Cosmetic / Aesthetic

INTRODUCTION:The internet provides a vast amount of information for our patients. Dental websites and articles, showcasing the best work under ideal circumstances, have resulted in increased patient demands and expectations. Today’s practitioners must be able to provide high quality cosmetic dentistry in an efficient and predictable manner. BASIC PRINCIPLESThe theory behind this technique is very … Read more

Efficiency: to do a procedure in a quality manner while spending as little time and effort as possible. Nowhere is this more important than when placing composite restorations in the posterior. Posterior composites are the restorative backbone of many practices today, however there are clinical issues that must be dealt with including potential sensitivity, marginal … Read more

Over the past 20 years, the trend in dentistry has been in search of metal-free alternatives to replace many of the traditional restorative materials that have been used for decades in both direct and indirect applications. This trend has been the focus of manufacturers, researchers, and clinicians for many reasons. Obviously the initial primary goal … Read more

INTRODUCTIONWith advancing technologies in ceramics, computerized shade matching, and digital photography, matching a single maxillary central incisor with any restorative material is still one of the most difficult clinical challenges that most dentists face. Coupled with increased expectations in this “age of dental aesthetics” and also, with aid from external marketing through media and the … Read more

Patient demand for aesthetic dentistry with minimally invasive procedures has resulted in the extensive utilization of freehand bonding of composite resin to anterior teeth.1 The development of composite resins with natural fluorescence and polishability allows the clinician to mimic the natural dentition. Composite resins allow for conservative treatment and long lasting restorations. In order to … Read more

INTRODUCTION Restoring a single anterior tooth has always been the most difficult esthetic restorative procedure in dentistry. One needs to mimic the surrounding natural dentition in size, contour, value, chroma and finally mimicking the reflective and deflective areas by duplicating the primary and secondary anatomy.1 If this isn’t challenging enough, take away the tooth and … Read more

I consider myself somewhat of a techno-junkie when it comes to the way I practice dentistry. The more technology, the better! Whether its digital x-rays, hard and soft tissue lasers, or CAD/CAM digital impressions and milling, technology has truly made dentistry more exciting, more precise and more immediate. This article outlines the use of the … Read more

Replacing enamel, the hardest substance in the body, is no easy task. If enamel is missing–there is a reason. This tooth layer was intended to provide esthetics, mastication, insulation, and phonetics. Daily, enamel is put through rigors – be it an environment that fluctuates in response to changing pH introductions or perhaps a malocclusion that … Read more

INTRODUCTION: LASERS AND DENTISTRYLasers have been used in several areas of medicine for a long time, even becoming a standard of care for many medical specialties, ophthalmology, dermatology, urology. In dentistry, the clinical use of lasers began in the 1980s. In search of the ideal wavelength for all dental needs, several manufacturers developed different systems … Read more

It has been said that people have to see it to believe it. Cable television shows now feature young couples searching for run-down homes they can purchase for a bargain and then transform into the house of their dreams. The properties may appear hopeless, but the realtors can often envision the potential in their own … Read more