Laser Endodontics at Tysons Corner - Mary Ann Choby, DMD, MS

We wish all our readers a happy holiday season with your family and friends. May it bring joy and peace as we conclude one year and start another. Happy Holidays!! 

Did you know that National Flossing Day is always the day after Thanksgiving?

Did you also know that a large portion of patients lie about flossing? According to the American Dental Association, ADA, flossing is an essential part of taking care of your teeth and gums. The ADA recommends flossing at least once a day to help remove plaque from the area between your teeth where your toothbrush can’t reach. It doesn’t matter when or where you floss as long as you actually do it daily and thoroughly. 

So, please stop lying about flossing and do it!

Laser technology has advanced almost every area of dentistry in recent years, and Endodontics is no exception. Endodontics is the profession dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of infected teeth and bone. Endodontics and its objectives are not new but in our office we're proud to be on the cutting edge of a "paradigm shift". What is changing is that lasers are making Endodontists much more effective at achieving a successful outcome.

The laser works by using energy to stimulate areas and to reduce bacterial counts to a level approaching sterilization. It works well on all tissue types without the heat, vibration or noise of a drill. Our Waterlase MD laser system offers patients greater comfort, promotes faster healing and decreases postoperative pain.

By their very nature, lasers can be used to reduce discomfort during and after root canal treatment. They let the doctor work more quickly and with unprecedented accuracy. Lasers disinfect areas better, approaching st…

Nowadays, with continuous technological advancements, better methods have emerged to change the field of dentistry, and one of these is the Cone Beam Computed Tomography scanner or simply the CBCT scanner. 
We love our CBCT scanner! Over the last several years, the CBCT has helped us accurately diagnosis our patient cases to provide more appropriate treatment; saving patients time and money. Since adding this essential tool to our office, we've had a gradually increasing number of patients requiring a CT scan due to complex tooth anatomy or reasons that cannot be seen on a simple 2-D image. Just recently, we've noticed the increasing number of dentists in our area that have also added a CBCT scanner to their practice. Below you'll read some of the benefits of the CBCT.
Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scanners generate multiple projections that are immediately processed into 3-D images. These 3-D images are of those of the jaws and teeth of the patient. Previously, de…

Despite years of training and practice, it has been difficult to correctly diagnose what can barely be seen on 2-D intra-oral images. The  Kodak 3D extra oral imaging (CBCT) shows the whole picture from the axial, coronal, and sagittal views. CBCT provides additional information that is essential when used in Endodontics for finding evidence of resorption. 
This patient was diagnosed with pain in the maxillary right area. The patient was sent to this office for root canal therapy on tooth 2. Ordinary radiographs did not show a clear picture of the area. A CT was taken and the results show resorption of tooth #2 by tooth #1. Clearly the prognosis is poor. CT scans are recommended to diagnose the relationship of tooth #1 in relationship to tooth #2.  




If you're in any doubts as to the prognosis of your patient's tooth, please let us help you save a tooth.

From our office to you, have a fun and safe Halloween! :) 

This patient was sent to this office for a second opinion of tooth 14.  He had been recently seen by another dentist who told him that the palatal canal was calcified and that it could not be treated endodontically. A CBCT was taken to determine whether the palatal canal could be negotiated. The results show an undiagnosed radiolucency mid root and a somewhat patent palatal canal.  In addition, there is a radiopacity within the sinus directly apical to tooth 14 suggesting a sinusitis.

When this area was observed using an explorer, a huge amount of decay was found under the crown.  In addition, tooth 3 had the same decay issue present under that crown too.  The prognosis is poor for tooth 14 and the tooth unfortunately, could not be saved.   


We are proud to share our cases with you. If you have any dental concerns about a tooth you are treating, please give us a call. Let us help you save time and worry. The CBCT is the best way to diagnosis a problem. We are looking forward to serving …

With the Kodak 3-D extra-oral imaging system, it has become easier to diagnosis some of our more complex cases due to it's ability to give us a whole picture of the axial, coronal and sagittal views. Read our case study below to see how our CBCT Scan helped us determine the diagnosis for our patient. 

Case:  A 40 year old male came to the office with pain in the upper left quadrant. The patient could not remember any trauma to this area. A conventional 2-D radiograph was taken but the diagnosis was not clear. A CT scan showed a significant vertical fracture in the mesial buccal root. The prognosis is poor. This is a case where even a root amputation could not be done due to the proximity to the adjacent roots and shape of the tooth. 



If you're in any doubt as to a prognosis for a patient's tooth, please let us help you save a tooth with our Kodak 3-D CBCT Scanner.

In our office, we frequently get patients requiring root canal treatment caused by tooth decay. Surprisingly, many patients are unaware of what tooth decay is therefore many think that it's not there. The questions we get asked quite frequently is: what is tooth decay and what causes it? What can be done to prevent it?

What is tooth decay?
Tooth decay is damage that occurs when bacteria in our mouths create acids that begin to eat away at our teeth. This action leads to a hole in a tooth, also called a cavity. If not treated, tooth decay can cause pain, infection and possibly tooth loss.

Our teeth have three layers: the enamel, the dentin and the pulp chamber. The enamel is the hard outer layer that is visible to the eye. The dentin is the middle layer and the third layer is the pulp chamber, this is where the nerves and blood vessels are located. The deeper the decay goes the more damage there is.

What causes tooth decay?
The culprits: bacteria and food. Have you ever notice a stic…

Using the indispensable information that a CBCT scan can provide, check out our recent resorption case study. 

A 30-year-old male came to the office with pain in tooth #9. He wants to save his tooth. A conventional 2-D radiograph was taken but the diagnosis was not clear. A CT scan showed significant internal resorption in addition to a periapical lesion. No external resorption and no fracture lines were found. The patient was told that the resorption makes the tooth fragile and the prognosis is poor. Despite this, the patient wanted to save the tooth. The tooth was treated successfully and he has retained his tooth that would have otherwise been extracted.



We are proud to share our cases with you. If you have any doubts as to the prognosis of a tooth of your patient, please let us help you save a tooth!

In our office, we utilize the most current Privacy Practices. Our notice of privacy practices are located in our office and on our office website for patients to view at any time. Also check the links below to read them in English or Spanish. Please take note that this notice is important as it involves your personal information. Give us a call if you have any questions.

Spanish Notice of Privacy Practices
English Notice of Privacy Practices

Despite years of training and practice, it has been difficult to correctly diagnose what can barely be seen on 2-D intra-oral images. The Kodak 3-D extra-oral imaging shows the whole picture from the axial, coronal, sagittal views. CBCT provides additional information that is indispensable when used in endodontics for finding canals, diagnosing calcifications, determining the precise ares of perforations and visualizing vertical and horizontal fractures. Here is a recent case study.



A 41-year-old man fell out of a third-floor apartment and landed on a concrete sidewalk. He was treated for a broken jaw and was released. He arrived to our office with tooth #7 that looked suspicious on the 2-D view. A CBCT scan was taken of tooth #7 and the results were much clearer. In all three views, a horizontal fracture was visible. The recommended treatment consisted of an extraction followed by an implant. With conventional 2-D views, the correct diagnosis could not be made.

We have seen over 200 ca…

Did you know that your oral health can offer clues about your overall health — or that problems in your mouth can affect the rest of your body? Understand the connection between oral health and overall health and what you can do to protect yourself. What’s the connection between oral health and overall health? Like many areas of the body, your mouth is filled with millions of bacteria — most of them harmless. Normally the body’s natural defenses and good oral health care, such as daily brushing and flossing, can keep these bacteria under control. However, without proper oral hygiene, bacteria can reach levels that might lead to oral infections, such as tooth decay and gum disease. 
In addition, certain medications — such as decongestants, antihistamines, painkillers and diuretics — can reduce saliva flow. Our saliva is important because of its antibacterial fighting power. Saliva washes away food and neutralizes acids produced by bacteria in the mouth, helping to protect you from microbi…