We finally have a bonafide dentist willing to donate his time to answer your questions! GetFreeDental.com welcomes Dr. Ryan C. Fleming , D.D.S.!

How will this work? Simple, you ask questions and Dr. Ryan will answer! Because of the increasing demand for answers, Dr. Ryan will answer the most commonly asked questions each week. Keep in mind, Dr. Ryan's responses are for educational purposes only. Please consult a local dentist for a full consultation.

Please send any/all questions to questions@getfreedental.com. Answers to questions received by Friday at 8:00pm, will be posted to this page by Monday at 8:00am. As mentioned, Dr. Ryan will do his best to answer a handful of the most commonly asked questions each week.

This is a new section to the site, and I suspect this will groooooow! Please bookmark this page for future reference. The same person can ask any number of questions on any given week. If your question is not answered, feel free to ask again.

RECENT QUESTION:

"I have had considerable dental work over the years but have neglected my oral health for years now while raising my special needs child.  At my last medical physical my Dr. noted that my white blood cell count was high.  I suspected this was due to all of the dental problems so I went to the dentist and picked one that does this type of major work.  He said I grind my teeth at night and all of my old fillings (they are hugh) are broken and i have a few that have cavities and some gum issues.  He advisied me of what he would do if it was his mouth, then someone else came in to discuss the cost.  $26,000 dollars.  I dont have that kind of money!  So my question is how to evaulate medical necessity verses cost and long term health and functioning.  I see add for dentures for $500.  Is it ok for me to say to the Dr.  ok well that is what you would do but I don;t have the resouces you do,so can we come up with a different plan?  Thanks for any suggestions!"

"Thanks for writing in to the site.  You are not alone in your dilemma.  I suppose that it is possible to have your white cell count be elevated from having some dental infections but you would probably be well aware of where they are in your mouth and it would be more imminent to address them for your own comfort.  The dentist who gave you the estimation was likely giving you what would be ideal to rehabilitate your mouth.  It should be made clear to him/her that you cannot afford such treatment even though it may be ideal.  You can have the dentist break things down for you so that you can address the teeth that either need to be taken out or have root canals first so that you can get out of pain (assuming there is some present).  Then you can treat the periodontal (gum) tissue to make sure that it is healthy.  When periodontal disease is present it is a source of bacteremia, or bacteria in the blood.  This can affect your overall health.  Heart disease, diabetes, even certain types of cancer are linked to the health of the gum tissue so it should not be taken lightly.  As for your old fillings and areas of decay, these areas should be addressed in order or priority.  It is difficult to judge without seeing you but again your dentist should be able to prioritize these for you as well so that things can be done over time and hopefully fit your budget.  If there are some missing teeth, a partial or complete denture can be considered.  I would advise you not to consider one of the discount denture clinics.  Like anything else, you get what you pay for with a less expensive treatment option.  The materials tend to be not of the same quality as those that would be used otherwise.  Sometimes, steps in the fitting process are skipped to get the denture to you faster and result in a fit that is not as good.  If you can save some teeth and get fitted for a partial denture that is usually better than a complete denture.  I hope this helps and good luck." 
Dr. Ryan Fleming

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