Missing or impacted teeth can often accompany a patient throughout their lifetime. A maxillary lateral incisor is the third most common congenitally missing tooth in the dentition and affects nearly two percent of the population. Esthetics and function can easily become compromised due to the change or minimized spatial dynamics of the arch when this … Read more
Introduction In the academic year of 2014 to 2015, a new continuing education program, Residency in Cosmetic Dentistry, was introduced to the dental community. This program was meant to provide opportunity for practicing dentists who are interested in enhancing their knowledge and skill in the subject of esthetic dentistry to join. The program included teaching … Read more
Do no harm. We as dentists understand this statement to a T. Our patient’s? Well that’s another story. Cases do fail. Sometimes they fail because we make errors. Sometimes they fail due to unforeseen circumstances. In any event, a failed case is just that… a failed case. I can certainly speak for myself when I … Read more
Introduction The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) launched “The Smile Story Contest” in April 2014. The purpose of the contest was to raise awareness of the benefits of cosmetic dentistry. Entrants submitted their smile story explaining why they deserved a new smile, along with their photo. The contestants were chosen by the public through … Read more
EXTRACT Fractured teeth are the mist common encountered dental emergency. This manuscript presents an anterior trauma case from initial presentation to final treatment through use of an interdisciplinary approach to diagnosis, planning, and treatment. Introduction A 22-year-old male patient presented to Scripps Center for Dental Care on emergency reporting having been hit in the face by a … Read more
A common problem faced by orthodontists and restorative dentists is how to handle post orthodontic patients with congenitally missing lateral incisors. Most of these patients are under 20 years old with long-term solutions that are less than conservative for patients of that age. Fixed prosthodontic solutions for the case described in this article might include: … Read more
It all started in the 1970’s when Prof Francois Duret gave the world a glimpse of the future of digital dentistry. When we look back now, we can see just how ahead of his time Prof. Duret was. Today in North America, less than 10 percent of dentists utilize intra-oral scanning in their office. Digital … Read more
Recently, a good friend of mine sent me a link to YouTube and suggested that I watch the video because I would find it interesting. After 20 minutes I was speechless at what I learned and how much I didn’t know. I quickly became fascinated with the presenter in the video and his breadth of … Read more
Dear Oral Health and Professional Colleagues: Re: Registration: It’s Not All Bad editorial In my February 2016 editorial, I was privileged enough to share some of my thoughts and opinions regarding my proposal for an adjustment to some of the provinces’ method of knowing which dentists provide sedation services to their patients. Included in that … Read more
L’industrie dentaire nous incite sans relâche à passer à la technologie numérique! Si l’on devait croire tout le battage publicitaire entourant la technologie numérique, on pourrait penser qu’en choisissant de ne pas faire le saut à la technologie numérique, on sera désavantagé, distancé par les autres et que l’on deviendra un « mauvais dentiste ». Il y … Read more
We are constantly being pushed by the dental industry to go digital. If one were to accept and believe all of the hype, it would seem that if we don’t jump on the bandwagon, we are missing out, falling behind and considered a “bad dentist”. Eight years ago, I attended a digital symposium by a … Read more
For many years, PFM crowns and bridgework have been the backbone of prosthodontic dentistry all over the world. While having its limitations and problems, it has been a reliable way to restore our patient’s teeth for decades. About 12 years ago, with the advent of more modern CAD/CAM systems, and patient’s desire to get metal-free … Read more
For those of us that take care of children all of the time, most of the time, or some of the time, we know that we must have good behavioral management skills as well as good technical dental skills. When it comes to kids in our practice, there is no doubt that we can have … Read more
Introduction Implant placement in the posterior atrophic maxilla is a challenge. Bone augmentation (sinus floor elevation) is indicated very often.1 When the sub-antral residual bone height is very limited, the open sinus-lift surgery – lateral window-Caldwell-Luc antrostomy is the conventional therapy used by most dentists.2 This is a traumatic invasive surgery with several postoperative complications … Read more
Published reports in the 1960s investigated reported increases in upper respiratory tract infections in dentists from airborne splashes, spatter, and aerosols generated during use of high-speed handpieces. Later studies also indicated a higher incidence of colds in dental hygienists who did not routinely wear masks during patient care. Despite demonstrations of occupational risk from airborne … Read more
ABSTRACT The world has seen many problems with man-made chemicals such as thalidomide, PCB’s, DDT etc. In many people, this has sparked a fear of all chemicals, including many that are naturally occurring. Members of the scientific community are not immune to these fears. Formaldehyde in dentistry is a classic example of the irrational fear, … Read more
It seems that the pendulum has swung back to conservatism when it comes to veneer preparations. Back in 1987 when I restored my first veneer case it was a no-prep case.1 That was the standard back then. Some minor modifications to the enamel were the order of the day for most veneer cases. We even … Read more
Utilization of the complete dentures as a viable tooth replacement option historically dates back over 50 years until present time. Dating back to 700 BC, dentures in Europe and Asia were made of human or animal teeth. In the 1700’s, ivory dentures were popular using natural materials such as walrus, elephant or hippopotamus material. The … Read more
In the many years since the 1985 CEREC introduction led by Dr. Werner Mormann, we have seen digital dentistry grow. Digital dentistry allows for the utilization of technology and material advances to provide exceptional dental care, a diversified treatment philosophy, reduced patient visits and increased case acceptance that enhances the economics of a dental office. … Read more
What Is It? Xylitol is a naturally occurring sweetener that is found in agricultural and forest products, (e.g. raspberries, plums and cauliflower), and it is produced by the human body during its normal metabolism of glucose at the rate of approximately 10 to 15 grams daily. It is a five-carbon sugar alcohol, or polyol (chemical … Read more