The Wear Patient: A Four-Pillar Interdisciplinary Approach to Diagnosis and Treatment Planning

Interdisciplinary patient management requires more than restorative, periodontic, orthodontic, endodontic, and occlusal/joint evaluations. It must also include an airway evaluation. The airway patient commonly presents with a malocclusion and attrition of some or all of their teeth. Dentistry has much to offer the wear/airway patient, but communication between treating clinicians can be difficult. This article discusses the four pillars of interdisciplinary treatment planning, with an emphasis on diagnosis and communication using the pre-orthodontic bonding technique.