The patient presented with a discolored filling on the tip. The old filling was made partially translucent, which normally looks very nice and very natural. In this case, the patient’s natural teeth are mostly opaque, which makes the filling look slightly darker. Separately, composites are known to slightly yellow in shade over time. So, the
read more
Brush for 2-minutes in the morning and 2-minutes at night. Timing Matters – Brush after breakfast. Floss every day. Timing Matters – Floss at bedtime. Use a fluoridated toothpaste. We can write a prescription for a high fluoride toothpaste (for patients who are high risk for cavities.) When wearing an appliance (e.g. Invisible or clear
read more
When a patient fractures a premolar, it depends on the angulation of the fracture, whether it can be saved with a crown or not. If the angle of fracture is oblique, (and comes out at a 45° angle, or even vertically then turns 90°,) then, a block of tooth breaks off, and the tooth can
read more
Let me set the stage for you. You are walking with your friends. Suddenly, you fall and hit your face against the ground. You feel shaken, and your nose has a small cut, with blood on your upper lip. Your friends ask you, “Are you alright?” You quickly assess yourself, and tell them, “I am
read more
A Maryland Bridge is a minimal prep bridge that can be used as an alternative to a full bridge and as an alternative to a surgical dental implant. This case allowed a minimal prep design Maryland Bridge to be used to replace the missing 1st molar. The patient was able to tolerate this prep using
read more
I was working on fillings for my patient and I noticed some of her old composite work, which was completed by a different dentist at her old office, was starting to show it’s age. Composites, the white resin fillings, often look impeccable the day that they are placed. Little by little composites tend to lose
read more
When you have a bike accident, you have options. Sometimes the fractured teeth require veneers or crowns. In this case, we were able to restore the teeth with composite. I wanted to try a brand new composite that claims it can match any tooth. So, we placed this as the first layer, but, it was
read more
This case epitomizes how many options we have as restorative dentists to repair, restore, and in this case remineralized root surfaces. The outcome may look similar to the naked eye, but, the long-term impact of our approach to treatment really matters. Let me explain it simply, the remineralized teeth did not require any cutting with
read more
A patient presented after being told by another dentist that they could not save her tooth. I understand that some teeth are more difficult to save. But, the patient was not interested in getting an implant so we saved it. We placed 2 minim pins to retain the build-up in the area of the missing
read more
When a tooth fractures, an inlay can be a conservative option if a full crown is not required due to structural requirements. In this case a tooth had a thin area of tooth along the MB of #14 (photo taken in patient mirror.) The thin remainder of tooth fractured vertically and horizontally immediately adjacent to
read more