The consequences of Dental trauma.

Traumatic dental injuries pose a variety of complex ongoing issues to the dental practitioner. As dental injuries are commonly experienced at a young age, the treatment often takes place during adolescence or early in adulthood years at crucial development stages and very early in the life of the permanent successor. Therefore, the ability to correctly diagnose the injury, and follow an appropriate management plan should increase practitioners' ability to improve both the outcomes of dental trauma and long-term prognosis of the tooth.The consequences of dental trauma can be explored by taking into consideration the type of injury, which enables an assessment of the degree of insult to the pulpal tissues, neurovascular bundle, periodontal ligament and cemental cells. This has a direct influence on post-trauma complications. Early intervention, where indicated, and appropriate follow-up utilising international guidelines is imperative to identify changing diagnoses and act accordingly. This review paper will discuss the classification of traumatic injuries and their associated outcomes with management strategies for emerging disease including potential endodontic and restorative complexities and when to refer to secondary care.

Endodontic management strategies for permanent teeth with immature apices.

This article will provide a summary of causes of incomplete root end closure and the implications of this on endodontic treatment. The limitations and benefits of traditional and more contemporary materials including the use of bioceramic cements are considered. The apical barrier technique is described in detail for teeth with immature apices utilising a variety of bioceramic cements and regenerative endodontic procedures with an overview of appropriate instruments to successfully complete the procedure.

Smile makeover treatments.

The demand for aesthetic smile makeover treatments is increasing, especially with the rise in social media use. Historically, healthy tooth structure was sacrificed in order to achieve rapid results but this would invariably lead to compromise of the occlusion and a less-than-ideal result.Multi-disciplinary treatment planning, including the use of orthodontic treatment, is now routinely used in order to achieve optimal results. This paper aims to highlight the importance of a combined orthodontic-restorative planning process to allow a long-term aesthetic and functional result for our patients.

Considerations for restorative dentistry secondary care referrals - part 3: assessment of case complexity.

Assessing the complexity of a case is a challenging exercise, with many tooth-specific as well as patient-specific considerations required. This decision is not made in isolation but goes hand in hand with the assessment of restorability, as well as strategic importance, both of which have been covered by the previous papers in this series. A number of guidelines regarding this matter have been devised in order to aid clinicians in determining the complexity of their patients and thus the most appropriate setting for their treatment. This paper aims to discuss the various complexity criteria available and their application, thus aiding clinicians in managing some of the more challenging cases.

Considerations for restorative dentistry secondary care referrals - part 1: defining strategic importance.

Strategic importance is an essential concept for dental service providers. It allows clinicians to differentiate treatment needs on both a patient level and a health care commissioning level, not simply based upon complexity alone. On a patient level, it influences both the clinician's and patient's decision as to whether a tooth/teeth should be restored, as well as determining the possible need for specialist input. On a commissioning level, it facilitates the prioritisation of limited resources.Strategic importance can be considered at a patient level, taking into factors such as age, tolerance to treatment and the patient's choice. It can also be considered at a mouth level, accounting for factors such as its impact on function and aesthetics function. All these factors together can influence the decision as to whether complex treatment is warranted on a given tooth, especially in a healthcare model where the allocation of limited resources is necessary.

Considerations for restorative dentistry secondary care referrals - part 2: predictability of treatment.

The assessment of restorability is necessary to determine whether it is possible to predictably restore a tooth once primary disease has been managed.There are a multitude of factors that may determine the restorability of a tooth. It varies on a case-by-case basis and as such, clinicians must consider both local tooth factors and general patient-related factors, ensuring a holistic approach when assessing these patients.This article discusses the many factors that determine a tooth's restorability, including a review of the current indices available to clinicians to aid in this process.

Current technology in endodontic instrumentation: advances in metallurgy and manufacture.

Since the introduction of nickel-titanium endodontic instruments, there have been a myriad of developments which can be confusing and sometimes contradictory. This article seeks to review and articulate these advances, and allow the reader to better understand the benefits and the limitations of the systems available. Ultimately, this helps clinicians to engage more confidently with trade and have a more informed choice of the most appropriate file to use for each individual endodontic case. All this should facilitate more predictable endodontic outcomes.

Functionally Orientated Tooth Replacement for Older Patients.

Across the globe the population is ageing. In addition, older patients are retaining increasing numbers of natural teeth into old age. Therefore, clinicians are faced with the challenges of managing chronic dental diseases, including caries and periodontal disease, alongside replacing missing units. A number of treatment options are available to replace missing teeth for such patients with large numbers currently receiving removable partial dentures. Alternative approaches to treatment should be considered for this population group, including functionally orientated tooth replacement according to the principles of the shortened dental arch concept. In correctly chosen cases, this approach can provide patients with an acceptable, functional and aesthetic reduced dentition. Additionally, evidence suggests that such an approach can significantly reduce the maintenance burden for patients and clinicians which can ultimately deliver a more cost effective solution compared to removable alternatives.

Intentional replantation - a clinical review of cases undertaken at a major UK dental school.

Introduction Intentional replantation (IR) may offer a solution for persistent periapical lesions associated with endodontically treated teeth in select cases. This case series demonstrates the use of IR as an alternative treatment approach to both orthograde and surgical endodontic retreatment. The indications, contraindications, benefits and risks of IR are discussed, and the clinical procedure is outlined.Setting Restorative Department, University Dental Hospital of Manchester, UK.Case reports Of the 13 cases presented, the follow-up period before discharge ranged from 3-28 months. Only one tooth which presented intra-operative challenges required extraction three months after IR due to post-operative mobility.Conclusion In select cases, IR may provide a simple, less invasive and cost-effective alternative to both endodontic retreatment and extraction alone following appropriate training.

Endodontic microsurgery. Part two: armamentarium and technique.

Modern endodontic microsurgery has a high reported success rate of up to 93.5%, making it a viable treatment option in the management of periapical disease when orthograde root treatment is not possible or inappropriate. This high success rate is intimately related to advanced techniques that have allowed practitioners to overcome historical barriers to the success seen in traditional surgical endodontics. When comparing traditional root-end surgery and endodontic microsurgery there are key differences when considering the flap design, access armamentarium, size of osteotomy, instruments used and root-end material. This paper highlights such key differences and advises practitioners on the techniques and instruments used to achieve high success rates, firmly establishing non-surgical endodontic treatment as an important treatment option in well-selected cases.

Endodontic microsurgery. Part one: diagnosis, patient selection and prognoses.

Historically, surgical endodontics has been viewed as a treatment of last resort, mainly due to poor outcomes as a result of limitations in materials and techniques. Contemporary techniques, modern materials and better visualisation have all led to an improvement in success rates, making endodontic microsurgery a valuable treatment option to certain patients. Such advances, however, are no substitute for skill in endodontic diagnosis and treatment planning, which can often prove challenging. A variety of tools are available to test for fractures and assess both periodontal and pulpal health. More advanced techniques such as cone beam computed tomography are often invaluable in pre-surgical assessment and diagnosis. Once an accurate diagnosis has been established, a favourable prognosis is explicitly linked to careful patient selection. Orthograde treatment, or retreatment, remains the gold standard for the majority of endodontic problems. However, there are a number of indications for surgery where orthograde treatment is either impossible, or less likely to be successful. It is paramount for any clinician undertaking endodontic surgery to have a detailed understanding of the local and systemic factors associated with successful treatment. Whilst there are few absolute medical contraindications, there are a number of conditions which may influence patient management and make treatment more challenging.

Management of missing maxillary lateral incisors in general practice: space opening versus space closure.

The aim of this paper is to inform the reader of the main principles considered in the management of mild hypodontia involving the absence of one or more maxillary lateral incisors. With increasing demand and limited resources of hospital dental services, general dental practitioners (GDPs) are required to actively participate in the restorative management of mild hypodontia cases. The objectives of this article are to discuss the arguments for and against space opening versus space closure and to highlight key points to consider in treatment planning. The paper discusses advantageous scenarios for both space opening and space closing cases, with the aim of providing the reader with some basic concepts to apply to cases in general practice. Included in the paper is guidance for practitioners on the diagnosis of a missing maxillary incisor via the use of a flow chart and table. It is hoped that this paper will support and enhance the care delivered by GDPs in the restorative management of mild hypodontia patients.

Modern Endodontic Principles. Part 8: The Future of Endodontics.

Although the principles of endodontics have remained unchanged for many decades, root canal treatment has been subject to major changes in the past few years. This paper outlines the cutting-edge advances including the materials and techniques used. CPD/Clinical Relevance: This article provides an overview of bioactive materials and insight into regenerative endodontics, vital pulp therapy and intentional replantation.

Modern Endodontic Principles. Part 6: Managing Complex Situations.

Clinicians are often faced with endodontic cases that are significantly more challenging than the primary root canal treatment of mature adult teeth. This paper outlines some of the common treatment modalities which can be employed in situations in which either primary treatment has failed, or there is iatrogenic damage or unusual anatomy. CPD/Clinical Relevance: This paper will provide the reader with advice and techniques for undertaking orthograde endodontic retreatment, hemisection, endodontic surgery and management of teeth with incompletely formed roots.

Modern Endodontic Principles. Part 5: Obturation.

Once cleaning and shaping is complete the clinician must obturate the canal. There are many different materials and techniques available each with their own discrete advantages and disadvantages. Whichever technique is used, the goal is to seal the entire prepared length of the root canal. This paper describes how best this may be achieved. CPD/Clinical Relevance: It is incumbent on the clinician to ensure that once the canal has been prepared it is sealed from bacterial re-entry.

Modern Endodontic Principles Part 4: Irrigation.

The complex anatomy of the tooth limits the ability to eradicate pathogens by mechanical means alone. Irrigation is the key to solving this problem. This paper highlights the importance of irrigation, the key irrigants available and methods of improving the performance of irrigants within the canal. CPD/CLINICAL RELEVANCE: To provide advice on which irrigants to use, how to use them effectively and safely and what to do if irrigants are extruded beyond the apex.

Modern Endodontic Principles Part 7: The Restorative Interface.

The restoration of endodontically-treated teeth is a topic that has been extensively studied and yet remains controversial. The endodontically-treated tooth can be restored with a wide range of techniques of varying complexity. This article reviews the literature on this topic. Consideration is given to the ferrule and its importance in achieving success. Furthermore, consideration will be given to the use of endodontically-treated teeth as abutments for fixed and removable prostheses and the challenges this presents. Clinical recommendations are presented as guidelines to improve the predictability and outcome of treatment when restoring structurally compromised root-filled teeth. Clinical relevance: The prognosis of endodontically-treated teeth depends not only on the success of the endodontic treatment, but also on the type of reconstruction.