Asking questions will always provide insight for the treatment of our patients. As a reminder about my previous post, I've Just Got to Ask Why and the importance of “why”, a patient of mine repeatedly had problems with his crown.
After several questions to determine the cause, I developed models of his teeth and studied them closely.
I discovered wear on the incisal edges and on the facial surfaces of the lower anteriors. I also found that most of his lateral excursions are on the lateral incisor – not a good situation for longevity.
Finally, after discussing this finding with the patient, he informed me that since our last discussion he recognized that he was clenching and gritting his teeth regularly during the day and sometimes had sore teeth in the morning. Bingo!
Remember, before you get started on the next broken tooth, dislodged crown/veneer or broken filling, make sure to ask the question: Why?
Jeff Lineberry DDS, www.jefflineberrydds.com