The Tooth and Face Specialists
LyCao
Endodontics · Tooth preservation · Bonding
On patients who fall asleep during root canal treatment, open-heart surgery on a tooth, and rediscovering the joy of laughing.
Appointment with Ly Cao- Focus
- Root canal treatment, tooth preservation, bonding
- Speaks
- German, English, Vietnamese
- Certified
- Endodontology curriculum of the DGET
- Appointment
- Book online
About
Root canal treatment is the most feared discipline in dentistry, and Ly Cao has made it her favourite subject. What happens to her patients once she is working at the microscope says more about her than any certificate.
The story
IThe art of uneventfulness
Anyone who comes to Ly Cao afraid of root canal treatment usually has a horror story in tow, from the neighbour, from the office, from the internet. That is why nothing with her begins in the dentist's chair. The first conversation takes place in the Welcome Lounge: arrive, breathe, and then two questions she asks everyone. Is there anything that must not happen under any circumstances? And: do you want to have a lot explained, or would you rather know nothing at all? Some need every detail, because knowledge means control. Others just want Netflix.
In the treatment room, the anaesthesia always follows the same choreography: first the numbing gel so the injection is barely felt, the syringe stays out of sight, her assistant places a hand on the shoulder, and Cao talks and breathes along. Then the chair comes up, one rinse, a brief escape from feeling at someone's mercy. Then headphones on, series on.
And then something happens regularly that nobody expects: after about thirty minutes, people fall asleep. Behind the rubber dam, under her microscope, the most feared treatment in dentistry becomes simply uneventful. That is exactly how she wants it.
“Some even fall asleep during the root canal treatment.”Ly Cao, on fear that becomes boring
IIOpen-heart surgery on a tooth
Behind the calm lies meticulous work. Cao studied in Greifswald, supported by the Deutschlandstipendium and the DAAD, and early on completed the endodontology curriculum of the DGET, the professional society for tooth preservation. Her territory is microscopic endodontics: precise, gentle, devoted to detail, even when a case becomes complicated.
Her heartfelt subject is called pulpotomy. Instead of removing an inflamed dental nerve completely, she saves the part that is healthy, and the tooth stays alive. “A bit like open-heart surgery in dentistry,” she says. These are techniques of modern tooth preservation that are only just getting around, and she is one of those bringing them to Berlin.
IIIThe phone-a-friend lifeline
Her subject does not let go of her after hours either, and that is meant literally: podcasts, webinars, training at home and abroad. Above all, though, people. Over the years a network of colleagues has grown who share the same passion for tooth preservation, and for a really tricky case she always has someone to call. Add to that the practice's weekly dentists' meeting, where complicated cases are discussed together.
Her newest field is minimally invasive anterior aesthetics: small corrections with composite, in one session, without grinding. Because in the end, she says, it is never just about the repaired tooth. It is about the feeling with which someone leaves the practice: self-confidence, joy in laughing again.
Quick questions
- What surprises many
- That she is the mother of a toddler; she is regularly taken for younger.
- The most exotic entry in her CV
- A clinical placement abroad in the Kingdom of Tonga, in the middle of the South Pacific.
- At the chair, at home in
- German, English and Vietnamese.
- Her number one tool
- The surgical microscope.
The craft
- Pul·pot·o·my, noun Tooth preservation
- With deep caries, the dental nerve is often only partially inflamed. In a pulpotomy, exactly that part is removed; the healthy remainder stays alive and keeps supplying the tooth from within. The technique belongs to modern endodontics and is far from established everywhere; she mastered it early and uses it where the only option used to be a complete root canal treatment.
- Com·pos·ite bond·ing, noun Anterior aesthetics
- Small corrections to front teeth, done in a single session: composite is applied layer by layer and bonded invisibly to the tooth, entirely without grinding. Little effort, great effect, and the tooth remains untouched. It is her newest speciality, and among her colleagues she has already made a name for herself with it.
- Rub·ber dam, noun Endodontics
- A thin rubber sheet that isolates the tooth from the rest of the mouth during treatment: sterile, dry, precise. For her, it is the prerequisite for working calmly under the surgical microscope. For the patient it means hardly anything of what is going on can be felt; only the one cleanly shielded tooth is being treated.
From the consultation room
Does the tooth have to come out?
In most cases I say: no, it does not. Tooth preservation is my favourite subject, and together we will manage this well. Whether root canal treatment, retreatment or pulpotomy: today there are more ways to keep a tooth than many people think.
Does root canal treatment hurt?
No. What hurts is the inflammation, and that is exactly what the treatment removes. We always anaesthetise, you can let me know at any time if you need more, and it matters to me that you feel no pain during the entire treatment.
Does statutory health insurance pay for it?
Honestly: rarely in full. The insurers' catalogue of benefits is considerably older than modern endodontics; much of what is possible today does not appear in it. That is why we discuss the costs transparently beforehand; supplementary dental insurance helps, and payment in instalments over twelve months is possible.
Milestones
- 2013–2018
- Studied dentistry, Universität Greifswald, supported by the Deutschlandstipendium and the DAAD
- 2017
- Clinical placement abroad in the Kingdom of Tonga, South Pacific
- 2019–2021
- Assistant dentist in dental practices in Berlin
- 2020
- Endodontology curriculum of the DGET
- today
- Member of the dental team at F80, Berlin-Mitte
From the practice
“A wonderful person who works with empathy, tact and incredibly high technical precision. With deep caries and dental restorations I know our patients are in the very best hands with her, and in anterior composite work she has made an outstanding name for herself.”Dr. Svetla Alpermann, Lead Dentist
“We were not looking for each other, but we found each other anyway: colleagues became friends. Same focus, zero elbowing; we give each other tips, catch each other when needed and are a really good team.”Dr. Stefanie Schönmuth, dentist
Take a seat
The first conversation begins in the Welcome Lounge, and the treatment comes with as much or as little explanation as you like. Appointments online or by phone: seven days a week, Monday to Friday until 8 pm.
Happy birthday, Ms. Cao!