Original Source: 1 888 Press Release

Philadelphia, PA-NJ (1888PressRelease) March 08, 2010 – Dr. Glenn Schreiber has teamed up with Total Confidence Dentistry in West Chester, PA to provide our patients with tremendously important endodontic treatment. His proficiency in Root Canal therapy, clinically known as endodontics, can eliminate pain while preserving natural teeth.

Dr. Schreiber, a general dentist, has focused his extensive experience on developing an approach to root canal therapy that achieves a high level of quality very efficiently and more affordably. By limiting his practice to endodontics, he has been able to develop a proficient and methodical approach to care, which means patients are much less likely to have recurring infection and need another root canal.

His background and knowledge in endodontic treatment is thoroughly documented by the 800-1000 successful and comfortable root canal procedures he performs each year.

There are four key reasons Dr. Schreiber, a general dentist, is able to cost-effectively achieve a high level of quality.

1) Dental Care Diligence: Thoroughly cleaning out canal debris and sealing the tooth root is critical. This attention to detail has a positive tradeoff, which can be lifelong health rejuvenation rather than re-infection and costly and time consuming return visits. Saving the natural tooth with root canal therapy has an extended and expanded level of value.

2) Emphasis On Failure Avoidance: Many more root canal compromised teeth can be treated successfully with the proper approach. To avoid endodontic treatment failure, a focused awareness of the tooth anatomy and a more exacting level of care are required. The likelihood of saving teeth with a root canal is greatly increased when these methods are combined.

3) Ending Chronic Inconvenience: Dr. Schreiber knows getting it right the first time is vital. Poor treatment can cause chronic abscesses, requiring more expensive re-treatment. Another visit could create costly inconvenience for the patient (missing work, etc.). Too many times this means distressing tooth loss as well. Unfortunately, the more expensive, re-treated root canals are also known to be less successful, even with the best approach in the most skillful hands.

4) Scientific, Evidence-Based Treatment: After having treated thousands of teeth, Dr. Schreiber has found that about 80% of first upper molars (teeth #3 and #14) have 4 canals instead of the previously expected 3 canals. Four canals, is now the accepted number in endodontic literature and other journals for these teeth. It is important that dentists look for all four root canals and treat them when appropriate, otherwise, discomfort and re-infection of the tooth can occur.

BACKGROUND ON DOCTOR
Glenn F. Schreiber, DMD, is a University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine graduate (Class of 1978). He completed additional post-doctoral residency training at the Hospital of University of Pennsylvania in 1981.

Dr. Schreiber owned a family practice in Ambler, Pennsylvania for almost 18 years, beginning in 1981. He practiced general dental care during this time – from cosmetic dentistry to periodontics (gums) as well as his current focus of endodontics (root canal therapy).

Besides treating patients at our West Chester office in the Chester County Medical Building, he performs endodontic tooth-saving treatments for patients at four other offices in the Philadelphia area and South Jersey.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Total Confidence Dentistry
> Root Canal Therapy: Glenn F. Schreiber, DMD
> Dentist/Owner, Ronald Briglia, DMD
Chester Cty Medical Bldg
600 East Marshall Street, Suite 201
West Chester PA 19380
http://www.totalconfidencedentistry.com

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Original Source: DentistStop.com

You might think all dentists provide the same basic services. There are, however, many different designations of dentists and many specialties.

Each individual is largely responsible for caring for their own teeth. There are times, however, when you will need to rely on a professional. Dentists are highly trained medical experts. They specialize in the care of teeth and gums. Dentists fall into two broad categories. General dentists are typically known as family dentists. Most individuals will only need the care of a general dentist. Specialty dentists focus on one particular area of dentistry. They will receive an extra two to six years of training in order to become specialized.

The most common thing a general dentist does is routine checkups. General dentists usually see patients twice a year. At these visits they will evaluate the health of the patient’s teeth and gums. They will often do x-rays to make sure there is no tooth decay. After evaluating the patient, they will clean the teeth thoroughly. General dentists also work to prevent dental disease by teaching patients how to properly care for their teeth. They also might help patients eliminate risk factors such as smoking.

If there is a problem with a patient’s teeth, a general dentist can sometimes correct it themselves. Many general dentists can do fillings, tooth extractions, root canals, bridges, crowns, sealants, and dentures. Many also see pediatric patients. If a general dentist does not perform a service, they will refer the patient to a specialty dentist.

There are more than a few specialties in dentistry. Pediatric dentists are those whose practice is focused on patients under the age of 18. They sometimes might care for those who have mental illness or a diminished mental capacity. Orthodontists see a lot of young patients as well as they are the ones who apply braces to teeth. Adults can also see orthodontists if they have crooked or misaligned teeth. If a patient has an injury to their mouth or jaw, they would see a oral and maxillofacial surgeon. These dental surgeons also work on defects of the mouth and jaw. They perform extractions of teeth that are difficult to remove as well.

Endodontists work on the inner portion of teeth. They do root canals and treat the pulp and nerves of the tooth once it becomes diseased. They might work with an oral pathologist, who treats diseases in the mouth. A periodontist is responsible for treating gum disease. They also work on the bones in the mouth. If teeth need to be replaced, a prosthodontist will make a plan for dentures, bridges or implants.

Obviously, there are other specialties as well. You don’t really need to know them as you dentist will refer you to the appropriate person.

Original Source: DentalCompare.com

“A sharp explorer should be used with some pressure and if a very slight pull is required to remove it, the pit should be marked for restoration even if there are no signs of decay.”

This is a quote from GV Black in 1924. Caries is not a simple to diagnose today as it was decades ago when there were large, bombed, out teeth. With the increase use of fluoride, the detection of caries is not as simple as it used to be. Yet in 2009, many of us are still diagnosing caries the same way GV Black did. The goal is now to be minimally invasive—catch caries at its earliest stages and attempt to remineralize incipient caries.

Decay is difficult to detect in radiographs unless larger than 2 to 3 mm deep into dentin, or 1/3 the bucco-lingual distance. Because an explorer has high specificity for caries but low sensitivity, a lot of incipient caries can be missed by relying on an explorer or radiographs alone.

There is a call in the literature to stop using the dental explorer for caries detection. Some dental schools are now teaching reduced reliance on the explorer. An explorer may actually cause more harm by breaking the enamel rods when forced in to an incipient carious lesion. At this early stage of caries, remineralization should be considered. The problem is detecting the initial stage of caries. So what improved ways exist for detecting caries?

There are a number of different modalities for detecting caries, the most popular of which use fluorescence. Normal healthy tooth structure produces little or no fluorescence. Carious tooth structure fluoresces proportionately to the degree of caries. The devices that use fluorescence have a high sensitivity to caries, but low specificity—the devices will measure the fluorescence of anything. Therefore, these systems are an adjunct tool to aid in the diagnosis of caries, and should be combined with conventional tools and good professional j judgment. The devices can be used to monitor caries progression and help the practitioner decide on treatment—prevention, remineralizaion, or restoration.

One system is KaVo’s DIAGNOdent, which uses a 655-nm laser to detect fluorescence of decay.

The DIAGNOdent provides a numeric value for caries progression.

A similar device, Dentsply Midwest’s Caries I.D., uses an LED instead of a laser to measure the caries reflection signature; instead of a numerical readout like the DIAGNOdent, the Caries I.D. offers red and green indicators (complicating the process of monitoring caries progression and remineralization).

Midwest Caries I.D. uses LEDs to measure the caries reflection signature.

Another device using fluorescence is Air Techniques’ Spectra that uses a 405-nm LED; caries fluoresce red and health tooth structure fluoresces green. The Spectra creates a graphic and a numeric display; the graphic can be saved to imaging software for monitoring caries over time.

In this Spectra scan, green is healthy enamel, blue is incipient caries, and red is enamel caries.

Scheduled for launch in 2010, Quantum Dental Technologies’ Canary system uses a low-power, pulsating laser light to scan teeth for the presence of caries. The laser light is absorbed by the tooth and two phenomena are observed: the laser light is converted into luminescence and there is a release of heat (less than 1 degree Celsius). This heat does not harm the tooth but provides information on the tooth up to a depth of 5 mm below the surface. Simultaneous measurement of the reflected heat and light determines the presence and extent of tooth decay below the tooth surface.

Another technology on the horizon for caries detection (and other diagnostic applications in dentistry) is optical coherence tomography (OCT). Capable of scanning both hard and soft tissues, Lantis Laser’s OCT Dental Imaging System features a hand-held scanner that captures tomographic slices up to 3-mm deep. The cross-sectional images are displayed individually in real-time and can be saved . this system can detect recurrent caries around restorations and can examine marginal integrity of restorations bonded to tooth structure.

An OCT image of a molar with a failing composite.

These and future methods are improving our ability to detect caries at its earliest stages. With this enhanced knowledge, we’ll be able to establish better protocols for caries intervention and treatment.