An asymptomatic crack

Let’s say that you are examining a patient and you find a crack in a tooth. And, let’s say that you assess the tooth as being likely to break but the crack is not currently producing any symptoms. That is, the patient is unaware of it.

What do you do?

That’s an interesting question and one that many dentists struggle with. You have two options.

Firstly, you could just be quiet and say nothing. Many (perhaps most) dentists would do that.

The benefit of that approach is that there is no immediate possibility of upsetting the patient. The downside is that you are not being honest with your patient — you’ve found a potential problem and have chosen to ignore it.

If the tooth subsequently breaks or even splits then you are at fault.

The other option is to tell the patient and this, in my view is a much better choice. It is honest and it puts the patient in the driving seat. They can then either choose to take the risk of the tooth breaking or they can get something done to prevent it.

But…

You don’t want to come off as pushy or, even worse, hungry for work.

How do you tell the patient about the crack that is fair to them and builds trust? Is there a way of doing it that doesn’t risk alienating them?

Of course, the fact I am posing this question tells you there must be such a way. More on that next week.

Have a great holiday break.