Category: Dental Anatomy
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What is a Corneal Arcus?
During a patient exam dentists take note of more than just the teeth. We look at facial symmetries, shape of the nose, bone structures, and the list goes on. Another important area to focus on is the appearance of the patient’s eyes. Conditions such as cataracts usually stand out easily at speaking distances. The opacification…
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What Are Dry Sockets?
If you’ve ever had a tooth taken out, your dentist has more than likely discussed with you the possibility of dry sockets. Dry sockets are nothing to mess around with, and we are going to talk about just what they are and things we can do to avoid them – as well as discuss risk…
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Summarizing the Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block According to the Handbook of Local Anesthesia
For quadrant dentistry, anesthetizing the inferior alveolar nerve is essential. This nerve block is achieved by targeting the nerve as it passes towards the mandibular foramen. The area of injection can be established by three parameters: Height of injection Anteroposterior placement of the needle Depth of penetration The height of the injection should be based…
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The Lingual Nerve
The lingual nerve is a part of the mandibular branch of the trigeminal nerve (V3). The lingual nerve provides general sensory information to the floor of the mouth, the lingual mucosa, as well as the anterior 2/3rds of the tongue. What makes the lingual nerve so special? The lingual nerve has two ‘special’ roles –…
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Extraction of the Maxillary First Premolar
What does the maxillary first premolar look like? The maxillary first premolar has the longest crown of any of the maxillary posterior teeth and has a prominent mesiolingual developmental groove on its mesial side. The maxillary first premolar is single rooted for the first 2/3rds of the tooth – only until the apical 1/3rd does…
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Extraction of the Mandibular Second Molar
What is a mandibular molar? The human dentition is divided into groups – the incisors (your front teeth), the canines, the premolars, and the molars. There are (in most cases) three molars in each quadrant of the human mouth. The third molars are the farthest back, and are more commonly referred to as ‘wisdom’ teeth.…
Teeth & Chiefs 