ISSN : 0376-4672
The critical factors affecting the esthetics of anterior implants can be summarized as following: 1) Correct positioning of implant fixture 2) Enough amount of alveolar bone 3) Optimum volume of soft tissue. The position of implant is probably the most important factor in obtaining esthetic treatment outcome. The 3-dimensional orientation of implant is determined by the position on the alveolar ridge and its direction. Clinicians often try to mimic natural teeth when fabricating restorations. During the course of esthetic diagnosis and treatment, however, one should not forget to consider the correlation between facial pattern, lips,gingiva, alveolar ridge, as well as remaining dentition. Since anterior region is biologically unfavorable when compared with posterior region, one minor discrepancy in positioning of implant can cause esthetically undesirable treatment outcome. If one understands the biological and prosthetic meaning of implant’s 3-dimensional position, he or she can achieve superior esthetic outcome in anterior region.
The requirements for the successful treatment of all-ceramic restorations are not so different from the ones of conventional restorations. “The provisional restoration followed by an adequate tooth reduction and the accurately fitting prostheses with corresponding to final impression” can be the examples of them. Nevertheless, the one which all-ceramic restorations are distinguished from conventional restorations is the additional procedure of so called “bonding”. In addition to the application of resin cement between “inner surface of restoration and outer surface of abutment”, bonding technology can be also applied to the treatment process of “Post and Core” in particular if the abutments are non-vital teeth. Core build-up for all-ceramic crown is conducted with fiber post and tooth colored composite by considering the properties of the restorations transmitting light. We know well that a vital abutment is easier than a non-vital one to get the targeted goals for clinical success in connection with esthetics and structure. The creation of “Post and Core” with bonding technique is a decisive factor for a long-term success if the abutment is non-vital tooth with dentinal collapse. I would like to share my clinical experience about “post & core build-up and all-ceramic restoration bonding” out of several success strategies of all-ceramic crown with this presentation.
Crown fractures are relatively common trauma to anterior teeth, and should be restored immediately in most cases. For those who suffer from unfortunate traumatic episode, the best treatment option should be minimally invasive approach. In the presence of fractured tooth fragment, reattachment procedure creates positive emotional response in the patient and simplifies the procedure and maintenance of the patient's original tooth anatomy and occlusion. Without fractured tooth fragment, next conservative option could be direct composite restoration which is based on minimal invasion concept. This article proposes simple and very conservative techniques that anyone can do in daily practice.
