🎤Oprah Treating Cracked Teeth

Some controversial literature and a completing crown preps with microscopes

Good morning ya Oprah lovers,

Today, we are talking about cracked teeth with some spicy literature that seems to cause more professional disagreements than just about any other subject in our world.

Here’s today’s line-up:

  • 🎤Should you treat that crack? Oprah sifts through the literature.

  • ☕Coffee Break. Shoes that warn you of danger, beautiful work under a microscope, and a call for all dentists in Minnesota

  • ⚾Is this Heaven? The Field of Dreams helps diagnose hopeless teeth.

Soooo, do we treat all teeth with cracks?

When it comes to asymptomatic cracked teeth, sometimes dentists can be like Oprah.

But SHOULD we be handing out crowns for asymptomatic cracked teeth like Oprah hands out cars??

For example:

Assume:

  • ❌The patient is asymptomatic

  • ❌No signs of radiographic or clinical caries

No judgement either way!

But, here are some interesting findings from the lit:

👉Cracks are way more common then we thought…

And of those 1,943 patients….

That’s a whole bunch of cracked teeth!!

So, we should be treating all of them…right, Dr. Oprah?

But, dental Facebook groups will tell ya to crown all asymptomatic cracks…

Because anecdotally yes, apparently all cracked teeth will end up like this 👇

Hold your horses, buddy…

…at least one very good study says that cracks really don’t progress the large majority of the time…

And this is where we feel like we are inciting violence…because when the toothpaste commercial says, “9/10 dentists recommend…”

…they were definitely not talking about cracked teeth.

So there's some debate…which we embrace with open arms (respond to this email with your thoughts on the topic- good, bad, or indifferent).

But, where there is less debate = crowning symptomatic, cracked teeth…

We’re talking about those with reversible pulpitis and a normal apex

And patients probably walk into your office all the time with this experience.

But, are we dooming all cracked teeth into needing a root canal if we wait for symptoms to develop?

Some dentists think so…

But again, some very good research says otherwise:

Dr. Oprah is right…

But like all disclaimers at the end of research, more needs to be discovered in the arena of cracked teeth.

To summarize:

  • 📈Cracked teeth are common. One study shows that 75% of adults have at least one posterior tooth with crack

  • 🛑Nearly 90% of teeth show no signs of crack progression

  • 👑Only 20% of teeth with reversible pulpitis and a crack need NSRCT after a full coverage restoration

But hey, we just draw cartoons about dental literature… so let us know your thoughts on treating cracked teeth.

Coffee Break

  • ✈️Just in Time for Holiday Travel. A website that will crosscheck all platforms and find the cheapest flights. Pro-tip: Use the “add nearby airports” option.

  • 💰Not a good look. A list of the 100 most overpaid CEOs…with an appearance from a dental company.

  • 🏒Paging all dentists in Minnesota...after a NHL hockey player got a stick to the face and then picked up his teeth from the ice

  • 👟Shoes that Keep you Safe…or track you? Ever dreamed of your shoes telling you when you are in danger? Dream no more…Nike filed a patent for that.

  • 🎥Watch. How to use a microscope to make the prettiest of crown preps.

Looking forward to next week…

Have a colleague that would like tipsy dentistry? Forward them this email.

If you are that sexy dentist friend:

1) give your referring friend a big hug

Next week, we’re diving into the Iowa Staging Index at the Field of Dreams

See you then,

luv u,

tipsy dentistry 😘😘😘😘