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Biomedical subjects

Gordon J Christensen

Publications and source records attributed to Gordon J Christensen.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2003

The best way to bring a dentist into your practice.

Solo practice is the most common practice mode in dentistry. It probably will remain so for a long time to come. However, numerous advantages and some disadvantages are present for those dentists wanting or needing to have another practitioner in their practices. Finding the right employee dentist, associate or partner is a difficult task, but the success of many multidentist practices has shown that it can be done. Also, having another trusted dentist in the practice can facilitate exiting from the practice at retirement, allowing the retiring dentist to turn over his or her patients to the other dentist without the worry or anxiety of selling to an unknown party.

Humans↗
PubMed2003

Coping with the changing state of dental managed care.

About 58 percent of the American population has some type of managed dental care that pays for some, not all, dental care needs. Unlike the medical profession, the dental profession has not been devoured by managed care, but there is no question that managed care plans are here to stay. The various types of managed care programs are changing every day. The trend is for DHMOs and dental indemnity programs to decrease, DPPOs and dental referral programs to increase and dental reimbursement programs to grow slowly as more organizations become aware of their benefits. Plans vary from excellent to poor in their service to patients and their dentists. We dentists must learn to live with them and to educate our patients about the advantages and disadvantages of each. I am pleased to observe that fee-for-service dentistry, although challenged, is still very alive and strong and serving the public with the same high quality and freedom of choice for which American dentistry has always been known.

Dental Care↗
PubMed2003

The fastest and best provisional restorations.

Many options are available for PRs for teeth prepared for crowns, veneers, inlays, onlays or fixed prosthetic abutments. Dentists and dental assistants (where allowed by law) should know the physical properties of the various types of materials and should be able to select and place the appropriate type of PR based on the needs of specific clinical situations.

Acrylic Resins↗
PubMed2003

Ensuring retention for crowns and fixed prostheses.

Crowns and fixed prostheses are well-proven, accepted and routinely used restorations. However, they occasionally come loose from tooth preparations. Many things can cause these failures. In this article, I have discussed the following reasons for lack of adequate retention of crowns and fixed prostheses: inadequate tooth preparation; too much trust in dentin bonding agents and lack of adequate tooth buildup; tooth preparations that lack irregularities; improper selection of cements; and lack of postoperative occlusal adjustment.

Crowns↗
PubMed2003

Have fixed-prosthodontic impressions become easier?

Excellent fixed-prosthodontic impressions are ensured with the presence of healthy soft tissue, atraumatic tooth and soft-tissue preparation, use of packing cords when indicated, routine use of astringents and taking enough time to accomplish the preimpression procedures thoroughly. Currently advertised products that supposedly eliminate the difficulty of fixed-prosthodontic impressions and the need for cords have decreased some of the frustrations of impression making, but the challenge remains. Excellent impressions require accurate and stable impression materials, time, conscientious and thorough techniques, attention to every detail, good support staff and a working knowledge of all aspects of the concepts involved.

Dental Impression Materials↗
PubMed2003

The confusing array of tooth-colored crowns.

The venerable PFM crown or fixed prosthesis still dominates the tooth-colored restoration market. However, use of PFMs is declining slightly, as the many new all-ceramic and resin-based composite crowns and fixed-prosthesis products flood the market. Several situations may indicate the use of materials other than PFM. They include patients requiring a high level of esthetic acceptability, patients with proven or perceived allergies to the metals used in dentistry and bruxing or clenching patients with metal allergies or desire to eliminate metal from their mouths. PFM restorations have been proven during 40 years of successful use. They provide acceptable esthetics for most situations, minimal fracture during service, proven ability to serve in multiple-unit situations and excellent fit, and the profession has detailed knowledge of these restorations' advantages, disadvantages and physical characteristics. PFM restorations have only a few well-known negative characteristics. Be cautious as you elect to move from the reliability and positive history of PFM to relatively unknown types of restorations.

Bruxism↗
PubMed2002

Has tooth structure been replaced?

In my opinion, there is an obvious trend in the dental literature and in continuing education courses to promote overcutting teeth when preparing them for restorations. There are many reasons for overcutting. Some feel that there is a more optimum esthetic potential when the teeth are prepared more deeply, which is a debatable view. Others are using all-ceramic crowns or polymer crowns when other types of less radical crowns could be used. There also is a significant tendency to prepare teeth for crowns instead of for onlays or inlays, thereby removing more tooth structure than is necessary. High-speed dental air rotor or electric handpieces can cause inadvertent removal of more tooth structure than is necessary. Using large burs can overcut tooth structure, and teeth should be reversed.

Crowns↗
PubMed2002

Oral care for patients with bulimia.

Various conditions cause rapid and debilitating erosion of teeth. One of the most common is bulimia, or the binge-purge syndrome. Dentists frequently encounter patients who have this problem. The dentist should confirm the possibility of bulimia, refer the patient to a competent eating-disorder clinic, counsel the patient about her or his condition and restore the patient's mouth to a state of health and esthetic acceptability. Dental treatment of such patients will vary depending on the severity of the erosion.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Preventing postoperative tooth sensitivity in class I, II and V restorations.

Postoperative tooth sensitivity in Class I, II and V resin-based composite restorations continues to be an unpredictable problem in dentistry. In spite of meticulous use of dentin bonding agents, dentists and patients are faced with the sensitivity problem and the frustrating need to remove restorations and occasionally accomplish endodontic therapy on teeth that were not sensitive before the restorations were placed. Practitioners have developed numerous preventive methods to overcome the sensitivity challenge, which I have described in this article.

Acid Etching, Dental↗
PubMed2002

Orthodontics and the general practitioner.

Until now, general dentists have not had significant involvement with orthodontic procedures. With this article, I encourage general dentists and other nonorthodontists interested in orthodontic therapy to acquire adequate education to allow them to participate in this area of clinical activity. The Invisalign concept can enhance the desirability of nonorthodontists' becoming involved with orthodontic procedures.

Adolescent↗