Reply to thread

Message

<blockquote data-quote="Stirfry" data-source="post: 1400926" data-attributes="member: 10055">Hi everyone- I’m a dentist (I suppose you have no reason to believe me but I hope you do).The imaging they are requesting is probably a cone beam CT, in order to obdurate the canal right to the apex. Poor obduration results in endodontic failure, which is what HighTower is experiencing right now, so imaging is crucial for the procedure and probably what was lacking the first time. Surely you realize the statement “Even if I had a perfect photograph of what your cavity or infection looked like, that doesn’t help me do the procedure any better” is blatantly wrong. The success or failure of any surgery depends upon the quality of the imaging. If you were going in for a ligament repair on your arm or a surgical debridement of the bone, let’s say in osteomyelitis, wouldn’t you want the surgeon to be prepared? Wouldn’t you want the best model, the best pictures, and the most concise treatment plan possible so the surgeon knows what to do ahead of time? Or do you prefer they open you up and say “well, let’s see what’s going on”? Endo is a surgery- it’s accessing the center of a tooth which has a direct communication with the alveolar bone of your jaw. Sure, it’s not as serious as a torn ligament, but try letting it sit for a few months and then get back to me and let me know how serious it feels.The receptionist/hygienist is correct that it’s (relatively) new, but by no means experimental. You also might be comforted by the fact that the amounts of radiation required for a good image these days are much lower than the “regular” x-rays we all used to get as a kid.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Stirfry, post: 1400926, member: 10055"] Hi everyone- I’m a dentist (I suppose you have no reason to believe me but I hope you do). The imaging they are requesting is probably a cone beam CT, in order to obdurate the canal right to the apex. Poor obduration results in endodontic failure, which is what HighTower is experiencing right now, so imaging is crucial for the procedure and probably what was lacking the first time. Surely you realize the statement “Even if I had a perfect photograph of what your cavity or infection looked like, that doesn’t help me do the procedure any better” is blatantly wrong. The success or failure of any surgery depends upon the quality of the imaging. If you were going in for a ligament repair on your arm or a surgical debridement of the bone, let’s say in osteomyelitis, wouldn’t you want the surgeon to be prepared? Wouldn’t you want the best model, the best pictures, and the most concise treatment plan possible so the surgeon knows what to do ahead of time? Or do you prefer they open you up and say “well, let’s see what’s going on”? Endo is a surgery- it’s accessing the center of a tooth which has a direct communication with the alveolar bone of your jaw. Sure, it’s not as serious as a torn ligament, but try letting it sit for a few months and then get back to me and let me know how serious it feels. The receptionist/hygienist is correct that it’s (relatively) new, but by no means experimental. You also might be comforted by the fact that the amounts of radiation required for a good image these days are much lower than the “regular” x-rays we all used to get as a kid. [/QUOTE]

Verification