When Should a GP Refer a Root Canal? Cracked Teeth, Trauma & Endo Referrals | Dr. Ryan Walsh

When should a general dentist refer a root canal, and when can you treat it yourself? Endodontist Dr. Ryan Walsh breaks down the three kinds of referring dentists he sees, the cracked-tooth clue that should send you straight to a crown, and why a lesion you've "watched" for five years deserves a second look. He also covers how specialists use CBCT differently, why trauma cases should reach the endodontist the same day, and how a two-way relationship with your specialist makes you a better clinician. In this episode: - The three referring dentists: El Presidente, the Perpetual and the Potential - Why you should secret-shop your own front office - The most common endo pitfall for GPs: diagnosis - Cracked teeth: "when I bite it just right," and why about 80% just need a crown - Tooth Sleuth, cotton-tip and saliva ejector tricks for finding the crack - Don't just watch that lesion: when to send it for a scan - How specialists use small field of view CBCT, and why overreads matter - Dental trauma: why the endodontist should see it as soon as it happens 📰 Plus dental news from early 2023: Dental Assistant Recognition Week, a Ninth Circuit ruling on Medicaid pay for dental therapists, a dental tourism emergency in Costa Rica, the FTC's proposed non-compete ban, and the CDT overhaul project. Dr. Ryan Walsh is an endodontist in Keller, Texas. He graduated from the University of Iowa College of Dentistry, completed his endodontics residency at Baylor in Dallas, and lectures to dentists and endodontists on endodontics and bioceramics. Chapters: 0:00 Intro 1:45 News: Dental Assistant Recognition Week 2:24 News: Ninth Circuit ruling on dental therapists and Medicaid 2:55 News: a dental tourism emergency in Costa Rica 4:16 News: a car crashes into a dental office 5:07 News: the FTC's proposed non-compete ban 5:40 News: the CDT overhaul project 6:24 Meet Dr. Ryan Walsh 10:28 The three kinds of referring dentists 12:16 "Dr. Perpetual": referrals with strings attached 14:11 "The Potential": the secret shopper call 15:00 GPs do 80% of root canals 16:14 Secret-shop your own front office 19:22 The most common GP pitfalls in endo 20:39 It comes down to diagnosis 21:35 Cracked teeth: "when I bite it just right" 22:22 Most cracked teeth just need a crown 22:47 Tooth Sleuth, cotton tips and saliva ejectors 25:17 Cracked teeth since COVID 26:15 Why referring makes you a better dentist 28:00 Building a two-way relationship with your endodontist 30:20 Don't just watch that lesion 31:45 How specialists use CBCT differently 33:34 Overreads from a medical radiologist 34:37 Most incidental findings are outside the teeth 37:45 CBCT as an early screening tool 38:37 Dental trauma: call your endodontist right away 41:46 A trauma case: monitoring pulp vitality 43:29 Coming up: histology, and Ryan vs. Tom Viola 45:10 Closing: referrals are a two-way street 🎧 Listen to the podcast: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dentists-in-the-know/id1543254763 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Elfj6LX0hCUyp0AgdTsij 📺 Make sure you subscribe to catch new episodes live every Wednesday at 8pm ET! https://www.youtube.com/@dentistsintheknow 🌐 Check out our brand new website: https://dentistsintheknow.com 🌟 Stay up to date on all the latest dental trends when you follow the DINKs: https://fanflet.com/dinks/social-2