TREATMENT PLANNING

TREATMENT PLANNING

There are three broad areas in treatment planning, namely:-

1. The patient’s expectations and budget:  Firstly, ask the patient what are his/her expectations and hopes, and then listen very carefully. It is the patient who is paying for the treatment and it is the patient who has to live with it. The ability to meet and even exceed the patient’s expectations is vital to the success or failure of  any treatment plan. Then ask the patient concerning their budget that they have in mind for the cost of the treatment, and then try to work reasonably within the budget.

2. The medical and oral condition of the patient: The general medical condition of the patient should be assessed and written down. This can often be done easily with the help of a questionnaire. Based on the questionnaire, the dentist can ask further questions that will help in the treatment planning. Then the oral condition must be checked carefully and then written down.

3. The dentist’s expertise and materials available:  The dentist should then assess honestly and diligently whether the treatment required is within his capacity. This will determine whether the dentist should go ahead with the treatment, refer the patient to someone who has the expertise, or work together with a fellow dentist who has the expertise. The materials that the dentist have available are important because the particular demands of the case may require certain materials and  certain characteristics of the implant system used, and the dentist should determine this before proceeding.