The BiteFX Blog for All Things Relating to Occlusion

How To Not Prep a Broken Molar and Increase Profitability

Posted by Don Reid on Tue, May 31, 2011 @ 19:05 PM

If you’re like me and you love to prep teeth, in all honesty it’s somewhat exciting when you have a new patient on the schedule with a broken back molar. If the schedule is light, it’s almost compelling you restore that molar with a crown "on the spot". But if you understand how occlusion forces destroy mouths and  recognize this new patient is loaded with excessive signs, perhaps not symptoms, of occlusion disease, this is a golden opportunity to show your character by acting in the best interest of the patient and not yours.

I sit beside them and, using BiteFX occlusion software, help them see what I see.
Broken Molar Surrounded by Others
I explain that the broken tooth is surrounded by others because the bite is not properly aligned and that putting a new crown in this environment is foolish as it will eventually wear and break again.

I ask permission to schedule for a complete exam to really help them save this from happening repeatedly. Usually I smooth off the sharp areas of the broken molar or place some flowable composite over the hole.

This visit didn’t pay the rent or my passion for prepping teeth, but the patient knows I’m acting in their best interest. Over time we develop a full plan for their long-term occlusal and dental health which works out better for them and makes for more profitable sessions when several problem teeth can be dealt with in one sitting.

Use the comment link below to say how you deal with this situation.

Tags: Dental Technique

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