[/caption]Veneer preparations that include incisal reduction require a decision about lingual margin design. The two most common designs are a butt joint or a lingual wrap design. There are pros Read More
Anterior Photography for Shade Communication: Translucency & Surface Morphology
Shade communication is one of the most challenging things we do, and is a critical step in success. On the technicians side they are asked to produce an artistic reduction of a tooth with very limited Read More
Using a Mock-Up For Conservative Anterior Preps
[/caption]A large majority of the anterior restorations I complete incorporate changes to tooth position, alignment or contour. I aim to balance the required tooth reduction to accomplish the Read More
Custom Staining Provisionals
Anterior provisionals are an important way to differentiate your practice. Patients, their friends and family and specialists are amazed by exquisite provisionals and it clearly demonstrates your Read More
Layering Composite For Esthetics
In yesterday's post I looked at the light and color properties of composite and natural teeth. The combination of layers of composite with varying light and color properties is a key step in Read More
Comparing Translucency: Composite and Natural teeth
The esthetic appearance of natural teeth is produced because of the optical properties of both enamel and dentin. From cervical margin to incisal edge the appearance of a natural tooth changes due to Read More
Sealing Dental Provisional Margins
In a prior post I mentioned that the incidence of pulpal death following an indirect restorative procedure is approximately 13%. This number goes up to near 18% if the same tooth also had a buildup Read More
Ovate Pontic Design
[/caption]The ovate pontic was first discussed in 1933, but didn't become a popular design until many years later. The obvious advantages of an ovate pontic are esthetic. The creation of a concave Read More
Incisal Embrasures: More Than A Pretty Smile
In yesterday's post I looked at some of the esthetic decision points in anterior tooth form and incisal embrasures. The consensus is that esthetic design is about what we and our patient find Read More
The Influence of Age and Gender on Smile Design
I had a request to write a post about the relationship between anterior tooth form and incisal enbrasure size and shape and a patient's gender. I personally associate more rounded open incisal Read More