The Dental Chart – The abstract dental artwork of you

The abstract artwork is a window of each patient’s dental situation at a specific point in time. The top chart of idealized teeth tells us what has happened in the past and the bottom chart is what we need to do now. The aim is the bottom chart should be BORING with nothing to do! However this is not always the case. The chart aids the dentist to plan a course of treatment based on what has been recorded. Just as building a house treatment planning may need to be done in stages.

The chart records what has been done to the teeth that can be seen in the mouth this includes:

• Fillings (work in the tooth) – amalgams, tooth coloured fillings, gold inlays.
• Crowns
• Veneers – coatings usually on the front of teeth – composite or porcelain.
• Bridges – false teeth that are attached to crowns.
• Dentures – metal or plastic and their clasps (or clips).
• Gum problems – loss of bone in between the roots or around the tooth, or how loose or mobile it is.
• Missing teeth – to assess whether artificial teeth are needs.
• Unerupted teeth – to assess the need for further xrays to view their position and if they need to be removed in an adult. In a child to ensure there is a new tooth present.
• Deciduous teeth – to assess the arrangement of teeth, and to ensure the presence of new teeth.

Work that cannot be seen in the mouth:

• Root canals treatments – showing how many root canals treated or if a partial treatment has been done (pulp cap or pulpotomy).
• Implants – or fixtures that are retained in the bone to hold crowns or dentures.
• Posts – used within root canals to hold fillings or crowns.
• Pins – to help hold fillings.

Other Work to be done:

• Extractions – teeth to be removed and the type of extraction, whether surgery is required or not.
• Bleaching teeth – which teeth need bleaching, usually the six upper and lower front teeth.
• Watching areas on the teeth – such as early decay and cracked teeth.

This then helps us to create a treatment plan that is unique for the patient. This will help the dentist and patient to begin the journey to achieving BORING IS GOOD outcomes.

Next week: Treatment Plan – the road map

“The Dental Chart” – The abstract dental artwork of you