Minimally Invasive Dentistry Utilizing Facial Aesthetic Design – Part 1
Dr. Michael Apa outlines the foundational principles of Facial Aesthetic Design and how they can be routinely and seamlessly incorporated into everyday dental practice.

Minimally Invasive Dentistry Utilizing Facial Aesthetic Design – Part 2
Dr. Michael Apa continues to outline the foundational principles of Facial Aesthetic Design and how they can be routinely and seamlessly incorporated into every day dental practice.

Restorative Dilemma - Pt 1
Dr. Douglas Terry lectures on restorative treatment and quality.

Utilizing the Front Surface Mirror
Tip of the Week

Esthetic and Functional Rehabilitation: A Case Report
Most people want to look beautiful. The ability to express feelings is fundamental to the quality of life, but expressing emotions is impossible without the freedom to smile. A patient with an ill-fitting removable denture and a fixed, porcelain-fused-to-metal bridge sought care to improve her smile. This fixed bridge was removed and direct provisional restorations placed, followed by crown-lengthening surgery and implant placement, waiting 10 months for the patient to heal. We waited one month to check occlusal stability and patient satisfaction and then made the final precision impressions and master casts. We cemented the final restorations; lithium disilicate allowed the creation of an esthetic result without sacrificing strength with use of both full-anatomy and layered techniques. Dental implants make it possible to have non-removable teeth that can be integrated esthetically and functionally, allowing the recreation of tooth color, form, and structure to reestablish a pat

Pure Dental Esthetics – From Titanium to Zirconia
The replacement of a single tooth with dental implants, especially when the patient has a high smile line, has been an esthetic challenge in implant dentistry. Typically, it requires very careful stages to create the final restoration as natural as possible. When there is loss of soft tissues, carefully made dental-gingival prosthesis becomes an alternative of therapy. For all cases with high smile line, achieving perfection in color and texture of the restoration it's not an easy task. Currently there are some ways to achieve better aesthetic results, including digital scanning of colors. This presentation describes step-by-step the application of a protocol developed in our clinic. Several cases will be discussed. In addition, recent technologies such as zirconium implants are also be discussed.

Visual Esthetic Smile Design: Driving the Restorative Plan
Digital Smile Design is a multipurpose digital tool with clinically relevant advantages: It can strengthen esthetic diagnostic abilities, improve communication between team members, help organize treatment planning, create predictable systems throughout treatment phases, enhance patients’ education and motivation, and increase the effectiveness of case presentation. This article describes the main steps of introducing this practical tool to the clinician’s esthetic restorative practice.

The Art of Interdisciplinary Aesthetic Dentistry
We will discuss the use of a diagnostic mock up that will convey the final tooth position and serve as a preparation guide. We will discuss color and temporization techniques and cementation techniques along with recommended products for different types of cases.

Prosthetic Considerations with Periodontal Root Resective Therapy Part 1
Previousiy, the presence of a probable furcation with in a multi rooted tooth was considered an indication for extraction. Loss of attachment in the furcation has traditionally been described as classes I, II , or [ II, depending on the extent of horizontal penetration into the furcation. Tamow and Fletcher subsequently included a vertical component classification with its horizontal counterpart. Interestingly, both of these classifications are based only on periodontal probing depths rather than…

Anterior Substructure Design Considerations for Lithium Disilicate Crowns
Considering anterior substructure designs for lithium disilicate crowns, a hybrid substructure design that supports a cusp to fossa anterior guidance relationships can increase the strength of the ceramic system without having to compromise the esthetic integrity of the crown. Refractive index values increase when the substructure thickens. Increasing the thickness of the substructure results in a crown of higher value.

Range & Mean Distribution Frequency of Individual Tooth Width of the Maxillary Anterior Dentition
Proper diagnosis of tooth size for each patient is critical in treatment planning for aesthetic restorative dentistry. The goal of this study was to determine the clinically relevant range and mean distribution frequency of individual tooth width of the maxillary anterior dentition within a given population of patients. Mean values for restoration of tooth size were not interchangeable for the different group size of patients or respective tooth groups. The results of this study suggest that there exists a range value of maxillary anterior tooth width for both males and females. Gender differences are a critical factor in restoring an aesthetically pleasing smile.