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 This case report is from Dr. Celeste Springer's passed Accreditation process with the Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. It is an example of restoring the unattractive bonding of a previously chipped front tooth with modern natural-looking materials and good technique.
This case reflects the exceptional quality of dentistry provided at the Aesthetic Smile Studio.
Introduction. Children and adults may chip a front tooth due to trauma, grinding, or just through normal function. Modern aesthetic dentistry supercedes traditional cosmetic dentistry of the past. With the array of high quality materials, opaquers, and tints a cosmetically trained dentist has the ability to restore a smile to its original luster and attractiveness.
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History. This 29 year old female was displeased with the shading of the repair that had been made for her on her front tooth. Being in the public eye frequently aiding in volunteer fund raising, she felt self-conscious of this distraction in her smile. She was pleased with her smile arrangement and her general overall tooth color. Therefore, we did not have to whiten her smile first before replacing the bonding.
Generally, it is in the patient's best interest to lighten the smile initially whether through custom whitening trays or power whitening prior to restoring teeth with bonding or fixed treatment. Those materials will not change color as natural tooth structure will during the bleaching process.
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Conclusion. A conservative, one-visit treatment was performed to make this lady's smile more appealing. The tooth now blends into the surrounding smile without being conspicuous and distracting. Direct bonding is ideal in a situation such as this. The downside of these restorations will be staining of the material, unlike other porcelains and ceramics used in making veneers or crowns. They also are not as strong as the original enamel so care should be used when biting into hard materials for greater longevity.
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 Smile of the Season - Spring/Summer 2003
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