The Dawson Academy Blog

Replacement of a Single Missing Tooth With an Implant-Supported Patient-Specific Restoration

by Victor A. Martel, DMD

Treatment of a single hopeless tooth is a routine challenge in dentistry. Causes for this condition commonly include traumatic injury, advanced caries and/or periodontal disease, and failed endodontic procedures. When adequate bone exists at a hopeless tooth site, the current standard of care is surgical extraction of the tooth, followed by placement of a dental implant and eventual restoration with a single crown. This article reviews the evolution of this treatment modality and its alternatives. A case report describing restoration of a hopeless maxillary first molar site using state-of-the-art techniques for preserving both hard and soft tissue is also presented.

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Treating the Edentulous Patient with Dental Implant Therapy: A Review of Treatment Considerations

by Karen S. McAndrew, DMD, MS

Currently, the percentage of completely edentulous patients is declining 10% each decade; however, this is more than offset by the growth of the aging baby boomer population. In reality, an increase in the numbers of completely edentulous cases is being observed. By 2020, an estimated 37.9 million patients will present with one or both fully edentulous arches. According to the National Institute of Health, most of these patients visit their dentist every 14 years, a schedule not conducive to proper maintenance for ensuring properly fitting and functional prostheses.

This article provides an overview of the various restorative options for both the maxilla and mandible, and describes the various dental materials and their benefits that support these restorative options. Approach and treatment is much different for restoration of the maxilla and mandible. Selection of materials and prosthesis design is contingent on many factors. Clinically, assessment of the edentulous ridge anatomy, intra- and interarch spaces, smile line, and need for lip support will aid in determining the optimal prosthetic choice. The opposing dentition, parafunction, and biomechanical loading of the dental implant prostheses also must be considered.

Download Article: Treating the Edentulous Patient

Making Implants Part of Your Everyday Practice: An Alternative to Traditional Tooth Replacement

by Robert F. Faulkner, DDS

Treatment with dental implants has become a popular treatment option for many dentists and their patients. Unfortunately, not all treatment outcomes prove to be successful or always meet the patient’s expectations. Failure of this treatment modality often leads to lost income, unproductive chairtime, and most importantly, the patient questioning the treating dentist’s competency. If practitioners are to be successful with this type of treatment, they must master the fundamentals of successful diagnosis and treatment planning and be fully informed of the many facets of this particular treatment alternative. This article will review the overall principles and necessary information for considering dental implants as a treatment option for patients.

Learning Objectives:
After reading this article, the reader should be able to:

• understand the need for proper diagnosis and treatment planning prior to initiating treatment with dental implants.
• describe the specific elements of implant selection.
• recognize the biomechanical parameters necessary for occlusal and functional loading of implants.
• discuss the requirements for an esthetic outcome for a dental implant restoration.

Download Article: Making Implants Part of Your Everyday Practice

Treatment Planning: Periodontal Records

by Ronald C. Kobernick, DDS, MScD

In my experience, the dentists who are most successful in having patients agree to treatment are those who gather the most thorough diagnostic records. Proper records are vital to consistently achieve long-term, predictable, and stable results that maintain excellent occlusal, functional, and esthetic results and tissue health. Consequently, it is essential for each team member to be versed in acquiring adequate clinical information so that all significant findings can be assessed before and during treatment. Dentists who understand the significance of information gathering and who communicate effectively with the patient about their findings will have more success in treatment and case acceptance.

Download Article: Periodontal Records

Teeth as Sensory Organs

by Jay Harris Levy, DDS

Mastication triggers a unique and complex neural control system that is designed to protect teeth’s structure. As part of this process, mechanoreception is the unconscious sensing or conscious perception of touch or mechanical displacement caused by stimuli such as tension, pressure, and vibration. Endodontically treated teeth and dental implant-retained prostheses provide less mechanosensory information than vital teeth. Consequently, tooth wear and catastrophic failures of nonvital teeth may ensue.

In this article, Dr. Levy proposes a new paradigm in dentistry called teeth as sensory organs; its application may alter treatment plans in the future. 

Learning Objectives
• describe the role of mechanoreception and sensory motor integration.
• recognize how some dental procedures may adversely affect this complex process.
• describe the teeth as sensory organs paradigm.

Download the article Teeth as Sensory Organs

Photographic Analysis and Diagnosis: Step One

By Scott Finlay, DDS, FAGD, AAACD

Only a few decades ago, it would have been difficult to appreciate how indispensible digital photography would become in modern dentistry: the standard for photographic documentation was limited to a film-based process that almost seems archaic from the current perspective. While previously it would take days to process images, now with digital photography the images are instantaneous, providing a powerful tool for diagnosis and treatment planning.

Of all the technologies that have surfaced in dentistry in the past decade, digital photography is one of the most important tools to help dentists move their practice to the next level: to provide true excellence in patient care in today’s environment, excellent digital photographic records are a must.

In this article, we discuss the steps to achieving perfect diagnostic photographs, as well as the steps neccessary for you to take your digital photographs to the level of excellence.

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Concepts and Techniques of a Comprehensive Examination

by Laura E. Wittenauer, DDS

If a group of dentists were queried to determine how many of them do complete examinations, most would say all their new patients receive one. Yet how "complete" is this examination, and, if it is not already complete, why would any dentist want to change to something more involved and time consuming? Without a definitive reason, most dentists would not change their standard practice: however, this article will discuss the ways that a complete examination benefits both the patient and the practice.

Sometimes the standard dental examination fails to evaluate all aspects of the patient's oral health. This article provides insight into what constitutes a complete examination and makes suggestions on the necessary elements for comprehensive diagnosis and treatment.

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Medical Insurance Billing for Splint Therapy

by Rose Nierman, RDH

Are you aware that many of the specialized services that you provide can be billed successfully to a patient’s medical insurance? This ability to bill and receive compensation from medical insurance is a win-win for your patient and your practice. Your patient is more likely to get needed treatment, thus taking advantage of care that medical insurance is intended to provide. Your practice benefits because your expertise and skills are sought and compensated in realms that are both medical and dental in nature. Successfully billing medical insurance for such orthotic claims or splints for temporomandibular disorder (TMD) calls for careful and well-documented insurance coding, but the results can be gratifying.

Download Article: Medical Insurance Billing for Splint Therapy

Records for Success: Mounted Diagnostic Models

by Andrew C. Cobb, DDS

This article provides the rationale and importance of mounted models as an integral part of the records process. It also provides information to help avoid some of the more common problems associated with fabricating mounted models and is not intended to be a step-by-step guide.

Download Records for Success-Mounted Diagnostic Models