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• July 2009 •

From the Endodontic Offices of Musikant, Deutsch, Kase, Dukoff, Bui, Lipner & Kim

Tales from the Chamber
Risky Business
Doug Kase, D.D.S.

Doug Kase

NCE AGAIN, my loyal readers, I will delve into the dark and unavoidable world of risk management and endodontics, and—more specifically—minimizing your exposure. Now, of course, you all certainly must realize that in this litigation-prone world in which we professionally live, an incident can happen in the blink of an eye that could culminate in some sort of a legal action.

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Tips on Finding the “Fourth Canal”
Sara Kim, D.M.D.

Sara Kim

IGHTEEEN PERCENT, 36 percent, 54 percent, 71 precent, 93 percent, . . . these are various percentages given for the presence of MB2s (also known as mesiopalatal canals, MPs) in maxillary molars in studies published in various dental journals in the past fifteen years. The bottom line is that this fourth canal is out there, so here are some helpful tips for finding it.

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Why Does My Tooth Hurt?
Amy Dukoff, D.M.D.

Amy Dukoff

VERY ONCE IN A WHILE, a patient comes to our office complaining that a tooth hurts, but the cause of the pain is elusive. The patient without hesitation reports that “this tooth hurt all last night.” However, the tooth doesn’t hurt anymore. Furthermore, the frustrated patient reports that a general dentist did not see anything wrong. Yet still the tooth hurts at times. The patient is sure that something is bothering him or her. The patient is adamant that the tooth hurts and implores us to help.

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Meeting the Challenege of Curved Canals
Young Bui, D.D.S.

Young Bui

NE of the greatest challenges in performing root canal therapy is instrumenting an S-curve or a reverse curve. You need to take it slow and be patient with your instrumentation. The most important thing is to maintain patency. Patency is the key to a successful navigation of the curves. I have had many experiences in which I skipped one little step and ended up blocking myself out. Once you have blocked the canal in a case like this, you can forget about trying to unblock it. Just fill it to that point and call it a day.

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Endodontics Versus Implants
Barry Lee Musikant, D.M.D., F.A.S.D.A.

Barry Musikant

HE TRADITIONAL viewpoint is that we wish to save our teeth for as long as possible. This viewpoint is no longer as black and white as it was in the past because of the advent of implants. When a tooth is extracted for the placement of an implant, the implication is that the implant will give superior service with a low risk to the patient when this substitution is incorporated.

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Quick Factoid: Endo vs. Implants
Allan S. Deutsch, D.M.D.

Allan Deutsch

topic that seems to be coming up more and more is “endodontics versus implants, when to do which?” More and articles are being written on the success of endo versus implants. The article below was published in the November 2008 issue of the Journal of Endodontics.

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C-Shaped Canals
Steven Lipner, D.M.D.

Steven Lipner

-SHAPED MOLARS are named for the morphology of their root canal system. Teeth that exhibit this anatomical feature do not have separate, distinct orifices. Rather, these teeth are composed of a pulp chamber with a single ribbon-shaped orifice. One anatomical variation of the c-shaped canal occurs when the ribbon-shaped opening extends from the pulp chamber to the apex as a single canal. Another anatomical variation is observed when the c-shaped orifice splits into discrete canals.

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Musikant, Deutsch, Kase, Dukoff, Bui, Lipner & Kim
We’re Here 7 Days a Week to Support Your Practice!
(212) 582-8161

Office Location:

    119 West 57th Street, Suite 700
    New York
    New York 10019

Office Hours:

    Monday through Thursday
        8:00 AM to 8:00 PM
    Friday
        8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
    Saturday
        9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
    Sunday
        9:00 AM to 1:00 PM

We are available to assist in all of your endodontic needs, including re-cements and 24-hour emergencies. Our doctors and our courteous and professional support staff provide the highest quality care for your patients.