Features

Is it Time to invest in new technology?

It is time to start thinking about upgrading the technology in your practice. Realize every practice is different. If your computer system is 10 years old, you may want to invest in new computer equipment and software. If your dental chairs are 30 years old, it might be time for replacements. If your phone system … Read more

Coronation Dental Specialty Group

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The new home of the Coronation Dental Specialty Group in Cambridge, Ontario is located in the Canamera Medical Centre, a large, one-level medical facility in the middle of the city. CDSG is a large group of dental specialists providing oral and maxillofacial surgery, periodontics, endodontics and anaesthesia services. “This is an example of a very … Read more

Simplification of Final Impressions Complicated by Exostoses, Tori Palatinus, Tori Mandibularis and Tooth Mal-position: Disposable Heat Mouldable Trays

Figure 16--Lateral view of the impression showing adaptation around the torus without burn through.

Intra-oral bony growths of all types, present a clinical challenge for the dental team attempting to capture accurate detail for final impressions of crown and bridge, removable prosthetics, oral appliances, accurate opposing models, study models, and whitening trays. Stock impression trays often can’t be seated to depth, because they get hung up on these bony … Read more

A Troublesome Relationship

Bruce Glazer is the prosthodontic editor for Oral Health as well as the communication editor and a dental advisor for CDPA.

As the communication editor of CDPA (Canadian Dental Protective Association) I am involved with the analysis of data from cases that place dentists at risk. One such area of particular interest is the interrelationship of dentists working in conjunction with denturists. In the RCDS(O) publication Dispatch1 this issue has been highlighted three times since 2002. … Read more

Billing Patients Ethically: The Role of the Dental Fee Guide

Picture it. Scenario One: Your patient has just arrived for his dental recall appointment and you’ve now become aware that the patient is one week early; his dental insurance plan won’t pay for such recall examinations unless exactly six months have passed since his last recall appointment. The patient asks you to just change the … Read more

Portrait Photography in Prosthodontics

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Portrait photography can be used to document a finished case or as a marketing tool for advertising your skills to potential clients, and like radiographs in the endodontic referral letter, can be used to enhance a reporting letter. The skill required to produce professional quality portraits, requires work but the journey will be a rewarding … Read more

You Better Sweat The SMALL Stuff!

FIGURE 6--Symmetry device communicates midline to the laboratory.

If a plastic dual arch impression tray can negatively affect the fit of a restoration clinically1,2,3,4,5,8 you better believe that the SMALL stuff can have a tremendous impact on the quality of your dentistry and the overall success of your business/practice. In 2007, 3M/ESPE reported the cost in lost revenue to the dental practitioner for … Read more

Self Learning, Assessment 2009

Funding for the SLSA program has been provided by:

Instructions and the Answer Card are found between pages 34 and 35. The 15 Question 2009 SLSA Quiz for CE points appears on these two pages along with instructions and reply card. To be eligible for CE points, responses must be received by December 31, 2009.

An Evidence-Based Endodontic Implant Algorithm: Untying the Gordian Knot; Part I

FIGURE 16b--Modification of taper in last mm of the apical terminus, exaggerates the "constriction" or minor apical diameter. Thermo-labile vertical condensation has been shown to enhance successful endodontic outcomes. The matrix effect of the apical control zone enhances the gravitometric density of the required hermetic apical seal as well as enabling more material to flow into the region to occlude fins, cul-de-sacs, deltas and lateral arborizations.

Study the past, if you would divine the future — Confucius The Endodontic Implant Algorithm — provides highlights in the assessment and identification of determinant factors leading to endodontic failures, in order to help in the decision making process whether or not it is adequate to implement an new endodontic approach vs. extraction and replacement … Read more

Are Gloves Effective? A Retrospective Analysis Provides An Answer

Universal precautions were introduced by the Centers for Disease Control in 1987. Their purpose was to allay the fears expressed by health care workers regarding the occupational acquisition of AIDS. An essential feature of universal precautions (UPs) was the wearing of gloves by dental personnel for all intra-oral procedures. Since the late 1980s gloves have … Read more

Multidisciplinary Management Of A Large Area Of External Root Resorption

External root resorption is an uncommon event, but one that can threaten the long-term viability of a tooth. Its management is greatly affected by the lesion location (apico-coronally and circumferentially), the size of the lesion and a timely diagnosis. Both surgical and non-surgical methods can be utilized in its management. Lesions that are located close … Read more

Self Learning, Self Assessment 2009 (October 01, 2009)

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The SLSA program is based on current, referenced literature and consists of 40 questions, answers, rationales and references. Answers appear in the following issue at the end of each quiz. Dentists who complete the 15 question quiz in the November, 2009 issue of Oral Health may be eligible to receive continuing education points. The names … Read more

Cold-Welded Healing Abutment: A Unique Implant Complication

FIGURE 1A--The abutment and cast model of the cold-welded abutment.

There are a myriad of complications that may occur with either the surgical or prosthetic phase of implant dentistry. In this case report one uncommon complication is presented and the possible solutions examined. A 41-year-old patient presented for an implant in the 26 area after a failed endodontic procedure. The patient was a smoker of … Read more

Cross Sectional Imaging For Implant Placement Medially Or Buccally To The Mandibular Canal: Two Case Studies

FIGURE 16--120 months post-treatment cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scan, cross-sectional reformats, showing that the implants in the 47 (slice 58) and the 46 (slice 66) perforate the lingual plate. Yellow arrows indicate bone grafting material covering a portion of the apical aspect of these implants.

Treatment planning for implant placement includes the prescription and interpretation of an appropriate diagnostic imaging technique in order to determine the quantity of bone available for implants and to assess the morphology of the alveolus. Location of critical anatomic structures, such as the mandibular canal, in three dimensions is critical to successful implant place ment. … Read more

Tooth Stabilization Of The Periodontally Compromised Dentition With Fiber Reinforced Adhesive Composite Resin

FIGURES 13A, B &C--Completed composite resin ribbon reinforced splint. (A) Facial view. (B) Lingual view. (C) Radiographic view.

For those patients with moderate to severe periodontal disease, tooth mobility can contribute to discomfort when eating and decreased masticatory and occlusal function. Clinical management of the hyper-mobile tooth can pose challenges, foremost, in determining etiology, whether related to existing periodontal attachment loss, or genuine trauma due to occlusion. Occlusal trauma and mobility in the … Read more