Integrating Minimally Invasive Concepts in Complex Treatment Plans

Synopsis 

On a regular basis in practice, clinicians are faced with patient presentations that go beyond the simple decision of, does a tooth need a restoration or not? Those more difficult decisions often involve situations such as, an anterior tooth presents with a horizontal root fracture, should I retain it, or extract and place an implant, what do I need to look at to make an informed decision? A patient presents with an existing un-esthetic three-unit anterior FPD, should I replace it, or do an implant and 3 single unit restorations? What needs to be evaluated? What does the literature say about the 5, 10, and 20 year success of FPD’s vs Implants? This presentation will focus on these kinds of dilemmas involving tooth retention and restoration, vs removal and replacement. The specific clinical dilemmas covered, in addition to the two listed above, will be, teeth with apical root resorption, advanced bone loss, and ankylosis. Clinical examples and literature support will be presented for all of the above listed dilemmas.

The attendees will learn 1) An algorithm of key questions to ask when deciding whether to retain and restore vs remove and replace. 2) What the literature states the long-term success rates are for the different conditions listed above. 3) How the age of the patient impacts the treatment decision of whether to retain and restore vs remove and replace, the concept of “Management vs Cure”. 4) The importance of looking forward to, “What is next”, and how that can impact the choice of what to do now.