Life-Changing
Dentistry

In 1974, when I founded the Den-Mat Corporation, my personal commitment was to develop products that were based on preserving tooth structure. As a practicing dentist, I was well aware of the challenges dentistry presented. The clinical significance of the following case is the overall aesthetic effect that was achieved with minimal tooth reduction, no anesthetics, no temporaries and no post-op discomfort. This effect was made possible using Cerinate Porcelain Laminates^®. I recently had the opportunity to treat a patient who had been told for years by dentists that the best treatment for her crooked smile was actually no treatment at all. This dentist, like many of our colleagues, didn't realize there was an easy way to improve his patient's smile without a significant reduction in tooth structure. Just like him, you probably have the patients in your practice right now whose smiles could be significantly improved with Cerinate porcelain laminates.

In long term research trials with Cerinate Porcelain veneers bonded with Tenure^® and Ultra-Bond^® for up to 16 years, there were no debondings. No other porcelain veneer system can match Cerinate. If you would like to have more information, please give me a call.

After each dental check-up, Anna Price, a retired librarian, returned home and faithfully maintained a regime of excellent oral hygiene but never stopped wondering if something could be done to improve her smile.

She consulted with her dentist who explained that to reduce her prominent, maxillary, lateral incisor with porcelain veneers would require significant tooth reduction. As with many patients, cost and "dental office nerves" were not the reasons Anna's crooked smile remained unchanged for so many years. Her dentist did not know how to deal with a prominent, maxillary, lateral incisor. He believed porcelain veneers could only be used for simple, cosmetic procedures, and required a lot of tooth reduction. And like many in the dental community, he did not realize materials did exist that could be used, to enhance Anna's misaligned smile.

One day, a family friend referred Anna to my practice for a smile consultation. I knew immediately I could help her to achieve the smile she had so desired for so long with a very conservative procedure using Cerinate^® porcelain laminates. This case is about an entire smile restoration. It follows the principles of conservative dentistry but most importantly, did not involve complicated techniques. As you will see, the benefits of minimal tooth reduction produced a pleasing smile with maximum patient acceptance. Refer to Fig. 1 for a close-up view before the initial preparation. Please note the prominence of Tooth 7 in the occlusal view (Fig. 2). The total tooth reduction preparation was completed on the labial surface of Tooth 7 with an 880 standard diamond burr. Fig. 3 shows the finished preparation, ready for impression. A full-arch PVS impression was completed without using a retraction cord. No temporary veneers were required because the preparation of Tooth 7 was limited to the cosmetic contouring of the labial part of the enamel and the dentin was sclerotic. The veneers were fabricated with Cerinate Porcelain Laminates and cemented in place with Ultra-Bond. The margins were then trimmed and polished using the following tools in this sequence: find diamond burr, interproximal find diamond burr, 12 fluted burs, and 30 fluted burs. Using a CeriSaw, cementing composite at the interproximal area was removed.

Three visits later, her smile was transformed and so was her outlook. See Fig. 4 for before and Fig. 5 to view the finished case results. Here is how Anna describes her experience: "The procedure was amazingly simple and fast. Dr. Ibsen told me there would be no pain, which turned out to be true. In fact, it was a really pleasant experience. There were no shots and no pain. Although he did shave a little off one of my teeth to straighten it, the result looks really natural," she said. "I don't look like I have had dental work -- I just look like I have really great genes."

Anna is so satisfied with her new smile that she requested that I improve the aesthetics of her posterior teeth to match her perfect new smile. The procedure will involve bonding Cerinate porcelain laminates to PFM bridges. I will share the next progression of Anna's case with you in a future issue of DentalTown Magazine.

Of course, Anna's is not an isolated case. Just like Anna, there are patients in your practice who continue to dream of having a more attractive smile but may be dental phobic or reluctant to have a large amount of tooth structure removed. As a practicing dentist, I know Cerinate porcelain laminates provides a way for dentists to improve the quality of life for their patients.

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