By: Dr. William J. Nudera DDS, MS
NuEndo ReThinking Endodontics is the first of its kind resource that uses easy-to-follow systems designed to simplify the complex process of endodontic diagnosis and case selection. The guide leads you through a series of well-organized, logical flow charts aimed to sharpen your diagnostic efficiency and prognostic predictability. NuEndo ReThinking Endodontics maps out every aspect of the doctor-patient encounter. I have thought about this from every angle imaginable— why?— so you don’t have to.
Whether it’s a slight change in the appearance of the soft tissue (fig. 1) or a massive swelling extending across an entire quadrant (fig. 2); mild sensitivity to cold (fig 3) or lingering pain to heat; localized pain to bite (fig. 4) or acute facial swelling (fig. 5), you get to choose the path that best fits your patient’s specific clinical scenario (fig. 6). Starting with a chief complaint, my systems will constantly guide you through simple binary (sometimes ternary) choices and lead you to the answers you are looking for. NuEndo ReThinking Endodontics customizes your clinical decision-making process using the same methods I use in my clinical practice daily.
Did you know that there’s a hierarchal order to diagnostic testing, and it’s all based on “diagnostic probability”? You don’t need to perform every diagnostic test on every patient every time to identify the problem! Instead, follow this systematic diagnostic testing network (fig. 7) and pinpoint the most likely source with just a few simple tests. Recognize when a diagnosis can simply be inferred from the clinical and radiographic findings or when a more extensive diagnostic workup is needed. Understand the signs and symptoms that differentiate between odontogenic and non-odontogenic pain. Know when you should treat— and more importantly— know when you shouldn’t.
Not sure about the prognosis? Ask me! My prognosis screening system helps you develop a prognosis based on the three most important prognostic variables— the surrounding biology, the structural integrity, and the patient. Follow one of three systems designed to help you understand the prognosis from the perspective of the supporting alveolar bone (fig. 8). Dive deeper into the rationale behind the choices with my analysis pages accompanying each system (fig 9). Use my systems and start thinking and communicating like an expert endodontist!
NuEndo ReThinking Endodontics walks you through the endodontic evaluative process from the perspective of a clinically practicing endodontist. It’s all the stuff you didn’t get in dental school. It begins with the patient’s chief complaint, then follows a nonlinear format— solely based on your patient’s specific clinical scenario. It constantly answers the “what’s next?” question. The systematic flow charts are fully supported by evidence-based narratives, radiographs, and clinical photographs (fig. 10). Not only does it provide you with a deeper understanding of the problem at hand and how to manage it, but it arms you with the knowledge to better explain and communicate your findings with both your patients and colleagues.
What were once thought to be abstract concepts and thoughts are now definitive, evidence-based clinical systems that any dentist can understand and apply at any experience level. My goal is to arm the dentist and endodontist alike with a clinical playbook that can be easily referenced. I want to arm the student with a tool to fill in the information gaps and accelerate the learning curve. I want to provide the dental community with a new perspective on the endodontic treatment process so that endo no longer has to be confusing or intimidating.
NuEndo ReThinking Endodontics will get you into the mind of an endodontist. So, take a master diagnostician into every operatory with you, every time. NuEndo ReThinking Endodontics is currently available for purchase here.
Don’t buy the book to read it; buy the book to use it!
