Alex Huszti
- May 19, 2020

Freezing Time

I hope that this digital issue of intouch Magazine finds all of its readers well. Belledental is one of the fortunate businesses that can express significant gratitude around the imminent further easing of restrictions that commence from May 15.

During the Covid-19 restrictions, dentistry was wound back to the most urgent, emergency dental care. Many were treated only temporarily and symptomatically. Many problems were dealt with at a distance.

I can only imagine that some of the circumstances that these patients found themselves in led them to think ‘if only I could wind back time’. Unfortunately, rewinding time is not technologically possible in 2020, but sometimes freezing time is the next best thing.

In the same way that governments around the world have been ‘freezing time’ as a response to Covid-19 – sometimes freezing time is possible in dentistry. Certainly, under earlier Covid-19 restrictions, it was not possible to stabilise a dental problem in a definitive way, however, as restrictions have been eased it now possible to stabilise dental problems – to freeze time around these teeth and allow patients to address their dental health progressively.

I’m expecting to see patients who present with urgent, painful, decayed teeth – teeth that require definitive, immediate emergency care. Usually, the teeth have counterparts in the same mouth – often not at the same stage of deterioration as the problematic presenting tooth, but often on precisely the same path.

What do you do when multiple teeth are presenting with serious problems? Freeze time.

But how do you freeze dental time?

This is one of the great versatilities of direct resin crowns – Belledental CRCs. Belledental CRCs can be used to restore/stabilise teeth in a definitive manner – in one appointment. At the same time, if the tooth requires a root canal therapy, this can be initiated at the time of the placement of the Belledental CRC. The root canals can be located; they can be initially cleaned and dressed at the same time as the placement of the resin crown. Most often, patients are largely free of pain that day, and the tooth is restored so that patients can start to function on these teeth again.

So how does this strategy freeze time? It allows the relief of pain and restoration/stabilisation of the tooth in question. Patients can then move forward with a thorough assessment of their mouth, discussion of other concerns/problems, formulation of a plan of treatment and discussion of patient priorities with the dentist.

Very often, there are other teeth in the patient’s mouth that also warrant attention. Giving these other teeth the attention that they need may prevent them from progressing to the complexity and added expense of root canal therapy. So, by ‘freezing time’ around the original problematic tooth, we can prioritise problems and deal with the issues in a way that ensures minimal or no further deterioration, as well as the prevention of future problems.

Eventually, patients will need to come back to the tooth that has had the root canal therapy initiated and deal with the completion of treatment on this tooth. This is often done in 6–12 months. Often the patient’s insurance has started a new cycle – which allows the release of further health fund benefits as well as the obvious benefits of increased comfort and confidence from having dental stability and health.

Throughout the balance of 2020 – Belledental is ‘freezing time’. Let Belledental take you back to pre- Covid-19 by stabilising those problem teeth. As an incentive, we’re also taking our fees back to 2019 on critical dental work such as Belledental CRCs, root canal dressings and root canal therapy – helping everyone freeze time around problem teeth and looking forward to a healthy 2021.