EP. 17
StrongIs Single-Visit Endo as Successful as Multi-Visit?
Single-visit root canal treatment heals as well as multi-visit, per a 47-trial Cochrane review, with slightly more first-week pain.
Episode 17 · Sep 8, 2026 · 10 min
A series
The Research Says.
Clinical questions dentists argue about, answered from the literature rather than the lecture circuit.
Each episode takes one clinical question, reads the actual studies, grades the evidence and ends with what to do Monday morning. Every claim is cited and every citation is verified.
17 episodes8 strong9 moderate
Latest episode
THE RESEARCH SAYS EP. 17
StrongIs Single-Visit Endo as Successful as Multi-Visit?
Single-visit root canal treatment heals as well as multi-visit, per a 47-trial Cochrane review, with slightly more first-week pain.
How the series works
Three rules, every episode.
01
Every claim cited
A number in the text is a number in a paper, marked [n] and listed with its DOI.
02
Every citation verified
Each reference is checked against Crossref or PubMed before it is written, and the abstract has to support the claim. A study that cannot be found is not cited.
03
Evidence graded
Each episode ends in a verdict and a grade (Strong, Moderate or Limited) with the reason in a few words.
Reading the stamp
- Strong
- Replicated randomized trials or a systematic review that agree.
- Moderate
- Good trials with real limits, or reviews that do not fully agree.
- Limited
- Bench studies, small trials or consensus. Read the caveats.
Every episode
Newest first. Filter by what you do on Monday.
17 episodes
EP. 16
ModerateIs Warm Vertical Better Than Single Cone?
For routine canals, single cone with a bioceramic sealer heals and survives about the same as warm vertical, in roughly half the chair time.
Episode 16 · Aug 18, 2026 · 8 min
EP. 15
ModerateShould We Use Posts or Not?
A post retains a core; it does not strengthen the tooth. With two sound walls and a ferrule, adding one buys nothing measurable.
Episode 15 · Jul 16, 2026 · 8 min
EP. 14
StrongDigital CAD/CAM vs. Traditional Crowns
Same material, same cement: digital and lab crowns fit and survive the same. Digital's edge is speed, not a tighter margin.
Episode 14 · Jun 30, 2026 · 11 min
EP. 13
StrongIs Amalgam Bad or Not?
Two randomized trials in children found no difference in IQ, memory or kidney function between amalgam and composite fillings.
Episode 13 · Jun 11, 2026 · 10 min
EP. 12
ModerateCan You Bond to Sclerotic Dentin?
Bond strength to sclerotic dentin is lower, and switching adhesive families does not fix it. Roughening the surface and extending the prep do.
Episode 12 · May 12, 2026 · 9 min
EP. 11
ModerateDo Deeper Fillings Really Need Liners?
For routine Class I and II composites, a liner does not reduce sensitivity or improve survival: the bonding agent's seal does that work.
Episode 11 · Apr 28, 2026 · 10 min
EP. 10
StrongIs Bulk-Fill as Good as Incremental Layering?
Used per the instructions, bulk-fill matches 2 mm incremental layering on failure rate, margins and post-operative sensitivity.
Episode 10 · Mar 31, 2026 · 9 min
EP. 09
ModerateIs Your Old Curing Light Sabotaging Your Fillings?
A meaningful share of curing lights in clinical use deliver less energy than the composite at the floor of a Class II box needs to cure.
Episode 9 · Mar 3, 2026 · 10 min
EP. 08
ModerateDoes Gluma Reduce Post-Op Sensitivity In Dental Fillings?
Two long RCTs (220 and 228 restorations, 12–24 months) found Gluma adds nothing to a good adhesive; three shorter trials found a fading early edge.
Episode 8 · Dec 18, 2025 · 10 min
EP. 07
ModerateWhen Does a Tooth Actually Need a Crown Instead of Just a Filling?
Uncrowned endo-treated teeth are extracted at 6x the rate of crowned ones; cracked teeth benefit too, but the '1/3 isthmus rule' is folklore.
Episode 7 · Dec 17, 2025 · 9 min
EP. 06
ModerateDo Glass Ionomers Actually Remineralize Dentin?
GICs measurably remineralize affected dentin, but the founding review covers 8 in vitro studies, not the 20-plus sometimes claimed.
Episode 6 · Dec 16, 2025 · 9 min
EP. 05
ModerateImmediate vs. Delayed Implants (Is There a Penalty?)
Short-term data shows no survival gap; the one long-term study shows a large one, worst in the maxilla. Treat that as a real, unresolved tension.
Episode 5 · Dec 12, 2025 · 10 min
EP. 04
StrongDoes Silver Diamine Fluoride Really Arrest Caries Long-Term?
SDF arrests caries long-term in high-risk patients, backed by real trial data, though its caries use remains technically off-label.
Episode 4 · Dec 11, 2025 · 10 min
EP. 03
StrongHow Long Do Crowns Really Last?
Crowns survive roughly 90% at 5 years, 81% at 10, and 62% at 20: vitality, position, and bruxism matter more than material.
Episode 3 · Dec 10, 2025 · 9 min
EP. 02
StrongDo Patients Really Need a 6-Month Recall? (The Case for 12)
The largest trial on record found no oral-health difference between 6-, 24-month, and risk-based recalls: individualize the interval instead.
Episode 2 · Dec 9, 2025 · 10 min
EP. 01
StrongShould You Leave Caries Behind? (The End of Complete Excavation)
Cochrane's 2021 review and a 2013 meta-analysis favor selective over complete removal for deep lesions; the ADA's 2023 guideline conditionally agrees.
Episode 1 · Dec 5, 2025 · 9 min
The Dental Grind
Every Monday, free: how a practice actually works, plus the podcast.