Dentaltown October 2019 - 75

by Dr. Lukasz Balcerzak
Dr. Lukasz Balcerzak graduated from the
Medical University in Poznan, Poland, in 2001
with a specialization in dentistry. The author of
many dental articles, with a particular focus on
bioactive materials, Balcerzak has participated
in conferences, seminars and dental courses
internationally, and organizes workshops to
teach dentists how to optimally use bioactive
materials in their practices.
His mother, Dr. Hanna Szymanska Balcerzak,
is also an alumna of Medical University in Poznan, with many years
of experience in her specialty, prosthetics. Their practice, B&S-DENT,
employs a team of dentists, each with his or her own specialty.

E

xtensive internal or external root resorption and deep
caries may present treatment challenges. Often, we remove
these compromised teeth and replace them with implants
or bridges. A lower-cost option is a removable prosthetic.
If the neighboring teeth are seriously damaged, a bridge
may be a good solution because the prosthetic can also
reinforce the adjacent teeth.
However, we prefer not to place a bridge when the adjacent teeth
are young and healthy and an incisor is involved. Now, with the right
materials in our practices, we have a greater ability to successfully
save teeth. If the attempt fails, there is always the option to extract.
All you need is a good idea, some time and the proper materials. The
following two cases demonstrate how to treat internal and external
resorption using bioactive materials.
Resorption review
Resorption is a process by which a
number of physiological and pathological
factors lead to the loss of hard tissue of
the tooth and, quite often, the bone of
the alveolar ridge. Roots of primary teeth
are subject to natural resorption-it is a
physiological process related to the transition
from primary to permanent dentition.
Both primary and permanent teeth can
be subject to pathological resorption, which
leads to the development of pathologies
in teeth and periodontal tissues. When
pathological resorption occurs within the
confines of the tooth, it is internal resorption.
When it appears on the surface of the
root cementum, it is external resorption.
Differentiating internal resorption from

external resorption is not always easy; it
depends on which occurs fi rst. However,
proper diagnosis is very important because
implementing the correct treatment depends
on it.
Root caries most often develops in cases
where cervical areas are exposed to periodontal disease. Initially, the root cementum,
which constitutes the external layer covering
the root, is attacked. Once caries settles in
the cementum layer, it progressively attacks
deeper layers composed of dentin.
Caries of the root significantly decreases
tooth strength and viability, which can
result in extraction if not diagnosed in time.
Resorptions often develop without symptoms
and are only discovered in the patient's
radiograph.
dentaltown.com \\ OCTOBER 2019

75
http://www.dentaltown.com
Dentaltown October 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown October 2019
