Tukwila Dentist Dr Lance Timmerman DMD is a general dentist. While he is known worldwide for his skills in cosmetic dentistry, most of his time is spent doing regular general dentistry.
From composite white fillings to extractions, from dental implant placement to dental implant restorations, Dr Timmerman can help.
If you are looking for a dentist for ALL of your needs, Dr Lance Timmerman is worth a call at 206-241-5533 TODAY!
The dental clinic in Tukwila managed by Dr Lance Timmerman DMD is focused on patient comfort. The general dental practice, while skilled in cosmetic dentistry and dental implants, is primarily a family dental office.
Conveniently located in Tukwila behind the Family Fun Center and adjacent to the Starfire Soccer Complex, the office is very easy to get to. Immediately after exiting the Interstate 405 offramp on exit 1, the parking lot for the building is across the street.
If you would like a dental office that is so easy to get to that you can take care of your dental work during a lunch break and not miss work time, call 206-241-5533!
This may become a permanent link on the site, but this article should be well understood. Dr Timmerman often sees people that have sought to save money by leaving the country, only to have work done that had unnecessary risks involved. Poor sterilization, inferior skills and simply poor results are not uncommon.
By Tariq Idris
Last updated at 12:39 AM on 6th June 2010
My first patient of the day was a middle- aged woman whose face was totally misshapen. She had been on holiday to India to have dental implants. The procedure had gone wrong but her fears had been dismissed despite the pain.
On her return, she had been admitted to Manchester’s Royal Infirmary where doctors confirmed she was suffering from a blood infection.
Her implants had to be removed, as did some of the jaw bone, and she was warned that should she ever want implants again she would need a bone graft.
The poor woman could not face any more expensive procedures and I had to fit her with false teeth.
Her story is a stark warning of the dangers that patients face when they travel abroad for what they believe is a bargain.
Unfortunately she is not the first such case I have seen - nor is she likely to be the last. That is why I want to warn patients about the risks involved. Weigh up everything before undergoing treatment abroad.
I invite anyone planning to go abroad for expensive treatments such as implants, crowns or veneers to get a second opinion from me.
I have worked in the industry for 15 years and my patients have included former Hollyoaks actress Davinia Taylor, singer Charlotte Church and England footballer Steven Gerrard.
I am happy to assess whether patients’ treatment plans are correct and whether they could save money by staying in this country. They can even scan in X-rays and send reports online.
But why the sudden desire to go abroad? Let me explain.
Since the new contract for NHS dentists was introduced in 2006, people are finding it harder to locate an NHS dentist: only 26.9 million people - about half the population - saw a dentist in the two years following the reforms, a drop of 1.2 million from the two previous years.
Dentists are no longer paid different fees for each treatment. They get lump sums instead, meaning they find it less cost-effective to carry out difficult, time-consuming procedures.
Recent statistics have revealed that the number of treatments such as crowns, bridges and dentures has plummeted by 57 per cent since the system was introduced.
Meanwhile, the number of patients having teeth extracted in hospital has risen by a third from 135,000 in 2003/4 to 175,000 between 2007/8.
How awful is that in 21st Century Britain? There is also a rise in the number having implants - artificial titanium tooth roots - inserted into the gums to support crowns, bridges and dentures.
There has been a culture shift away from dentures. People are keen to look and feel younger and more attractive. Even 20 years ago, a pensioner might have accepted that they would end up wearing dentures; nowadays that’s something most try to resist.
However, implants are expensive. We have 28 teeth, excluding wisdoms, and costs can vary from £2,000 to £2,500 a tooth. I have seen treatment plans in this country approaching £100,000.
But that is because about half of all patients wanting implants need bone augmentation. In the most severe cases, bone is removed from the hip and implanted in the jaw.
And that is why many people go abroad. They do not want dentures and fear the costs in this country will be prohibitive. Yet often the service abroad is no cheaper.
Foreign clinics may market an implant in basic terms as costing about £400 to £500. But that is not the whole picture.
Firstly, that price does not include the tooth or any bone graft - just the screw.
Secondly, patients often do not actually need the number of implants or the grafting for which they have been quoted. Thanks to modern science and research, we now know that you do not need 14 implants to replace a top jaw - but a smaller number of pegs with a bridge between them.
You might need only six implants to support a whole jaw and sometimes you can get away with as few as four.
People may be persuaded to have teeth extracted unnecessarily and more implants than they need, both of which push up the cost. They are often told they need bone grafting when they may not necessarily.
A handful of patients I have already given a second opinion to have said: ‘Wow. I don’t need a bone graft? Forget the money. This is saving me from going through a pretty horrendous operation.’
The Hollywood smile is a combination of veneers, crowns and bridges, for which you can pay anywhere between £8,000 and £20,000.
But often the treatments recommended abroad are not appropriate, for example if the patient has a gum problem. Dentists here would not advise veneers or crowns until that was fixed. Otherwise the patient would end up with more problems and could even lose all their teeth.
There is also a potentially serious problem if the veneer is not fitted properly - it will not look good and could trap plaque and cause gum inflammation. And if the tooth is not drilled correctly there is a real risk of damaging the nerve.
Then you have the costs of booking a flight, taking time off work and dealing with any problems on your return.
The key thing to remember is that whether you plump for Eastern Europe or Asia, you are not covered by British regulations.
Here we have a system where you can go back to your dentist, which is regulated by a governing body, or complain to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
And, ironically, about half the patients I have seen who have had procedures abroad would have paid the same, or even less, in the UK.
www.free2ndopinion.co.uk
Recently, a new patient asked about our view on mercury fillings and tooth colored fillings. It seems, even TODAY, that dentists are telling patients that mercury fillings last longer than tooth colored ones, yet most dentists would not place them in their family’s mouths.
The reality is, whether you agree that mercury fillings are poisonous or not, amalgam fillings break teeth. Well placed bonded fillings last longer, as they are more conservative and are sealed into place.
If you feel that your dentist is practicing to a standard of 30 years ago, perhaps you should call Dr Timmerman and see what your options are. 206-241-5533. Mention “Google” and your exam is FREE!
Dr Lance Timmerman of Tukwila, WA has added OraVerse® to his practice. This helps reduce the amount of time that you are numb, so you can get back to your normal life !
If you are like most people, you HATE that numb feeling. With OraVerse® you only have to endure it for half the time.
If you would like to know more, call 26-241-5533.
My daughter had her tonsils removed earlier today. While this is a nerve wracking experience for a parent, it was made worse by the wait. While we were told to be there at 8:30, they didn’t start until after noon. Three and a half hours later…!
My 7 year old had been obedient and did not eat since the prior evening. At this point, she was VERY hungry. Even when they decided to start, they waited. She was given some Versed to make her groggy and to forget when she had the IV started. But by the time the doctor finally came in, the Versed had started to wear off…
All in all, everything went well. She is recovering just fine and seems almost like the normal bubbly child that I love dearly.
But this got me to thinking. I am VERY proud that we see our patients on time. EVERY time. If there is a reservation with us at 9:30, we see you at 9:30! On a bad day, it might be 9:35…
We do this by reserving enough time to allow for the unforseen. This means most appointments are scheduled LONGER than needed, and we DON’T see more than one person at a time.
This DOES create a certain amount of responsiblility on our patients. If we reserved time at 9:30, that doesn’t mean come at 9:45 or 10:00. If you come late, we may need to reschedule and charge a no show fee, or we don’t get as much done as planned. We DON’T go long and affect the person at 10:30, since THEY deserve our time as reserved. We respect YOUR time, so you need to respect OURS.
If you are looking for an office that runs on time and often is done earlier than planned, call 206-241-5533 and see what we can do for YOU…!
Sometimes there is no way around it. A tooth needs to be pulled (or extracted). Sometimes the efforts can be aggressive, but the goal is “atraumatic tooth removal”, meaning minimal to zero collateral damage.
The key is using the right tools. Dr Timmerman uses a tool called Physics Forceps to get the tooth out quickly and with less post operative discomfort.
If you need a tooth pulled, call 206-241-5533!
As “frugal” is the “new black”, questions of fees are common. A recent inquiry was about a dental bridge, which often has costs that are not directly monetary.
An economist will talk of “opportunity costs”. One way to look at this is where a person might enjoy their first pizza, but by the twelfth they don’t really enjoy it. Another is where a person may have saved money, but had they invested, the money would have grown. Or instead of investing they could have paid down debt.
In dentistry, there are other things to consider. For a bridge, there is the cost of treating the adjacent teeth. The cost will vary with how long the span of the bridge is as well, as in the span is larger if you are missing 3 teeth instead of 1. There is also the cost of future care.
The initial cost for a 3 unit bridge will vary, but in OUR area it can range from $2700 to $4500. The price can go up dramatically as teeth are added and there is a limit as to how large the bridge can be. It is not a good idea to have a 10 tooth bridge to replace 4-5 missing teeth, as the stresses and forces generated will cause the bridge to fail much sooner than smaller bridges would.
Another cost to consider is future cost. While a bridge may work, if not properly maintained will need replacement. Longevity ranges from 5 to 20 years (as an average). An implant or implant supported bridge may last 2-3 times as long.
There is much to consider, so feel free to call 206-241-5533 to learn more!
Sometimes “things” happen. That tooth that has been a bother off and on has become more “on” than “off”… and NOW it finally broke. As luck would have it, the weekend is here and your dentist is on vacation…
Quite often when teeth break, simply placing a crown on the tooth will solve the problem. But sometimes that won’t work. Cracks in teeth sometimes can propagate the length of the tooth, like when splitting wood, and the tooth either needs a root canal in addition to the crown or the tooth must come out, resulting in the need for a dental implant or bridge.
Whatever the case is, Dr Timmerman can help. With the latest technology, Dr Timmerman can restore your dental health in a comfortable and caring environment.
Dr Timmerman has noticed that his patients that have trouble communicating due to loss of hearing don’t get the needed dental care as often as they should. With a challenge such as theirs, he can only speculate as to “why”, which is not as important as “how”.
Dr Timmerman offers a service in his office, an interpreter. This expert in American sign language has helped him communicate dental needs to his patients that otherwise would not get care, or would only seek care when the pain was unbearable.
If you, or someone you know, is hearing impaired, contact us at info@DrTimmerman.com and let us help!
