What would you do differently? These are photos from a patient I recently saw. His upper prosthesis is breaking down and the teeth keep breaking in the premolar areas on both sides. The prosthesis is an overdenture retained with passive … Read more
1 year ago by Steve Ratcliff 12 Comments
I’m planning for a patient appointment shortly after New Year’s, and part of my preparation is putting together the appropriate checklist. Do you use checklists? I’m a pilot, and before taking off I complete a thorough checklist of items to … Read more
1 year ago by Gary DeWood 6 Comments
You saw this 55-year-old patient in my last blog, so you know that she has a deteriorating joint on the left side as well as severely periodontally involved teeth under the existing bridge. We know that the joint may not … Read more
1 year ago by Steve Ratcliff 2 Comments
It has been said that there are no easy cases, and I think that I believe it after the run of new patients I’ve had the past six months. So, once again, I am turning to all of you to … Read more
1 year ago by Steve Ratcliff 3 Comments
I have a good friend who recently had a very challenging experience with her longtime dentist. She has been in the practice since she was a child and has always trusted him – loved him, in fact. To make a … Read more
1 year ago by Steve Ratcliff 0 Comments
This patient was referred to me by a local periodontist for a restorative consultation. He had recently moved to Scottsdale from another city. He told me that he had recently completed orthodontic treatment and was ready for his crowns and … Read more
1 year ago by Steve Ratcliff 11 Comments
Suppose I were a patient in your practice, and you presented me with a comprehensive treatment plan. You give me a compelling presentation, showing me exactly how you can transform my smile for optimal health and appearance. I’m starting to … Read more
1 year ago by Imtiaz Manji 1 Comment
This is a beautiful wax-up, isn’t it? I never got to do the case. That wax-up is stored in a box someplace, most likely never to be retrieved. The patient had the work done in another practice and paid a … Read more
1 year ago by Steve Ratcliff 2 Comments
So we’ve mentioned this patient previously in Part I and Part II of this blog series. Here’s where we are now… We know that we can’t add incisal length, so our choices are either intrusion or crown lengthening. The challenge … Read more
1 year ago by Steve Ratcliff 0 Comments
We talked a little bit about this patient in last week’s post. Here is more data. We know that about 3% of the adults who undergo orthodontic treatment will have severe root resorption. We also know that 100% of all … Read more
1 year ago by Steve Ratcliff 3 Comments
© Copyright 2013 Spear Education. All rights reserved.