In the real world ( private practice ) doing dental procedures on a regular basis, being reimbursed a fair fee and expecting successful outcomes is a stressful and challenging goal.
A dentist must learn to be a businessman, psychologist and humanitarian along with an expert diagnostician and therapist.
These case studies are designed to present in an unedited manner the real world situations that are routinely encountered in private practice. Please realize that limited time documentation of a case may not be a fair appraisal of the long term success of certain procedures ( and guarantees of success in medical procedures are rarely given ).
Hopefully, by exposing and analyzing these cases the practitioner will be comforted in knowing that we are not infallible and as human beings, pursuing noble goals is a worthwhile endeavor.
This emergency patient came to me after his four unit porcelain prosthesis had dislodged. It had been cemented with temporary cement. He had a closed bite with no overjet and I believe this was part of the reason (occlusal trauma) … Continue reading
This emergency patient presented to my office with a chief complaint of his inability to utilize his denture due to an irritation. It appeared that there was a small irritated area on the lower left lingual edentulous ridge. A radiograph … Continue reading
Broken tooth and utilizing clinical judgment in regard to proper endodontic therapy This woman presented to my office with a broken front tooth. The broken tooth segment was an acrylic material over an acrylic post. This was destined to fail … Continue reading
This 82 old female patient presented with generalized oral pain. She has been wearing an upper full denture for years. Her lower natural dentition was intact but showed signs of deterioration. She has been on multiple medications for years and … Continue reading
This 65 year old female patient presented to my office with a chief complaint of vague, generalized discomfort from the left posterior region. Other than old and deteriorated amalgam restorations I did not see an obvious etiology. It was decided … Continue reading
The decision to perform third molar extractions should be based on the experience and know how of the dentist. Oral surgeons do this routinely. General dentists on the other hand may decide not to perform these procedures due to a … Continue reading
September 4, 2014 Diagnosis: This very nice patient presented with deep decay on an upper left second molar. She was in pain. Treatment considerations: Basically this tooth was salvageable however it would require endodontic therapy and a post/core and crown … Continue reading
The treatment plan was a conservative attempt to restore function and make the patient comfortable. He was very uncomfortable with the previously made partial denture and his HMO dental experience. He is now very happy.
Radiographs, even digital can miss large carious lesions when decay is present on the buccal surface. A careful intra-oral exam is necessary ( on a regular basis ). Fortunately this lesion had not penetrated the pulp chamber and therefore root … Continue reading
Routine dental exams can detect decay early. Early detection will allow saving a tooth with a minimal amount of dental treatment, less time spent at the dental office and saving a lot of money. So, neglect on my part by … Continue reading