Index / Dr. Nosti
FAQ
Straight answers,
including the ones
that are inconvenient.
The questions below come up at nearly every consultation. The answers are the same ones you would be given in the chair.
Why people come here
- He teaches occlusion and full-mouth rehabilitation to other dentists
- Fellowships in three academies — FAGD, FACE and FICOI
- The complex cases other practices refer out
- A written, itemized plan before anything is scheduled
The practice
About this office.
Is Dr. Nosti a specialist?
He is a general dentist who has built a practice around complex restorative work, occlusion and implants, and who teaches those subjects to other dentists. He holds fellowships in three academies — the Academy of General Dentistry, the Academy of Comprehensive Esthetics and the International Congress of Oral Implantologists.
There is no recognized dental specialty in cosmetic dentistry or in occlusion in the United States. Where a case needs a board-certified specialist — a periodontist, an oral surgeon, an endodontist or an orthodontist — you will be referred, and that is said rather than worked around.
What does FACE mean?
Fellow of the Academy of Comprehensive Esthetics. It is awarded for demonstrated competence in comprehensive esthetic and functional dentistry, and relatively few dentists in the United States hold it — a figure of around forty is the one cited in his own published biography.
Do you see children, and do you do routine cleanings?
Yes. This is a general practice as well as a referral practice for complex work. Hygiene, examinations, fillings and family dentistry are a normal part of what happens here, and there is a second dentist in the practice.
How do I get in if I am in pain today?
Call the office. Urgent problems are triaged and seen as soon as the schedule allows, often the same day. Say on the phone that you are in pain rather than asking for the next available appointment.
Treatment
About the work itself.
Why does your plan cost more than the one I was quoted elsewhere?
Usually because it includes stages the other plan did not. A quote for ten veneers is cheaper than a plan that corrects the bite first and then places the veneers. Whether the extra stages are necessary in your case is a fair question and you should ask it directly — you will get a specific answer about your mouth rather than a general argument.
Occasionally the honest answer is that the simpler plan is fine. You will be told that too.
Can I do it in stages?
Nearly always, and most large plans here are sequenced deliberately so they can be. The urgent work comes first, the structural work next, and the cosmetic refinements last. Each stage is designed to be a sensible stopping point rather than a half-finished treatment.
Do you use sedation?
Local anesthetic and nitrous oxide are available for anxious patients, and for longer appointments the schedule is built around breaks rather than endurance. Where a case genuinely calls for deeper sedation, it is arranged with an appropriately licensed provider rather than improvised.
How long will the work last?
Bonded ceramic restorations in a corrected bite, in a mouth that is cleaned and maintained, should be thought of in decades rather than years. Nothing in dentistry is permanent, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling. What actually decides it is the bite, the gums, and whether you wear a guard if you clench.
Will you tell me if I should not have the treatment I came in for?
Yes, and it happens regularly. Veneers on an unstable bite, implants in untreated gum disease, and whitening on teeth that need restoring are all requests that get a straight no and an explanation of what to do instead.
Money
About fees and insurance.
Do you take my insurance?
The office will check your specific plan and tell you what it is likely to cover before treatment starts. Most plans can be used here whether or not the practice is in network, though what you pay differs. Claims are filed on your behalf.
Is financing available?
Yes. Third-party healthcare financing with monthly payments is available and is subject to approval by the lender, not by this office. In-house staging of larger plans is also used, which spreads cost across appointments without interest.
Can you give me a price over the phone?
For a cleaning or a consultation, yes. For anything complex, no — and a practice that does is guessing. The fee for implants, veneers or a reconstruction depends on findings that require an examination, and a number given before that is either padded or going to change.
Keep reading
Next step
Start with an examination and a straight answer.
A consultation includes an examination, the records the case needs and a written, itemized plan. If what you are asking for is not the right treatment, Dr. Nosti will say so and tell you what is.