Customizing occlusion & troubleshooting: when ,why, where & how?

I attended Dr Deepa Ravichandran’s webinar on Occlusion & Troubleshooting by DentalReach. As an oral medicine and radiology specialist, I always have a special interest to learn all about the Temporomandibular joint for diagnosis, imaging and management of conditions related to it. The webinar was one part of the 6-part clinical series. Here is my feedback on and my takeaways from this session:

1. An important guiding factor is to understand and evaluate the occlusion to identify it as a contributing factor for TMJ conditions. It is important to identify such pre-existing restorations or dental conditions, and adapting the new occlusal scheme to be in harmony with the existing dental conditions.
2. Occlusion is a commonly overlooked part of routine clinical dentistry when the restored tooth or teeth may not be suitably designed or planned for taking in account of the long term impact on the occlusion. This can create joint conditions or abnormal functional occlusion in patients.
3. Giving alternate options in using precision attachments for those who aren’t ideal candidates for FPD’s or Dental implants also was an eye-opener.
4. Dr Deepa has exclusively dealt with these basics of occlusion. Identifying the problem when its existing, designing the best scheme of occlusion within the budget and treatment constraints we have in our Indian dental practice conditions are equally important, as most of our patients do not understand the importance of occlusion or they have financial constraints to get suitable treatment for the conditions.
5. Preservation of existing occlusal scheme without disturbing harmony of masticatory movements and promoting preservation of existing dental tissues is also an important aspect of understanding occlusion – especially in the elderly population.
6. The clinician needs to understand first before he can adapt it to the clinical scenario. With multiple clinical scenarios Dr Deepa has practically demonstrated that promising results can be achieved through knowledge and applications of the principles of occlusion.
7. Understanding clinical scenarios when to and when not to go for full coverage and when to go for full coverage crowns are also explained in a logical manner.
8. Application of various impression materials is also equally dealt with to get the best reproduction for the prosthetics.
9. All throughout the sessions I must appreciate that Dr Deepa has actively answered all questions at the relevant points and not at the end when the context may have been lost for the attendees.
10. The demonstration of clinical scenarios about use of digital dental technology to design the crowns in certain cases providing adequate occlusal rehabilitation is another take away for the modern clinician to understand the advantages of adapting digital dental technology in day to day practice.

I convey my best wishes to Dr Deepa Ravichandran in her future as a Speaker and Mentor.