Are you looking for world-class dental treatment?

What do we mean when we talk about top quality dental care? Accuracy in treatment? Commitment to clinical uniqueness? State-of-the-art dental materials? Perhaps, cutting-edge technology that reduces the potential for human error?

They say ‘don’t believe everything you read’, and we agree. Therefore, dear Oral Medical Clinic guests, instead of talking about the cutting-edge technology, features and materials available at our modern dental clinic, let’s look at the notion of excellency from another perspective.

If you’ve ever been to a prom in our part of the world, then you have seen Slovenian graduates dance the traditional quadrille, which happens to be how we love to “dance” as well. The quadrille involves four factors and two dancers: our clinic and you.

This question is very important, because it helps explain the complexity of a dental or any other type of procedure performed on your body.

For example, we’ve often had worried patients call our clinic in the evening of the same day we’d provided them with a completely standard filling, and tell us their tooth was aching and that something must have gone wrong. We’d also get calls from patients whose tooth had previously never caused them any pain, and, suddenly, after one treatment at our clinic where we treated the tooth with state-of-the-art procedures and top-quality materials, it began to ache.

This is when we do our best to put ourselves into our patient’s shoes and try to figure out what went wrong. In order to do that, it is important to know what affects the long-term success of dental treatment.

What is top-quality and does it exclude complications?

As mentioned, the short- and long-term success of dental treatment is influenced by four factors.

The first factor is the patient themselves.

Each individual is a world in itself and therefore responds to changes in the body uniquely, both on the psychological and on the physical levels. These changes must be accepted, in order to be able to anticipate their influence on the end result of treatment.

The same procedure may cause pain to some patients, and have no effect whatsoever on others. Some patients are much more sensitive to changes in the body, even if they are very subtle. This is a matter of each individual’s inner experience, which must be taken into account.

Another factor is the dentist’s knowledge and skills, which undoubtedly plays an important role in the treatment process. The use of microscopes and magnifying glasses has enabled modern dentistry to become extremely accurate. In addition, the dentist’s knowledge and experience have a significant impact on the prevention of complications. This, of course, does not mean that complications may not happen even with the best dental surgeons and dentists worldwide. However, the likelihood of complications in the hands of an experienced professional is significantly reduced.

The third factor is the technologies and materials we use in our procedures. The development of materials and scientific knowledge in general has undergone a tremendous leap in the last ten years, all of which contributes to our guests’ well-being. However, the organism requires time to heal and even the best materials and state-of-the-art appliances cannot change this fact.

The fourth factor is the dentist’s approach and guidance through the healing process – let’s call it the dentist’s philosophical approach to treatment. We talk about this especially when describing the difference between holistic and traditional dentistry. How the dentist guides the patient through treatments is extremely important.

Let’s describe a common example: whenever we explain to the patient that transient pain is likely to occur after treatment, the patient usually experiences less pain. A lot of research has been done in this area, which indicates that, if we expect something to happen to us, we are mentally prepared for it, and therefore are neither surprised nor completely careless when it occurs.

When choosing a dentist, you are advised to consider these four factors. Even if you’re already seeing a dentist, it helps if you share your past experience with the professionals at our clinic (factor number one). This information will help them prepare your treatment procedure, and will benefit your mutual communication overall. There is nothing that should remain untold, even if you are visiting two different dentists at the same time (which is not uncommon). In any case, good communication is essential, as it allows the dentist to adequately prepare for your treatment process.

While technology is important, it does not outweigh the experience, philosophical background, and the dentist’s willingness to continue learning, improving and sharing his knowledge and expertise with his fellow colleagues. This is something that is beyond the patient’s control, however, a person can usually rely on their intuition to guide them in the right direction.

A dentist with an open mind, vast knowledge and a wide range of experiences will be able to perform dental treatments better than someone who may possess the most modern equipment, but does not have all the other necessary qualities to perform high-level dental procedures.

Consider whether your dentist meets all of the above requirements. The best materials and technology in the world cannot save you from mismanaged treatments or unsuitable decisions about your oral health.