Friday, December 21, 2007

Fractured Tooth


This patient came in today with a necrotic tooth #14. She had a draining sinus tract on the palatal and recounted a history of massive palatal swelling. Diagnostic tests found #14 Necrotic Pulp with Chronic Apical Abscess.
The tooth had a MO amalgam & O amalgam. Patient also has a history of bruxism with cuspal fractures on other teeth.



Upon access, a crack running down the distal wall and a crack running down the mesial wall both took a left turn and met across the pulpal floor. This tooth was then diagnosed as non-restorable and an extraction was recommended.
Had this tooth been crowned previously, it may have been saved. When patients exhibit severe patterns of occlusion with bruxism, I would recommend cuspal coverage at an earlier stage.
If you have difficulty making this recommendation to your patients, I would be glad to send you some pictures from my photographic collection called, "Teeth that might not have fractured if they had been crowned". You could make a nice picture book with these photos.

1 comment:

Dental Tourism in Croatia said...

Hello Doc,

I would very much like to get some of your photos from your "Teeth that might not have fractured if they had been crowned" collection if possible. I started working just recently and still do not hve so many cases I could show to my patients. I am working at Zagreb, Croatia (Europe). My e-mail is borifilipovic@gmail.com
thnk you very much!