Dental wear is the loss of hard tooth structure, from any etiology, other than caries or trauma. Usually it arises from erosion, abrasion, abfraction, or attrition. Although tooth wear is a normal physiological process, its aggressive progression can have a lot of consequences: Loss of vertical dimension, resulting in dento-alveolar compensation Tooth sensitivity Decreased quality…
The following presentation is the first part of our case series on the management of ectopic eruption of teeth. Part 1 As we’ve discovered in our previous article, autotransplantation can be a viable means of replacing teeth. This procedure, however, requires a very technique sensitive protocol and management by means of multidisciplinary team and implementation of…
Dentists who have removed a fixed orthodontic appliance, at some point, have asked themselves…did I remove the entire composite? Am I shaving away the enamel now? If you leave too much bonding material, you are risking discoloration, plaque buildup, decalcification and caries. If you remove too much, you are removing sound enamel, causing tooth damage and…
“The gingival flap distal to an erupting molar, an operculum, can cause a lot of havoc.” An operculum can lead either to pain caused by the occlusion of the opposing maxillary molar or by local inflammation/infection (pericoronitis) because of food debris and plaque accumulation between the tooth surface and the gingival flap. The painful and/or inflamed/infected operculum…
The following presentation is part of three case series on management of macrodontia of fused anterior maxillary incisors. Tune in each week as we discuss each unique scenario. Part 1 Macrodontia of anterior teeth may be an isolated condition or occur as a result of fusion, gemination, or concorcense of teeth. Just to refresh: Fusion of…
During the initial work up assessment of dealing with an orthodontic case, considerations must be made for physiologic growth status of patient in order to adequately manipulate bone and tooth structures to bring about a good occlusion and a nice aesthetic smile. Technicalities aside, a practitioner is dealing with aesthetics, which is subjective to the patient…
How do you answer your patient when they ask you why their TMJ clicks? The truth is that the answer is not very clear, and there hasn’t been any consistent research to tell us why. Temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) can present with pain, limited jaw mobility or clicking sounds. The most common thought is that malocclusion…
When placing implants in the esthetic zone, the response of the peri-implant soft tissue is just as important as the final restoration. What creates a pleasing smile is not only the size and shape of the teeth, but also the frame that they’re held in – the gingiva. The margin, color, texture, and height of…
Patient Presentation A patient presents to the orthodontic office with a chief complaint of straightening her upper and lower front teeth. She is particularly concerned about the vertical height of the two upper central incisors, which also cause an unbalanced upper lip position at rest. Dental history Previous root canal treatment of upper left central…
Clear aligners are simply the fastest growing component of the orthodontic market globally. Players in this market include the likes of 3M, Align Co. and ClearCorrect, with Invisalign currently dominating the market, hovering around 80% market share. More than 40 patents of Invisalign expired in October 2017, and many remaining patents expired by the end…