31/07/2018
THE PRICE OF GOOD DENTISTRY.
What does it take to become a qualified, educated, skilled, and well-equipped dental practitioner? The short answer is, it takes thousands of dollars and a lifetime of dedication, blood, sweat, and even a few tears.
A good dental program can cost $15,000-$20,000 and will take a minimum of 18 months to complete. Most people will take 2 to 4 years to graduate the program in Idaho. After graduation of a qualified program, certification is then a goal that many students decide to undertake. This process can cost another $1000+ and requires a person to maintain continuing education as long as they wish to keep their certification.
Instruments are a major cost. A well-equipped dental practitioner will likely spend anywhere from $5000 up to $20,000+ on instruments depending on how specialized he or she wishes to become in certain aspects of dentistry. Some practitioners are even using various forms of digital imaging. All of us drive vehicles for travel. We all do business from a cell phone. There are new and more specialized instruments being introduced every year that allows for more precision and better work.
When it comes to the price of your horse dentist, I suppose you can choose from the cheapest guy in town, but I’d certainly verify that he won’t be costing you more money later. Ask him/her about their schooling, instruments, and continuing education. Did they graduate a qualified program? Did they become certified with one of the two major certifying organizations in the country? When/where was their last CE course? Do they use the latest instruments that allow for the best work? Do they use a bright light with a full-mouth speculum?
All these things are very important when you are shopping for someone to work on your horse’s teeth. Dentistry today is not just “floating teeth”. The industry has learned much more about that process in recent decades. Whether your dental provider has a vet license or not, these things still apply!
