“The man on top of the mountain didn’t fall there.”
— Anonymous
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After fourteen years in dentistry, I am still amazed every time I see a synthetic material duplicate nature so beautiful that even the trained eye is fooled. I was thrilled to have Becden ask me to share this challenging case with their other clients. This case was also exciting to me because my wife and hygienist, Jennifer, assisted me with this case. She was able to see what I do from a new perspective and she was amazed with dentistry’s possibilities.
In May of 2007, my sister-in-law, Christine, approached me to see if I would be interested in helping her improve her smile. She hadn’t seen a dentist in a few years, had some discomfort, and was not happy with the appearance of her teeth due to a 3.5mm diastema and short teeth. After her examination, we discussed treatment alternatives to achieve the result she wanted. She had looked into an orthodontic solution before, but wanted a faster solution that would also allow the correction of color and shape.
Together, we treatment planned four direct composite resin restorations, a three-unit Invizion posterior inlay bridge to replace the missing upper left molar, an Authentic crown on the severely decayed upper right first premolar, enameloplasty along with whitening of the lower teeth, and Authentic veneers #4,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13. Preoperative models were made and sent to Becden along with photos, a facial-plane relator, and detailed instructions. Veneers were planned on the lower anteriors in the future.
Becden helped me immensely in the design of this case. Closing a diastema of this size is not easy, but with the proper planning, it can be accomplished. Using the diagnostic wax-up as a guide, Becden fabricated a soft tissue stent for me to use during the laser re-contouring of Christine’s gingiva, taking the guesswork out of the end esthetic result. We prepared the upper arch, re-contoured the tissue and placed luxatemp provisionals during the first visit.
Christine was thrilled with the look of the provisional restorations and could not believe “these were only the temporaries”. Three weeks later, Christine returned and we bonded her restorations under a rubber dam using the rapid-bonding technique taught by Dr. Ed Miller and LVI. Immediately after bonding and removing her rubber dam, my hygienist, with over 30 years of experience, came in to see the result and could not tell which teeth we had worked on. What a compliment to me, the patient, and to Becden. Christine loves her new smile and can’t believe how natural it looks and feels. Diastema closure can be difficult, but with the right information, Becden can help you achieve a beautiful result. Dennis can assist you with the preparation design, tissue changes, and other requirements for success. I feel truly blessed to work with a fantastic team, treat patients who value and appreciate quality dentistry, and to work with a dental laboratory that can help me deliver what patients want. I would like to thank Becden for the excellent restorations and customer service, Jennifer for her time and loving support, and Hansen Fine Portraits (Orange City, FL) for the post-operative photo.
Michael T. Kelly, DMD, FAGD
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131 E. 13065 S.
Draper, UT 84020 |
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801-576-9991 phone |
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The editor of this newsletter is Emily Webb of Becden Dental Laboratory, Inc. Please send any questions or comments about this newsletter, or suggestions for articles to: emilyw@becdendental.com
©2007 BECDEN Dental Laboratory, Inc. |
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Beauty Transformed!!
