A patient gives a personal insight into his dental treatment
Introduction
Teeth which are coated with the strongest substance in our bodies, namely dental enamel that is literally as hard as nails, are a marvel! The only problem I am aware of is caries. We don’t worry about our pearly whites. Caries also doesn’t have much of an opportunity to develop with the right care on a regular basis. However, routine, tense and usually slightly unpleasant visits to the dentist can bring you back down to earth.
Below I will tell you about my personal experience and would like to use this to give you an insight into my dental treatment; not least to reduce any fears about the next visit to the dentist for patients and also to tackle topics regarding tolerance and allergies.
There is no x-ray image of the removal of the dental nerve and insertion of medication into the root canal because the fastest possible pain relief was the objective with this procedure. The following three appointments were necessary at the dentist to sort out the problem:
- Removal of the dental nerve, insertion of medication and temporary sealing
- Definitive filling of the root canal
- Filling treatment (various fillings)
Medical history
In March 2021 I suffered from severe toothache. Unfortunately, I am familiar with such pain because my teeth are extremely susceptible to caries (despite the intensive care I give them). A prompt visit to the dentist was necessary. His assessment was not exactly received enthusiastically by me. Caries had been able to penetrate into the dental nerve near an old filling and contaminate the root canal. This was the cause of the intense pain (chiefly when eating hot foot and when I pressed my teeth together).
Treatment
My dentist recommended removing the dying/dead nerve in the first step to immediately relieve the pain. This would be followed by root canal treatment to retain the natural tooth for as long as possible.
In addition, the next step includes repairing three other cavities to prevent further damage. The images are shown at the end of the article.
Material selection
One usually doesn’t give a second thought to dental filling materials – as a patient, one has probably never heard of them and then only in connection with amalgam fillings. Nevertheless, they are worth thinking about if material is to remain in the mouth for a long time. SAREMCO develops and produces restorative materials which are as biocompatible as possible (tolerated by the body). They can be particularly suitable for people who suffer from allergies but can also be used preventatively for everyone else.
Note: Allergies and intolerances have increased sharply over the last few years and this trend is still upwards. Statistics show that every 25th patient* is now affected by this.
1. The temporary filling on the left in white was used as a stop-gap measure after the removal of the dental nerve. It was removed after three weeks.
2. The medication “Calcium hydroxide” to disinfect the root canal was removed. Both root canals were prepared and subsequently filled with gutta-percha.
3. The old filling was ground out and the caries removed.
4. Insertion of the tooth profile (mould).
5. The cavity is etched, pre-treated with an adhesive and subsequently filled layer by layer using the Saremco composite (filling material).
6. When selecting the composite color, the dentist relies on his experience so that the tooth looks as natural as possible. In my case, the colors A2 and A3 were used.
7. The filling treatment is provided in a follow-up appointment for the back teeth. The remaining caries is removed during this treatment and the three remaining cavities are repaired.
8. The existing caries is removed in the hard tooth tissue. Subsequently the tooth is also built up, layer by layer with the Saremco composite.
9. Lastly the new filling is polished so that it can be cleaned optimally. The tooth then feels extremely smooth again.
I am very happy with the treatment and the material used. I no longer have any pain! All in all, the restorative work feels very pleasant and looks completely natural. Overall, it was also much less awful than I feared!
I hope that this insight into my treatment means that you will be able to be slightly more relaxed on your next visit to the dentist.
The treatment was carried out and photographed by Dr. med. dent. Fabio Saccardin.
*Univ.-Prof. Dr. Dr. Franz-Xaver Reichl, Clinical Hospital, Department of Operative/Restorative Dentistry, Periodontology and Pedodontics, LMU Munich, Swiss Dental Journal 12-2014 (Study: https://www.saremco.ch//wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Komposit_Toxikologie_Prof._Reichl_D_01-2011.pdf)
