Why Fix a Tooth Before It Hurts?
HOLIDAYS FLURRY FROZEN PENGUIN
WREATH SNOWFLAKE WINTER SLEIGH
COOKIES ORNAMENTS REINDEER STOCKINGS
M any patients are surprised when they hear they need a cavity filled or a crown. I am often told, “I will wait until it is bothering me to fix it.” Dentists make recommendations for treatment because they know what is coming down the road. I would like to show you an example that really struck me this month. The picture below shows a tooth that is fractured. Unfortunately, it is no longer fixable. The fracture goes all the way through the root of the tooth.
Potato Latkes For the Holiday Season
Inspired by The New York Times
Let me step back to what this tooth looked like a few months before this happened. The tooth had a very large filling, tiny fracture lines, no sensitivity, and no decay. I discussed with the patient the high risk of the tooth fracturing and possibly not being fixable. The treatment plan for the tooth was a crown. The patient explained to me that the tooth had been that way for a long time and that if it started to bother him, he would contact me.
INGREDIENTS
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2 large russet potatoes, scrubbed
1 large onion, peeled and cut into quarters
A fractured tooth
2 large eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp kosher salt
While on vacation, the patient bit on a piece of granola. The tooth became very painful to chew on and abscessed in the course of a few weeks. It had never been uncomfortable in the past. Waiting had seemed like a reasonable course of action. I had hoped the tooth would simply need a root canal and crown, but when I began to work, I saw this tooth was no longer fixable. What is next for this tooth and patient? The tooth will need to be extracted and replaced with either a bridge or an implant. The time, discomfort, and financial expense multiplied exponentially from the original treatment. This story is not meant to scare you but rather to inform you. When making treatment recommendations, I take many factors into account: the current condition of the tooth, presence of symptoms, and likelihood of future treatment needs. Teeth in compromised conditions often need treatment before they are painful. This is true for all kinds of treatment recommendations, including deep cleaning, crowns, wisdom tooth extraction, and restorative treatment. One of the hardest parts of being a dentist is giving bad news. It never feels good to tell a patient they need a crown, much less an extraction and implant. One of the best analogies I have ever heard is as follows: “Would you drive a car cross-country if it had bald tires?”
1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp black pepper
Safflower or vegetable oil, for frying
DIRECTIONS
1. Using a food processor with a coarse grating disc or the coarse side of a box grater, grate potatoes and onion. (If using a food processor, halve or quarter potatoes.) Once grated, use a clean dish towel or cheesecloth to wring out as much moisture as possible. 2. Transfer to a mixing bowl and mix in eggs, flour, salt, baking powder, and pepper. 3. Heat a heavy-bottomed pan containing 1/4-inch of oil over medium-high heat. Use a heaping tablespoon to drop batter into the hot pan, working in batches. Use a spatula or spoon to form them into discs. Fry about 5 minutes per side, until deeply browned. 4. Transfer to a paper towel-lined wire rack to drain, and serve alongside applesauce and sour cream.
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