9 plymouth road

SPECIALIST ENDODONTIST in TAVISTOCK

9 PLYMOUTH RD, TAVISTOCK
DEVON PL19 8AU
Tel. 01822 617788

Information Regarding Endodontic Referrals

Due to the valuable support of the dentists in the Southwest, Dr. Nico Louw, Specialist Endodontist in Mid-Devon for the past four years, has decided to devote ALL his time in the West Country. This practice will now utilise Nico’s extensive and valuable experience, gained over the past four years of fulltime clinical endodontics and decades of academic activities in the specialty. The practice is well-equipped for advanced Endodontic services, including:

Micro-techniques using a Surgical Microscope with the required accessories
The latest Nickel Titanium canal preparation equipment, materials and techniques
Advanced diagnosis with minimum radiation by using Schick electronic imaging
Accurate working length determination with electronic apex location, verified with electronically analysed “Schick” images.
Predictable three-dimensional root canal sealing methods obtained by utilizing the scientifically proven System B and Obtura II equipment.

We hope that you and your patients will continue to benefit from the services provided. We would also be most grateful for any feedback, negative or positive, concerning the treatment performed or anything else you would like to be discussed. Nico is available for referrals of patients requiring private endodontic treatment or retreatment at specialist level in our centre. and also in Cullompton. Emergencies for both practices will be given urgent attention, irrespective of whether their treatment is based at Tavistock (01822 617788) or Cullompton (01884 33317). Patients will be seen on a referral basis for Endodontic treatment and will be required to return to you for any further treatment.

FEES

Due to the enhanced procedures provided and the level of complexity of most of the referred cases, treatment is VERY time consuming. The following guidelines on fees are given so you can discuss this with prospective patients.

In order to give your patients the advantage of predictable endodontic treatment the first time around, treatment on previously UNTREATED TEETH will be provided at competitive rates. (Teeth with existing crowns may be considered as retreatments, even if the root canals were not previously treated, as the pulps are often obliterated by placing cores.)

Incisors. Canines and premolars: £300 - £350
Molars: £400 - £450

In the case of RETREATMENTS

Incisors. Canines and premolars: £400 - £500
Molars: £500 - £600

The higher figures in any range would relate to removal of obstructions (composite, silver points, broken instruments etc). Such high charges will be explained to the patient at the consultation visit!

Consultations will be charged at £70. If treatment, based on this consultation, DOES follow later the fee will be discounted from the treatment fee.
If treatment is aborted due to unforeseen circumstances the charge will be based on the time spent but not exceeding £120
A written estimate will be given after a preliminary consultation visit. However, if the patient accepts a verbal estimate and sufficient time was appointed, treatment can be initiated during the same visit.
Charges include all required intra-oral radiographs.

Please discuss the financial implications with your patient. Patients often travel long distances and if they, then, have to learn on arrival that they cannot afford the treatment it is embarrassing and costly for everybody concerned.

If you wish to refer urgently or need to discuss a case, please call Nico directly on his mobile phone (07803 044 904). In all other cases give as as much information as possible so contact can be made with the patient and a suitable appointment arranged a.s.a.p. Nico’s E-mail is also checked on a daily basis at nicolaaslw(at)aol.com.

SPECIALIST ENDODONTIC PRACTICE

The service will be provided by dr. Nico Louw, a registered specialist endodontist, and will include:-

1. diagnosis of oral and facial pain,

2. conservative treatment of compromised pulps and roots,

3. root canal therapy of single and multi-rooted teeth,

4. re-treatment of failed endodontic cases;

5. preparation for and provision of posts and cores where the referring dentist so requests.

Policy of the Practice

The practice will respect the rights of the referring dentist at all times and will render no service to a patient which is not specifically requested in writing by the dentist. After completion of the requested treatment the patient will be expected to return to the referring dentist and a report of the treatment will be sent to the dentist.

The price-structure of the practice is specifically designed to act as an incentive for dentists to refer cases to the specialist practice before getting involved in a situation which may prove to be problematic. By doing this, we feel that we can save the dentist the embarrassment and costly sequelae of a failed case.

All treatment in the practice will be evidence-based and related to the latest internationally accepted principles. The endodontist will always be willing to share his knowledge with his colleagues on an individual basis or by lectures/workshops involving groups.

The Endodontist

Nico Louw qualified at the University of Pretoria in South Africa and practiced as a dentist near Cape Town until 1972. He then initiated an academic career by studying at the Institute of Dental Surgery in the Eastman Dental Hospital in London, leading to a M.Sc. in Conservative Dentistry. This was followed some years later with a Ph.D. of the University of Stellenbosch. During his term of office as Professor and Chairman of Conservative dentistry at the same university, he developed a particular interest in Endodontics and lectured extensively on this subject at his own university and in several countries. He also did considerable research in the subject. All of this led to his registration by the GDC as one of the first Specialist Endodontists when the specialist register was initiated.

CURRICULUM VITAE

PROF NICOLAAS PETRUS LOUW

DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

NAME: Prof. NICOLAAS PETRUS LOUW (B.Ch.D. - Pret; M.Sc.(Conservative Dentistry) - London; Ph.D. (Odont) - Stell)

Born at Douglas, C.P., SOUTH AFRICA on 5th August 1936.

Address: 20a The Avenue, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 4HW UK
Phone +447803 044 904

E-Mail: nicolaaslw@aol.com

BASIC EDUCATION

Pass Cape Senior Certificate at the Boy's High School, Paarl in 1953, with Matriculation Exemption, in the first class.

Obtain the degree of B.Ch.D. from the University of Pretoria in 1958.

PRACTICE EXPERIENCE AFTER QUALIFICATION.

Jan. 1959 - June 1960

Assistant in private dental practice in Potgietersrus (Transvaal).

July 1960 - June 1962

Superintendent of the Municipal Dental Clinic in Vereeniging (Transvaal).

July 1962 - Dec. 1963

Senior Dentist at the Municipal Dental Clinic in Hope Street, Cape Town.

Jan. 1964 - April 1972

Private dental practice at Milnerton, Cape Province.

POST-GRADUATE STUDY

May 1972 - Sept. 1972

Full-time practical course in Crown and Bridge Work ("Long Cons Course") at the Institute of Dental Surgery in the Eastman Dental Hospital London (U.K.).

Oct. 1972 - Sept. 1973

Full-time M.Sc.-course at the same Institute and obtains the degree "Master of Science in Conservative Dentistry" from the University of London in 1973.

Jan. 1978 - Dec. 1982

Ph.D (Odont.) student (part-time) at the University of Stellenbosch. Degree conferred - 8 Dec. 1982.

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS

APPOINTMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF STELLENBOSCH

Appointed during the middle of 1972 as Senior Lecturer in the Dept. of Restorative Dentistry to commence duty on 1 Nov. 1973.

APPOINTMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WESTERN CAPE

Appointed as Professor of Conservative Dentistry as from 1 Jan 1975.

APPOINTMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF STELLENBOSCH

Appointed as Professor and Head of the Dept. of Restorative Dentistry as from 1 Jan. 1984. Later renamed to Chairman of Department. In July 1999 I retired from the above position and took up a contract post with the University of Stellenbosch in the Division of the Dean with as primary duty the development of Computer Assisted Learning Material and Postgraduate teaching of Endodontics

ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE

Taught Endodontics at undergraduate level from 1975 to 1990 and then remained involved in a supervisory capacity to assist the person who took over the responsibility. Remained active in chairside clinical tuition regarding undergraduate Endodontics AND Normal Occlusion.

Supervised/examined ten Masters and four Doctorate Theses. Most of these were involved with Endodontics.

Offered, with the help of members of the Faculty, from the early 90’s until 2003 a two-year part-time Postgraduate Diploma in Dentistry, in the discipline Endodontics, which is specifically aimed at the practicing dentist. The course included lectures, demonstration, “hands-on” courses, assignments and clinical activities.

INTERNATIONAL ENDODONTIC COURSES ATTENDED

Over the past two decades attended courses by Drs Louis Grossman; Dudley Glick; Al Franck; Professor Kaare Langeland; Drr. JL Gutmann; Paul Lovdahl; Gerald Glickman; Chris Stock; Peter Velvart; Eric Hovland;. Abou-Rass; Hank Trowbridge; Cal Torneck and others.

PRACTICE AS ENDODONTIST

The specialty does not exist on its own in South Africa and I could therefore not register as an Endodontist. I had, however, limited all my dental practice activities to a Practice Limited to Endodontics. This has been the case for the last ten years. As there is no other person in the Western Cape who limits his/her practice entirely to Endodontics, I consulted for and treated many cases referred to by dentists in that area. Phone calls from outlying areas were received on a daily basis. Registered from October 1999 as Specialist Endodontist with the General Dental Council in the United Kingdom. At present actively involved with private Specialist Endodontic Practice in Cullompton and Plymouth for a total of six full days per week.

RESEARCH INTEREST

(Limited to period since 1985)

1985 - 2002:

In 1985 Prof. Louw spent four months full-time as visiting professor in the department of Endodontics of the University of Connecticut in Farmington, USA, working closely with Prof. Kaare Langeland, Drs. Kamram Savavi, Lars Spangberg and Eli Pascon, starting his research experience in testing of pulp and peri-apical histopathology resulting from canal sealants and pulp capping.

This work was continued by working closely with Dr. C.H. Pameijer from the same University (UCONN) doing histopathological analysis of the pulp and peri-apical areas in the baboon. This work was done in South Africa during multiple visits by Dr. Pameijer. It gave Prof. Louw the opportunity to perform a large number of root canal treatments under standardised circumstances for research purposes.

1987 - 1997 Joins forces with the Bureau for Mechanical Engineering of University of Stellenbosch to analyse the stress distribution of endodontic posts utilising Finite Element Analysis. and the development of a viable post-core system. for clinical use. Involved in the development of an eccentric diameter prefabricated post.

1992- 1994 With Dr. M Cvek from Stockholm and Dr. JT Potgieter of Stellenbosch Dental faculty do research in an attempt to establish the mechanism of hard tissue barrier induction in exposed dental pulps.

1992 - 2001 In collaboration with Dr. CH Pameijer from UCONN in the USA. Testing of the effect of dental materials and devices on the pulp.

1994 - Research at the University of Connecticut Health Centre in the USA in conjunction with Dr. CH Pameijer to establish a suitable method for the preparation of fractured porcelain surfaces and their repair with composite resins (Published 1996)

1994-1997 In collaboration with Dr. CH Pameijer, developed a method for testing shear bond strength in vivo, with and without pulpal pressure (Published in 1997)

1995 - 2002 Histopathological testing of the effect of different Endodontic sealing materials on peri-apical area. (First report at IADR, Japan, 2001)

1996 - 2000 Join "SOUTH AFRICAN MEDICAL LASER RESEARCH COMMITTEE OF THE South African Medical Research Council" in February 1996. Visit Berlin and Biberach in Germany, San Clemente (USA) and San Francisco (USA) and Glasgow (Scotland) for short training/evaluating visits to collect experience in the use of different Laser units for dental hard and soft tissue applications. Attended an official training course in Medical and Dental Lasers at the LMTB in Berlin.

1996- 1997 Does research to test the effect of laser drill cavity preparation on the dental pulp. (Presented at IADR – Published in the South African Dental Journal)

1997 Laboratory research with Dr.CH Pameijer in the USA (UCONN) to test the effect of water sorption and expansion with luted posts and the possibility of cracking roots.

1998 Laboratory research with Dr.CH Pameijer in the USA (UCONN) to test different endodontic post types especially with the view of utilising Fibre-reinforced Resins and including the new Eccentric Post Design.

RESEARCH OUTPUT

Publications
1. COMPLETE IN JOURNALS
  1. LOUW, N.P. Review of Publications on Precision Attachments during 1975 and early 1976. Journal of The Dental Association of South Africa 32,6:329-331 (1977).
  2. LOUW, N.P. Dental Needs and Demands of the Cape Coloured People in the Cape Peninsula". Journal of the Dental Association of South Africa 34, 10 : 715-722 (1979).
  3. MOOLA, M.H.; LOUW, N.P The essential dental needs for the Coloured population in the Peninsula. Journal of the Dental Association of South Africa 34,10:728-733 (1979).
  4. ORKIN, D.A.& LOUW, N.P. (1990) "Comparison of Three Different sized Paraposts with Different sized T.M.S. Pins and their Resistance to Tensile, Torque and Shear Forces in the Laboratory" Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry 63,2:144-150

BLIGNAUT, JB & LOUW, NP (1993)

"Replacing Amalgam Fillings with Composite Inlays: A case report",J. dent. Assoc. of South Africa, May 1993

PAMEIJER, CH, LOUW NP, FISCHER D. Surface Preparation And Repair Of Fractured Porcelain And The Resistance Of The Bond To Shear Forces. J.A.D.A. Feb 1996.
STANLEY HR, PAMEIJER CH, JEFFERIES SR, LOUW NP. Adherence of “stuck” restorations to demineralized dentin following use of experimental primers. The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry 1997: 78(4): 354-366.
PAMEIJER CH, LOUW NP. Significance of pulpal pressure during clinical bonding procedures. American Journal of Dentistry 1997: 10(5): 214-218.
STANLEY-HR; PAMEIJER-CH; JEFFERIES-SR; LOUW-NP Adherence of "stuck" restorations to demineralised dentin following use of experimental primers. J-Prosthet-Dent. 1997 Oct; 78(4): 354-66
NP LOUW, CH PAMEIJER, WD ACKERMANN , T ERTL, H J CAPPIUS and G NORVAL Pulp Histology After Er:Yag Laser Cavity Preparation In Subhuman Primates (A Pilot Study) (Published by the South African Journal of Dentistry)

Abstracts (Limited to last 8 years)
1. LOUW, NP* & TERBLANCHE, E "The effect of Luting cement adhesion on stress distribution around Posts." J. Dent. Res, (1993)72, 4: 826 (#42)
2. STANLEY, H*, PAMEIJER, CH., LOUW, NP (1994) "Pulpal Reaction to Four experimental Dentine Bonding systems" J. Dent. Res.73: 293 (#1531)
3. N.P. LOUW*, C.H. PAMEIJER & H.R. STANLEY, "Histological Response to Four Experimental Low Viscosity Ferric Sulphate Solutions." J. Dent. Res. 73: 318 (#1731)
4. LOUW NP, PAMEIJER, CH, FISCHER D. "Preparation Of Fractured Porcelain For Repair With Composite Cement. J Dent. Res. 74: 432 (#248)
5. PAMEIJER CH, LOUW NP. Significance of Pulpal Pressure during in vivo Dentin Bonding. J Dent Res 1997: 76 (International Association of Dental Research Congress, Orlando) 1997: J Dent. Res. 76: Abstract 195 March 1997 – IADR, Orlando
6. LOUW,NP; PAMEIJER, CH; ACKERMANN, WD; NORVAL, G Comparison of Er:YAG-laser and Turbine Cavity Preparation in Subhuman Primates (Cape Town, 1997) J Dent. Res. 77: 1282 (#91)
7. CLARK, AE; PAMEIJER, CH; STANLEY, HR; LOUW,NP; Pulp Capping with a modified Bioglass* Formula (#A68-Modified) (1999) J Dent. Res. 78: 219 (#910)
8. LOUW, NP; BEGG,T; PAMEIJER, CH Testing the new Fibre-reinforced Resin Posts under simulated occlusal forces (2000) J Dent. Res. 79(5): 1311 (#59)
9. LOUW, N.P.* PAMEIJER, C.H.; NORVAL, G. Histopathological Evaluation Of Root Canal Sealer In Subhuman Primates (2001) J Dent. Res. (IADR-Japan, June 2001)

Invited Lectures (Limited to last 10 years)

April 1994 - Invited Speaker at a Seminar held at the Faculty of Dentistry in Gent, Belgium. "Research around Endodontic Posts" Sept. 1994

PROSSA DAY in Johannesburg - "Treatment of the Endodontically Compromised Tooth."

Aug. 1995 - Speaker at General Refresher Course of University of Stellenbosch Dental Faculty "Treatment of the Endodontically Compromised Tooth."

May 1997 Speaker at General Refresher Course of University of Stellenbosch Dental Faculty held in Wilderness, South Africa and repeated at Medical Research Council in Cape Town. "The Profile system” – Love your Endo again!

Sept 1998 - International Endodontic Congress – Lima, Peru. Lecture and Workshop on Modern Endodontics and Lasers in Dentistry

Sept 1998 – Workshop on Dental Lasers in Caraccas, Venezuela. Lecture and clinical tuition on “Clinical use of Lasers in Dentistry”

CPD Courses in the UK

Exeter (Sept 2002);
Portsmouth (Jan 2003);
Epsom (Four CPD Courses during 2003 - 2005);
Epsom: CPD course for the local branch of the BDA (2004)
Exeter (Full Day course in Jan 2004 and in Jan 2005)

EXAMINING EXPERIENCE

1. External Examiner in undergraduate Restorative Dentistry at all Dental Faculties in South Africa on several occasions.

Member of ACCREDITATION panel of the SA Medical and Dental Council (SAMDC) for evaluation of dental schools at MEDUNSA, University of Pretoria and University of the Witwatersrand in 1993/4. The visitations were repeated in 2001 for MEDUNSA and Witwatersrand, this time for accreditation of the schools with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) the successor of the SAMDC.

3. Supervisor and/or examiner of four doctorate and ten Masters theses.

4. Examiner for the SA Medical and Dental Council in Examinations for dentists qualified in foreign countries.

5. Referee for the Journal of the Dental Association of South Africa.

6. Examiner in Prosthodontics for the S.A. College of Medicine