Dave Juliani This happens in all of our practices. A long time patient schedules an appointment yesterday for a "chipped tooth" I walk in to the op and see the case below. As you can see cerec handled the case as we would all expect. I spent time discussing the options with the patient to include:
1) extraction, implant, abutment and crown
2) extraction, Chairside FPD
3) endo, post/core, crown
As I presented the options, I even stated that option number three is becoming outdated in its philosophy and that dentistry as a profession is moving away from the less predictable long term prognosis of the endo/post/ core. I also stated that I did not like option two because of the uncertain condition of #9. The patient chose option #3. I know him very well and as I stated, he has been a patient of mine for twenty years. So I asked him why he chose that option. His answer, "I am 80 yrs old, I have had 17 surgeries in the last 9 years, and I just don't want another one if I can avoid it." Can't argue with that at all. So the question is, what would you guys have done? With all of the technology we have at our fingertips, are we forgetting traditional dentistry?
