Clinical experience, misunderstood concepts and frequently asked questions. Notes from many years of practice.
A decayed tooth stops smelling once the decay is cleaned out and the tooth is filled, root treated or removed; the odour comes from bacteria in the cavity.
Composite bonding can repair small chips, close minor gaps and improve tooth shape; composite laminates showed 88% survival over 24 to 97 months.
A review of 16 randomised trials found no difference in postoperative sensitivity between layered and bulk-fill composite. Eat once the numbness wears off; the bigger variable is smoking and what it does to colour.
In a Cochrane review of 22 trials, fluoride varnish cut caries increment by 43 percent in permanent teeth. Here is what causes decay and what stops it.
Traumatic dental injuries affect 15.2% of people in the permanent dentition worldwide, so a broken tooth is common rather than rare. Treated early the outlook is good: a systematic review of pulpotomy for complicated crown fractures reported success between 75% and 96%. What to do in the first hour.
