Determining Pulpal Status – The Hot Test

In the November 2017 newsletter I talked about cold testing teeth to determine pulpal vitality.  The cold test is by far the most commonly employed of the pulp tests and for the most part the easiest to use.
The hot test, while used less frequently, is another important pulp vitality test.  As with cold testing …

Silver Point Endodontic Retreatment

The word “endodontic” comes from two Greek words meaning “inside” and “tooth”.  The first signs of human beings treating the “inside of the tooth” or the root canal system were believed to be around the second or third century B.C.  This notion is founded on the discovery of a skull found in Israel’s Negev Desert …

Apical Periodontitis, a Predictor Variable for Preeclampsia: A Case-Control Study

Khalighinejad et al, JOE 43:10 pp1611-1614, October 2017
Preeclampsia (PE) is a disorder of pregnancy characterized by the onset of high blood pressure (>140/90) and proteinuria amongst other symptoms.  This condition begins, by definition, after 20 weeks of pregnancy and is one of the most common causes of maternal fatalities, preterm birth, and reduced birth …

Determining Pulpal Status – The Cold Test

An accurate determination of the status of the pulp is a critical element in achieving the correct diagnosis and treatment plan.  How the pulp responds to a thermal challenge, both for a specific tooth and comparatively in relation to adjacent and opposing teeth, gives the dentist important information about the health of the pulp tissue.
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Treatment Complexities of a Necrotic Tooth with an Immature Root Form

Endodontics has evolved dramatically over the last 50 years.  Dr. Herbert Schilder in the late 60’s established the principles of endodontic treatment that still govern our best treatment protocols today. He described the five tenets of ideal root canal preparation:

Continuously tapering cone from apex to coronal orifice
Decreasing cross-sectional diameters from orifice to …

Long-term Clinical Outcome of Teeth Obturated with Resilon

1. Barborka et al, JOE 43:4 April 2017, 556-560
The primary objective of root canal treatment is to eliminate the etiology of pulpal and periapical disease and promote tissue healing.  Following cleaning and shaping of the root canal system, the hopefully pristine endodontic environment needs to be filled and sealed, both apically and coronally, to …

Treatment of Recurrent Oral Herpes Labialis – What Works and What Doesn’t

Recurrent Herpes Labialis (RHL) is a commonly occurring condition. It is estimated there are 100 million outbreaks of cold sores in North America each year. Reports suggest 80% of people have antibodies against herpes simplex virus indicating some form of exposure to the virus.
Following a primary infection with either herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV1) or …

Horizontal Root Fractures: To Treat or Not to Treat, That is the Question! But What is the Answer?

It is not uncommon to see people with fractures to anterior teeth, usually as a result of a traumatic incident. A blow to the teeth can result in a crown fracture, partial or complete avulsion, a fracture to the root or some combination. These incidents create a lot of angst for both the patient, their …

Root Canal Completion Survival of Endodontically Treated Teeth

Journal of Endodontics, 42:11, 1598-1603, 2016 I. Pratt et al
The goal of most dentists is to have people, their patients, keep their natural dentition for their entire lifetime. In North America, organized dentistry has made incredible strides helping people keep their teeth, even through the era of high sugar, fast foods. The vast majority …

Irrigation: You Can Clean What You Can’t See

Endodontic irrigation is the second leg of chemo-mechanical cleaning and shaping of the root canal system (RCS).  Both mechanical shaping of the canals and chemical disinfection of the shaped canals are critical to a successful endodontic protocol and a comfortable patient outcome.  Mechanical shaping of the canals was described by Dr. Herbert Schilder in his …