Clinical Cases & Doctor’s Columns
This page collects Seongmo Dental Clinic treatment cases and clinician columns. Each entry records where the clinical judgement could have gone either way, the evidence behind the decision, and the measured properties of the materials and equipment used.
Real treatment records and dental columns from Seongmo Dental Clinic — a 30-second walk from Exit 2 of Sungshin Women’s University Station, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul. Written and documented by the treating directors themselves.
Cracked tooth prognosis: what is the evidence for crowning early?
Six verified papers: in a 2024 meta-analysis, cracked teeth monitored without restoration had an 80% 3-year success rate, and root-canal-treated cracked teeth without a crown had an 11.3-fold higher extraction risk (observational association).
2026.10.06 Read the column →
Is Q-ray fluorescence caries detection more accurate than X-ray?
Six verified papers: a Cochrane review found fluorescence devices had 0.70 sensitivity at 0.78 specificity (low certainty), and a 2025 QLF meta-analysis advises against using it alone; X-rays are still needed for caries between teeth and deep decay.
2026.10.05 Read the column →
How does gum disease treatment affect diabetes and cardiovascular disease?
Six verified papers: a Cochrane review of 35 randomised trials found HbA1c 0.43 points lower 3–4 months after gum treatment (moderate certainty), while only two low-quality trials looked at heart attack or stroke, so prevention is not proven.
2026.10.04 Read the column →
Does computer-controlled anaesthesia really reduce injection pain?
Six verified papers: a meta-analysis of crossover studies found pain scores just over 9 points lower (0–100) than a syringe, but needle-puncture pain was similar; QuickSleeper intraosseous anaesthesia succeeded in 81.2% of inflamed lower molars versus 40.6% with a nerve block.
2026.10.03 Read the column →
Do glass-fibre posts reduce root fractures compared with metal posts?
Six verified papers: a meta-analysis of 7 randomised trials found no significant survival difference, while a 15-year trial reported more root-fracture failures with metal posts. Remaining tooth structure matters more than the material.
2026.10.02 Read the column →
Can pulpotomy replace full root canal treatment in adult permanent teeth?
Six verified papers: in randomised trials, 1-year success of pulpotomy in mature molars was similar to root canal treatment (27/29 in both arms), and a 2024 meta-analysis of 25 trials estimated 86.7% success, but data beyond 5 years rely on one trial.
2026.10.01 Read the column →
Does air-polishing (Airflow) differ from ultrasonic scaling?
Six verified papers: in periodontal maintenance, air-polishing gave pocket reduction similar to conventional instruments with lower pain (2022 meta-analysis), but it cannot remove hardened calculus. Why the clinic uses a powder-first, ultrasonic-second sequence.
2026.09.30 Read the column →
Can plasma-assisted root canal disinfection reduce reinfection compared with conventional irrigation?
Six verified papers: plasma reduces root canal bacteria in lab and extracted-tooth studies (2024 meta-analysis), but no patient trial has compared reinfection rates yet. What actually predicts healing, and how the clinic uses plasma as an add-on step.
2026.09.29 Read the column →
Why we brought in an AquaCare Twin — removing early decay without a drill
A two-chamber unit that sprays 29 and 53 micrometre alumina particles with water, so early lesions are removed without vibration or heat. Manufacturer specifications, three verified studies, where it is not suitable, and the clinic protocol.
2026.09.13 Read the column →
Crown timing after root canal treatment and tooth survival: when should the tooth be crowned?
Six verified papers (2015–2026): molars crowned within 4 months had a lower extraction risk, direct fillings showed no timing effect, and only one RCT exists. Limits of the evidence and the clinic’s same-day crown protocol.
2026.09.09 Read the column →
Can a crown really be done in one day?
Scan, design, milling, firing and bonding in-house — about 90 minutes from preparation to final bonding, with no impression, temporary crown or second visit. How it works, whether the quality is the same, and when it is not possible.
2026.09.09 Read the column →
Why we put a Primescan 2 next to our Primescan Connect
A wireless, cloud-based scanner announced in September 2024 — full-arch scan under a minute, fluorescence and near-infrared 2D. Why the clinic runs two scanners side by side, and what the literature reports.
2026.08.30 Read the column →
A Molar That Trapped Food for a Year — Rebuilt from the Contact Point with a Same-Day Inlay
A treated molar kept trapping food for a year. Proximal caries on the neighboring tooth was restored in one visit with an in-house Primemill ceramic inlay, and the contact point was adjusted at the micrometer level before bonding.
2026.08.29 Read the case →
A Cracked Molar, Treated in 1 Hour 30 Minutes — Without Removing the Entire Nerve
A cracked lower molar under a gold inlay: instead of a full root canal, a pulpotomy kept the root nerve alive, and an in-house milled overlay crown was bonded about 1 hour 30 minutes after the first X-ray.
2026.08.28 Read the case →
A Molar Diagnosed for Extraction, Saved With Plasma Root Canal Treatment — Same-Day Crown Case
Told in Incheon that the tooth had to come out for an implant, the patient came to Sungshin Women’s University Station. A 3D CT scan found no root fracture, and the molar was preserved with Plazen plasma root canal treatment and an in-house same-day crown.
2026.08.27 Read the case →
Why Does a Root-Canal-Treated Molar Break Even With a Crown?
A tooth’s remaining life is decided beneath the crown. How Seongmo Dental Clinic rebuilds a root-canal-treated molar with everX Flow glass-fiber core resin — a material designed to stop cracks — before the same-day crown.
2026.08.25 Read the case →
Ceramic Inlay vs Hybrid Inlay — What Changed After 5 Years in the Same Mouth?
We compared the real 5-year outcomes of a glass-ceramic inlay we placed and a hybrid inlay in the same mouth. Reported flexural strength: about 360–400 MPa vs 120–200 MPa.
2026.08.23 Read the case →
Meet Our Doctors — Dr. Lee Seok-hyeon Joins Seongmo Dental Clinic
From August 31, 2026, Dr. Lee Seok-hyeon begins practicing at Seongmo Dental Clinic. The clinic, in the same location since 1998, now runs a two-director cross-check system.
2026.08.24 Read the notice →New articles are published first on the Korean hub and translated here in stages. You may also find these English pages helpful: Dental Term Encyclopedia · Same-Day Ceramic Restorations · Our Equipment · Seongmo Dental Clinic — English Home
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