Affected area:
Lower posterior region (missing crown with remaining root fragment)
Key findings from the image:
Severely broken-down tooth reduced to a root stump
Dark brown to black necrotic tooth structure
Accumulated plaque, calculus, and food debris
Surrounding gum tissue appears inflamed and irritated
The wind whipped off Lake Michigan, carrying the festive scent of pine and roasting chestnuts down Michigan Avenue. Inside a cozy Lincoln Park apartment, the scene was decidedly less cheerful. Sarah, a normally meticulous graphic designer, stared in disbelief at the small porcelain cap resting in her palm. Her 11-year-old crown on tooth #19—a molar she had babied, flossed around religiously, and questioned for over a decade—had just come loose during a bite of her mother’s famous gingerbread.
Image Observations: The picture shows the lower right side of the mouth (Mandibular quadrant).
The tooth farthest back (most posterior) appears to have a restoration (filling or inlay/onlay) or possibly a crown which exhibits a large, dark, and deep-looking defect or void on its biting surface (occlusal surface). The defect appears dark brown/black with a distinct border.
A Story of Chaddy
Chaddy was the pride of his family. As a call center agent in Manila, he earned more than anyone in his province ever had. His salary put his younger siblings through school, repaired his parents' home, and gave him a taste of a modern life. By day, he was a provider, a hero. But by night, he was a prisoner of the clock, fighting a silent war against his own biology.
Kamusta, mga Magulang! Look around any high school in the Philippines today, and you'll see a common sight: teenagers with metallic smiles from braces. While orthodontics is a wonderful science, it makes you wonder—why is this becoming almost a rite of passage? Is this widespread crowding and misalignment inevitable?
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
