is not good enough. It is what you are doing out of the office that is what will keep you healthy. The key is finding the right team for not all dental offices are skilled at prevention. The practice team must be designed with the intention of helping people be healthy, for the alternative is an office team designed to fix disease. There are two fundamentally different positions philosophically The way to tell what office you are in is if the discussion with you is future focused on where you see yourself 10 years from now looking at causes of disease or is the office team just interested in fixing the problem with no discussion on how it happened and what to do to prevent it in the future.

Knowing how to prevent dental disease being coached to meet your goals is the key to recession proofing your mouth For more information you can visit my website at www.drtjbolt.com.

 
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Posted in Affordable Dental Care

 

Is Dental Care Affordable?

17 Sep

 

I had to take care of a patient the other night very late.  He had a tooth ache.  When I examined him he had not one but two very badly decayed teeth that had gone into the nerve.  He could feel his heart beating in his jaw.  After helping him he made mention to the fact that he couldn’t go to the dentist because he did not have any dental insurance.  I thought to myself, how far we have come as a society to be led to believe that we can’t afford dental care, unless we have help. This could not be further from the truth.  He could afford purchasing cigarettes that will lead to possible eventual tooth loss, heart disease, and lung cancer.  He said he smoked a pack of cigarettes per day.  He did not have insurance to pay for something that may kill him, yet he purchased them.  Added up for a whole year I am sure that he would at least have enough for two yearly exams learning how to control his own health and break out of this disease cycle.  He would have enough information to find out how much things would cost so that he could work that into his budget.

Life is all about choices and fortunately in the United States, most people can afford anything that they want, not just everything they want.  So would this person value health and want to make changes to make his future more assured?  He worked in a restaurant and drank soda pop all day long.  The interesting thing will be whether he want to curb his harmful habit to save his teeth.  Dental disease in the form of tooth decay is self induced.  It is a shame but because of the way that he thought and maybe even was conditioned to think, he now has to make a decision to save the teeth or lose them.  Losing them will be a short term fix at best.  If he decides that it is less expensive right now to have them removed, he will be robbing Peter to pay Paul.  Later these teeth will be missed, his bite will be thrown off and possibly lose more teeth in the future.  He may even be faced with joint problems and headaches as a result of this loss.

PREVENTION IS THE KEY.  Learn to take control of your own health.  Dental insurance usually pays for very little anyway over a year’s time.  Don’t be misled into thinking that you can’t afford dental care because you are not.insured.  There are many ways to make dental care affordable and the best way is prevention.  The other way is planning and phasing treatment.  Allow a dentist and his team to coach you to health.  Learn what the key strategies are to take control of your own health so that you never have to worry whether you have dental insurance or not, because you won’t need any dental treatment.  I have been teaching these proven strategies since 1996 and we keep objective data  on every patient and can  prove that prevention is the most cost effective thing that there is.  It wins out over disease care every day hands down.  BREAK OUT OF THE DISEASE CYCLE.  If you have any questions please call me at 402-572-8000 or see my website @ www.drtjbolt.com

 
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Posted in Affordable Dental Care