Tutorial: Root canals are also called endodontics and is done by the dental specialist called an Endodontist. Being a specialist means that you have taken extra education in an approved program after dental school and that you are limited to practice just that specialty field. We are at Cape Dental Care called General Dentists and we too can do root canals, but instead of limiting our practice to just one specialty, we can do pretty much everything in the general field of dentistry. However, this does not mean that we can do every endodontic case. Calcified canal require special treatment and many times the addition of a microscope to which we do not have at our general practice, yet.
There are actually many different ways to do a root canal on a tooth and a dentist can actually do a root canal differently on different teeth, at different times. “New service to our patients: Laser Root Canals!”. Below is the code written for the most comprehensive note imaginable for the many different way we do root canals at our office.
The code and noted that appear inside the patient’s chart will be in bold and comments about the entries/code will be in plain text. The Endo note below is very long and screenshots may need to be stitched together.
Endo note code:
<Consent> <HlthHx> Root Canal Treatment using <Rubber Dam> <biteBlock> <gripper> <Apex Locator> <irrigation> <irrigation> <Acoustic> <ErYAG> <PIPS> <PIPS2> <ErYAG10> <irrigation> <irrigation> <TFfiles> <ProTaper> <D> <RC Instrument> <TF> <GT file> <Length> <DF> <RC Instrument> <TF> <GT file> <Length> <DL> <RC Instrument> <TF> <GT file> <Length> <F> <RC Instrument> <TF> <GT file> <Length> <L> <RC Instrument> <TF> <GT file> <Length> <MF> <RC Instrument> <TF> <GT file> <Length> <ML> <RC Instrument> <TF> <GT file> <Length> <P> <RC Instrument> <TF> <GT file> <Length> <PA> <resilon> <wave> <Gutta Percha> <endoRez> <lightCured> <Cavit> <IRM> <OCCL Red> <Tolerated> <noAnesth> Topical anesthetic <Topical> with <AnesNumMg> of <Anesthetic> <AnesthFil> <AnesthBlock> <AnesthMental> <AnesthPulp> <AnesthLig> <AnesthAkin><CompuDent> <addAnesth> <AnesNumMg> <Anesthetic> <AnesthFil> <AnesthBlock> <AnesthMental> <AnesthPulp> <AnesthLig> <AnesthAkin><CompuDent> Pt informed not to eat food, bite or chew on lips or tongue while anesthetic is still working. <OraVerse> <Next Visit> <secNV> <secNV> <secNV>
The patient has been informed that a final restoration will be needed whether it be a filling for an anterior tooth or full coverage crown for more badly damaged tooth. If this final restoration is not done in a timely manner then the tooth may be lost from possible recurrent decay, endodontic leakage, and /or fracture.
This note is basically a series of “Checkbox” and “multi-choice” variables designed to run quickly through a logically sequenced outline so you will not forget what you had done during any particular type of root canal you may perform. The “Check box” variables are simple to make and appear exactly as the are in the note above. Below are the “Multi-choice” variables examples.
We use a variety of irrigant through out the endodontic and other procedures procedure (this variable also shows up in the “Dry Socket note” and the “Perio Abscess note”). That is why this variable has other types of irrigants than used in an endo case.
I put in a “Multi-choice” variable lengths from 10mm to 32mm in half mm increments.
Then just add the anesthetics to the end of this note. SEE “How to Write Carestream/Kodak PracticeWorks Dental Notes: Local Anesthetics”.
This is an actual note placed in the patient’s chart.
Informed Consent, Reviewed health history, Root Canal Treatment using Rubber Dam, bite block used, Endo gripper, Apex Locator, Water irrigation, File-Eze EDTA canal prep, Er:YAG with eye protection, Photon induced acoustic streaming, PIPS 400u/14.0mm laser tip, (R14, 50us, 20mJ, 15Hz, 0.3W), EDTA, Water irrigation, SybronEndo TF NiTi files, DF #25 .08 taper, 20.0mm, DL #25 .08 taper, 20.0mm, MF #25 .08 taper, 21.0mm, ML #25 .08 taper, 20.5mm, Periapical (2), resin coated GP w/ EndoRez, Cavit, Occlusal Reduction, Treatment was tolerated well. Topical anesthetic 20% lido/4% Tetra/2% phenylephrine with 2 carpules (72mg/3.4ml) of 2% Mepivacaine/1:20,000 NeoCobefrin mandibular nerve block, intrapulpal, additional anesthetic used 1 carpule (68mg/1.7ml) 4% Articaine w/1:100000 epi infiltration, Pt informed not to eat food, bite or chew on lips or tongue while anesthetic is still working. OraVerse 0.8mg. Next Visit: Re-eval , Post/crown
The patient has been informed that a final restoration will be needed whether it be a filling for an anterior tooth or full coverage crown for more badly damaged tooth. If this final restoration is not done in a timely manner then the tooth may be lost from possible recurrent decay, endodontic leakage, and /or fracture.
This note took about a minute to write and is usually finished by the time the assistant is done taking her final film. Final Fill photos of PIPS cases found at the end of the blog “New service to our patients: Laser Root Canals!”.