Step Up: Brother 

Johnny's daddy has bad teeth.  So his mommy has taken him to see dentist since he was young.  To prevent cavities, sealant has been placed in the bite surface of his molars (Fig.1 >).  Johnny is a good boy and brushes regularly, but he does not floss.

Today he (in his early twenties) shows up in dental office, complaining of chip in one of the molars (Fig.1,2 *).  He has got a cavity between the teeth due to the fact that he does not floss for long time!  The cavity is pretty close to the nerve (Fig.2 N).  Fortunately, the nerve is not exposed when all of junk is removed from the cavity.  A white large filling is placed (Fig.3 F).  He returns to clinic for cleaning a week later.  The tooth has no problem.

Now he should step up his oral hygiene and floss every day.

Xin Wei, DDS, PhD, MS 1st edition 11/15/2012, last revision 11/21/2012