Continued education is very important for endodontists in central Arkansas. As technology advances and new studies are done, we learn more about how to best treat our patients. There is always something more to learn in the field of dentistry.
That is why we take great care to read and provide or colleagues the Colleagues For Excellence Newsletter. It is a popular read among endodontists.
Find it on our website here.
The spring 2018 newsletter headlined the advancement that is cone beam technology. It has allowed endodontist to properly diagnose and treat difficult cases.
That might not seem exciting to our patients. But the advancement means a “new era” of dental diagnostics. It means we are better able to determine whether or not we can save the tooth with endodontic treatment.
The Colleagues for Excellence newsletter is only published twice a year. General dentists and specialists alike get a copy and read about the specific topic being covered.
The technology is exciting to endodontists because it helps us help patients.
The newsletter highlighted a case where doctors were recommending extraction. Upon further review of the scans, it was positively determined that the painful lesion originated in the tooth next to it. The correct tooth was extracted. A year later the bone surrounding the area was completely healed and back in working order.
Had the wrong diagnostic been made, the patient would have lost a perfectly good tooth. The lesion may have had more time to grow and cause damage.
More options for patients means less extractions.
As endodontists, we know that saving the tooth is the best option. Patients have the right to know all their options and make the decision for themselves. In a recent case study, a patient was experiencing pain in a tooth that had already been endodontically treated. The endodontist recommended a treatment that involves removing the tooth, performing microsurgery to solve the problem, and reimplanting the tooth in the bone.
The other option for the patient was extraction. After seeing imaging provided by cone beam technology, the patient agreed. The tooth is healthy and causes the patient no more pain.
