Conservative & comprehensive dental care

Dr Shirish Khedgikar

Aurangabad, March 4: The Indian Association of Conservative Dentistry & Endodontics (IACDE) has earmarked March 5 as Cons-Endo Day to create awareness among the public regarding this speciality branch of dentistry.

Conservative Dentistry is concerned with the conservation of teeth in the mouth. The branch embraces the practice of direct and indirect restoration of individual tooth. Endodontics encompasses the study and practice of etiology, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diseases and injuries of dental pulp, which is innermost vital part of the tooth. In layman’s terms, this branch can be called as ‘tooth saver’ as it works to retain the diseased or traumatized tooth in the oral cavity.

This conservation is done by doing fillings in simple cavities and root canal treatments in very deep infected cavities reaching pulp. Cosmetic dental treatments like teeth whitening and smile designing also are in the purview of this branch.

All clinical procedures are carried out meticulously to ease pain and agony of the patient by eliminating infection. Conservative management also includes vital pulp therapies and regenerative pulpal procedures. Teeth avulsion injuries due to accident, assaults or sport injuries are successfully treated nowadays with advent in technology and material science. Endodontists work with prosthodontists, oral surgeons and periodontists to treat cases requiring interdisciplinary approach. Due to high rise in incidence of tooth decay (dental caries) the clinics in the departments of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics in dental institutions all over the country have a heavy footfall of patients. Endodontists, who are specialists of this branch, always work carefully with patient-centric approach and restore teeth to full function in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

Advanced equipment like intra–oral imaging, digital radiography, CBCT, apex locators, G P systems, surgical operating microscopes and rotary instruments along with laboratory armamentarium including CAD-CAM help endodontists to deliver conservative and comprehensive treatment of good quality and durability.

(The writer is Associate Professor in the Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, at Government Dental College and Hospital, Aurangabad).