(Pause.)
After recovering from that introduction, it turns out that this 71-year-old gentleman was diagnosed with and has been treated for tonsillar cancer that had spread almost to his entire head-and-neck area. The cancer was supposedly gone in 2012 with radiation and chemotherapy, but as karma would have it, it returned with a vengeance (see photo), and the prognosis is not good. Despite this, his chief complaint was just that he wanted to chew his food better. That’s it. So in order to help him achieve this goal, I’m going to go against all the rules of dentistry to get him to a state that at least improves his status quo.
You see, this patient has a full upper denture, broken carious teeth on the lower, and he is not a candidate for extractions due to the high risk for osteoradionecrosis. He also opens only two inches, which makes restorative work nearly impossible. What would you do?
Let’s look at that last question from another perspective. What would you do if you were having a difficult time getting the insurance companies to pay for the implant work that you did? Being clinically proficient is one thing, but you have to know how to use those clinical skills to make your bottom line work for you. Read the article by John A. Hodges, DDS, FICOI, this month; it will be an eye-opener.
Want to know four secrets about how to perform successful endodontic treatment? Endodontist Allan S. Deutsch, DMD, FACD, tells us what general practitioners can do to improve root canal success rates.
Just when you think you’ve got all the radiopacities figured out, there’s one that throws you for a loop. We’ve not seen this lesion in Breakthrough Clinical before, so be sure to take a look at the new pathology case and tell me what you think.
Cheers!
Stacey L. Simmons, DDS
Editorial Director, DE’s Breakthrough Clinical with Stacey Simmons, DDS
This article first appeared in the newsletter, DE's Breakthrough Clinical with Stacey Simmons, DDS. Subscribe here.
LAST MONTH . . . Braces and shoes, me and you
