Dental Tribune United Kingdom Edition

27Special: ImagingFebruary 11-17, 2013United Kingdom Edition Improved vision and preci- sion equals: • Better composite (white) fillings with an improved seal and more natural appearance. • More precise edges on crowns and veneers. • Higher quality root fillings and the ability to retreat pre- viously root filled teeth that have failed. • Cleaner root surfaces when treating gum disease. • The ability to have high quality video and images of the teeth. This is extremely useful when explaining treat- ment options to patients and colleagues. • The delicacy of microsur- gery improves patient comfort and speeds up healing. Most importantly we are now able to save teeth that previously had to be extracted and I think I am right in say- ing that patients generally would like to keep their own teeth rather than have extrac- tions. If we can keep hold of our teeth longer and improve their looks by enhancing the precision of our restorative and conservative treatments the patient can avoid or at least defer the more expen- sive and complicated treat- ments such as implants. I and many in the profes- sion strongly believe that if we can go back and improve some of our older restorative techniques we can not only re- duce the need for more costly and complicated treatments. The ten-year success rate on a root-filled front tooth and a similar front tooth restored with an implant are both around the 90 per cent mark. It is interesting to note the root- filling can be completed in a few hours while the implant may take up to a year before it is finally completed at three times the cost. This is not an ‘anti-implant’ stance but it makes sense to exhaust all practical restorative options and try and preserve the im- plant option as our ‘ace in the pack’ to be pulled out when there is no better choice. In addition where possible the use of a surgical microscope, microsurgical techniques and implants all complement each other to produce improved outcomes for our patients. So in conclusion, by com- bining the improved magni- fication and precision of the surgical microscope and con- ventional dental techniques we can get the best possible success rates out of our own teeth before we need to re- sort to more complicated, ex- pensive and protracted treat- ments. As a foot note if you keep on top of your check- ups and keep the idea that “prevention is better than cure” you won’t have to wor- ry too much about advanced surgery, implants, bone grafts etc, etc. DT ‘By combining the improved magni- fication and preci- sion of the surgical microscope and conventional dental techniques we can get the best possible success rates ’ About the author Mark Howe qualified from Birming- ham University in 1988. After four years in general practice he joined the Royal Air Force Dental Branch on a Short Service Commission. He served both in the UK and overseas and gained experience in oral sur- gery and advanced dental treatments. Additionally he gained his Diploma and Membership exams in general dental surgery. On leaving the RAF, Mark completed his Fellowship to the Faculty of General Dental Prac- tice (FFGDP), which is their highest qualification. To keep up-to-date he attends many conferences both in the UK and abroad. Mark also lectures on restorative dentistry and provides a referral service for other dentists. Mark is an Assessor for the Royal Col- lege of Surgeons (RCS) for fellowship, and is a member of the British Society for General Dental Surgery (BSGDS); the British Society of Prosthodontics (BSSPD); and the European Associa- tion for Osseointegration (EAO).