Are you on the same page as the specialists you refer to? An interesting situation was presented by one of our subscribers and they wanted to share it with the entire Group. A patient had had a 3 unit bridge (28-29-30) inserted ~ 15 years previously. The patient had disappeared for several years and when he returned, presented with loose bridge caused by a severely broken down unsalvageable #30. The patient was in his late 70's, had average periodontal health and a history of "putting off definitive treatment until it was really necessary". In addition, the patient had subgingival decay around another crowned tooth, #12. It was decided that the tooth requiring the crown lengthening would be addressed first, and then attention would be directed to the the molar abutment and its options. The patient was referred to a periodontist. Two months later the patient returned with a healed crown lengthening on #12 and an implant where #30 had been! The only fee the periodontist had discussed with the patient had been the implant. When the patient found out the cost for a replacement bridge, he hit the ceiling.
The lesson from this is that make sure your specialists understand that they should be co-treatment planning with you. They should not be taking the initiative and possibly misleading the patient. They should discuss treatment options with you before presenting to the patient.