The oral cavity or mouth consists of many parts and can roughly be categorized into hard tissues(teeth and bone) and soft tissues(gums, cheeks, palate, etc.). Optimal function and appearance requires that all the parts are healthy. So when it comes to treating the mouth, it is absolutely imperative to apply a comprehensive approach. I've come across many situations in my career where certain aspects of a condition were ignored during previous treatment and as a result the outcome is poor or failing.
Recently, I did an examination on a patient who just had some restorative work and needed a second opinion because he was not pleased with the results. I found that the patient had moderate to severe bone loss(Periodontitis) and had to tell the patient that all the recent work should be removed in order to treat the supporting bone and gums. Needless to say Mr. X was not happy. The moral of this story is to make sure that a thorough evaluation(clinical and radiographic) is performed before a treatment plan is derived and carried out. As we all know, its always better to do it right the first time!
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