How We Limit Sway in Our Dental Office

How we Limit Sway in our Dental Office

Over the last several months, we’ve used the blog to touch on topics that come up every day in our dental office. These are topics, or dental terms, that our team has in our vocabulary that our patients might not know – like dental abfraction and tooth resorption.

We are back with another buzzword that comes up a lot during dental treatment planning – and that word is sway.

What is sway?

The definition of sway means control or influence of a person or course of action. The subject is explored in depth in the book Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior. The authors discuss the forces that often derail our decision-making in our personal and business lives and how to avoid falling victim to those forces. If you have not read it, I highly recommend this book.

One example that really stuck with me from the book was about the Space Shuttle Columbia. The authors recall how the space shuttle was scheduled for launch and seven times during the pre-flight inspections the team found something that delayed the launch. You can imagine everyone started to get antsy and was ready for the launch to happen.

By the eighth time the flight had been rescheduled, the team had developed an internal bias that told them this is going to happen today. And on this day, there was something a little off and the person in charge had sway and said, “you know what, I think we’re going to go for it.” Unfortunately, that sway resulted in tragedy.

Sway is something we have in everyday situations. In dentistry, this comes up a lot when treatment planning. As a dentist, it doesn’t feel good when you have sway because you’re making a big decision for the patient. One that will hopefully improve the quality of their life and not create more problems.

How we limit sway: Data-driven treatment planning

In our dental office, we limit sway by creating treatment plans backed by data. During our new patient exams, we take x-rays, photos and scans to collect all the data possible about the patient and their dental health.

From there, we categorize the data into four risk categories:

Biomechanical risk, or the structural integrity of the teeth such as decay, enamel loss and fracture.
Periodontal risk, or your risk of gum recession and gum disease.
Functional risk, or the risk of bite issues, clenching and grinding, or TMD.
Aesthetic risk, or the way your teeth look.

Based on these risk factors, we can determine the best course of action for the patient. This type of treatment planning is something we learned at The Kois Center and what sets a Kois dentist apart from others.

Treatment planning: Dental crown v. dental filling

A good example of how sway presents in a dental office is deciding whether a patient needs a crown or a filling. When I first started in dentistry, I really wanted to please the patient and I would err on the side of a filling because it cost less money and required fewer visits. However, a filling was not always the best option for the patient.

Using our data-driven treatment planning, we’re now able to limit sway when making these decisions. For example, if a tooth presents with an old filling that needs to be replaced, we can look at the tooth and ask:

Is the filling cracked?
Is the filling leaking?
Is the tooth cracked?

If we answer yes to any of these questions, we know – with no sway – that the filling needs to be replaced. Deciding the best course of treatment goes back to the data we collect.

If we see a hairline fracture in the tooth, the biomechanical risk may be low enough to do a filling. However, if the crack is large then the biomechanical risk increases, and a crown is necessary. A filling may seem like a better option today, but in the end, it will cost you more time and money when it fails and you need a crown or implant down the road.

Functional risk is also important when deciding between a filling or crown. If there’s a hairline fracture, but the patient has a history of clenching, grinding and heavy tooth wear, then a crown may be necessary to add strength to the tooth. A filling seals the tooth, and a crown adds strength. So, if functional risk is high a crown is the best option.

We also want to look at the other side of the mouth because what happens on one side of the mouth tends to happen on the other side. If all your second molars have cracked and we are treating a second molar that is starting to crack, then we can assume that it will follow suit.

See Dr. Saylor for a Free Consultation

Understanding these risk factors helps us avoid sway and better treat our patients. Looking for a second opinion on a recent dental diagnosis? Schedule a new patient exam with our dentist office in Brandon, FL. Our team will provide a full diagnostic exam and determine the best course of treatment for you.