Emergency visit for broken tooth

Patient presented for emergency visit at Dr. Dorfman’s office with a broken filling on tooth #20.  Patient did not complain of any pain or swelling.  Tooth #20 was badly decayed and the only option other than extraction was to perform Root Canal Therapy, crown lengthening, gold post and core, and a porcelain crown. The patient decided to save his tooth and we began work immediately.

Root canal therapy was performed by the endodontist. Right after RCT the patient saw the periodontist for a crown lengthening procedure. After the procedure, healing dressing was placed and patient was scheduled for a recall. After 1 week the dressing was removed and I began preparing the tooth for a post and core. I took a final impression with Impergum in a triple-tray for fabrication of a gold post and core to fit the tooth.Three weeks after healing, and after making sure that the crown margins would not be exposed, preparation margins were defined for a porcelain-fused-metal (PFM) crown with a chamfer finish and the final impression for a crown was taken. Together, we chose a color shade and  I wrote a lab prescription.

In the final appointment the crown was cemented with the glass ionomer cement. The patient was extremely happy with the outcome of this treatment. The patient was also made aware of other dental needs and decided to take care of his other teeth to avoid emergency visits in the future.

P.B., New York University College of Dentistry

Categorised in: Dental Student Experiences

This post was written by Dr. Jeffrey Dorfman