Restorative Portfolio
Bridge
History
This patient had been missing the lower left molar (tooth #19) for many years and did not like the existing gold crown (tooth #18). There was decay around the existing gold crown due to an open margin and failing amalgam fillings on the premolars (teeth #20 and #21). Due to the extensive amount of time since he had lost tooth #19, there was not enough bone to place an implant.
Treatment
Removal of the existing gold crown and prepare teeth #18 and #20 to receive a bridge. A composite filling was done to replace the amalgam on tooth #21 and a full zirconia (no metal) bridge was delivered replacing teeth #18-#20.
Special thanks to Master Ceramist Matt Roberts for his help with this case.
Trauma to Front Tooth
History
This young patient had a traumatic incident leaving her front tooth broken. She had a social event the night of the incident and needed the area corrected quickly
Treatment
Minimally invasive direct bonding on her upper front tooth. The procedure was completed in about one hour. She completed the appointment smiling and ready for her social event!
Smile Rejuvenation with Direct Bonding
History
This young patient did not like the shape of her teeth thus making her very self conscious about her smile. Once braces were completed, it was noted that the teeth were not shaped normally for her smile and facial structure.
Treatment
At-home whitening trays for 2 weeks followed by minimally invasive direct bonding on her upper front teeth. The procedure was completed in a single appointment without any tooth structure being removed.
Smile Rejuvenation using Minimally Invasive Approach
History
This patient presented with a history of her front six teeth having direct bonding. This individual sold real estate and was very concerned about how her smile affected her appearance.
Treatment
Removal of the existing direct bonding and restoring her smile with a minimally invasive approach utilizing direct bonding. The procedure was completed in one appointment without any removal of the natural tooth structure.
Dental Implant #1
History
This patient presented with an upper premolar broken off at the gum line. The tooth was not restorable.
Treatment
The tooth was extracted and a dental implant was placed. The implant healed for a period of 3 months and it was restored with an all ceramic crown supported by a zirconia connection to the implant.
Internal Bleaching
History
This patient presented with a history of a root canal on her upper right lateral incisor performed several years ago. Over time, the tooth has darkened and become a cosmetic concern. She preferred the most minimally invasive approach to treating the issue.
Treatment
Internal bleaching to the upper right lateral incisor was performed by re-opening the root canal access and placing a special bleaching solution within the tooth to whiten it from the inside out. Over a two week period, the tooth lightened to the point that it matched the other teeth. A very light colored composite filling was placed in the root canal access.
Smile Rejuvenation with Crowns and Veneers
History
This patient desired improvement in her smile. She had a history of acid erosion of the upper front teeth from eating lemons. She also did not like the color, shape and position of her teeth.
Treatment
The smile was restored utilizing all ceramic crowns and veneers. The teeth were lengthened to improve bite and increase lip and face support. A night guard was fabricated to protect the patient from further night time wear.
Replacing Failing Amalgam Fillings
History
This patient presented with several failing amalgam restorations due to decay and fractures in remaining tooth structure. They also did not like the look of the teeth due to the dark color.
Treatment
Removal of the existing amalgam restorations and all ceramic crowns were placed on the molars and one premolar (teeth #18-20) and a direct composite filling was placed in the remaining premolar (tooth #21).
Special thanks to Master Ceramist Matt Roberts for his help with this case.
Renewing a Smile with Two New Porcelain Crowns
History
This patient had been self conscious about their smile for many years due to the two front crowns not matching their teeth. After having the crowns for only a short amount time, some of the porcelain fractured off exposing the metal substructure.
Treatment
Removal of the old crowns and replacing with all ceramic crowns that matched the teeth and enhanced the smile.
Special thanks to Master Ceramist Matt Roberts for his amazing work on this case.
Composite Bonding (Case #3)
History
Patient is a 35 year old female with a history of trauma to her right front tooth which lead to needing a root canal.Over time, the front tooth darkened due to the trauma and root canal treatment. She desired to obtain a more uniform tooth shade of her smile.
Treatment
She decided to whiten her smile. Unfortunately her right front tooth did not bleach as well as her other teeth. We decided to stay conservative and perform composite bonding over her front tooth. This masked the color and allowed us to match her other teeth while not necessitating to remove any of the natural tooth structure. The procedure was done without any anesthetic and gave the patient confidence to smile again.
Comprehensive Rehabilitation Case #2
History
45 year old male presents wishing to improve his smile which he has been wanting to address for years. His main issues are severe wear, old crown and erosion of enamel of a front tooth.
Treatment
A detailed consultation was performed and he elected to proceed with treatment. Crowns were placed on his 4 front teeth to replace missing tooth structure, improve esthetics, speech and function.Also, composite bonding was done on the canines and premolars where he had recession of the gums. Patient was very pleased with his new smile.
Special thanks to Master Ceramist Skip Carpenter.
Minimally Invasive Esthetic Improvement
History
A 28 year old male presented prior to his wedding regarding his front teeth and bite. He did not like his smile or how his front teeth were wearing too quickly. He had several consults with other dentists and had treatment recommendations ranging from jaw surgery and orthodontics, to crowning all of his teeth. In trying to stay conservative, we opted to restore his two front teeth and adjust his occlusion to make it more stable.
Treatment
He underwent full mouth at home bleaching followed by placement of full crowns on his two front teeth. To protect his new crowns and prevent any further damage from tooth grinding, a night guard appliance was fabricated for him. He was very happy with the ability to improve his smile in a minimally invasive approach.
Special thanks to Master Ceramist Skip Carpenter.
Missing Teeth Replacement
History
Patient is a 28 year old female with existing Maryland bridges to replace missing lateral incisors. She did not have optimal spacing to restore with dental implants so it was decided to restore with new Maryland bridges. She desired an esthetic improvement and a long term restorative option.
Treatment
To improve spacing issues and bite, minor orthodontics were utilized to improve outcome. To maximize the image that the teeth were not missing, gingival grafting was part of her comprehensive care to improve the soft tissue contours. To replace the missing lateral incisors, new all porcelain Maryland Bridges were fabricated. Patient was very pleased.
Special Thanks to: Dr. Eric Kerr of Charlotte Perio Master Ceramist Skip Carpenter
Replacement of Existing Dentistry
History
This is a 53 year old female patient presented for a consult regarding sleep apnea. After the clinical exam, it was noted that due to a history of acid reflux and dietary habits that she had eroded a majority of her enamel. She returned to her family dentist who crowned her front teeth. Unfortunately, she felt that the crowns were not appropriate for her face and smile. Her goal was to redo the front teeth to obtain a more natural appearance.
Treatment
A comprehensive examination was performed and it was decided to remove the existing crowns and place new all porcelain crowns. The existing crowns were removed and front 8 teeth were prepared for new porcelain crowns. The final result obtained ideal form and function which will last for years to come!
Special thanks to Master Ceramist Skip Carpenter.
Veneers Case #1
History
Patient presented with worn front teeth and spacing. His main goal was an esthetic improvement of his smile while maintaining his natural teeth. After orthodontic care to align spacing and fix bite issues, the patient was restored using porcelain veneers to fill out smile and make teeth size appropriate.
Treatment
He underwent full mouth orthodontics to align spacing and fix bite issues. Upon completion of his orthodontic care, he was restored using porcelain veneers to fill out smile and make teeth size appropriate. The final result was exactly what the patient desired while utilizing a minimally invasive approach.
Special thanks to Dr. Mickey Webb of Webb Orthodontics and Master Ceramist Skip Carpenter.
Veneers Case #2
History
Patient is a 56 year old female patient who presents with moderate to severe wear on her teeth secondary to a grinding habit. She wished to restore the teeth to a natural shape and contour while preserving as much tooth structure as possible.
Treatment
After consultation it was decided to restore her teeth with porcelain veneer restorations to re-establish appropriate tooth size and function. The front 6 teeth were prepared for porcelain veneers while trying to be as minimally invasive as possible. This allowed us to re-establish her tooth shape and take years off her smile.
Special thanks to Master Ceramist Walter Gebhardt.
Veneers Case #3
History
26 year old male presents wishing to improve his smile which he has been wanting to address for years. His main concern is that he felt his teeth were too small for his face and smile.
Treatment
A comprehensive approach was taken utilizing orthodontics, gum lift procedure and minimally invasive veneers. The patient underwent full mouth braces to align teeth, correct bite and give spaces around the front teeth so less tooth structure needed to be removed to be able to place veneers. Upon completion of orthodontics, a laser gum lift procedure was performed to elongate the natural tooth structure and give him a less gummy smile. Finally, minimally invasive veneers were placed on the front 4 teeth and composite bonding of the canines to improve function. A night guard was fabricated to protect his teeth and veneers from future damage from grinding.
Special thanks to Dr. Colin Webb of Webb Orthodontics and Master Ceramist Skip Carpenter.
Smile Enhancement Case #1
History
38 year old male patient presented concerned about "my composite fillings look old on my front teeth." This patient had previously used composite (tooth colored) fillings to fill in spaces and change shapes of front teeth. He now desired a more comprehensive and long lasting treatment option.
Treatment
After a consultation regarding tooth colored fillings versus porcelain veneers, the patient elected to proceed with porcelain crowns to restore his smile. The front 4 teeth were prepared for full crowns. The goal was to correct midline and the cant of the midline, length was added and a new smile was created.
Special thanks to Master Ceramist Skip Carpenter.
Smile Enhancement Case #2
History
Patient presented concerned with "My smile has changed over the years and my old crown on the front tooth has broken.†The changes in her smile were due to excessive wear of her front teeth secondary to grinding habit.
Treatment
After a detailed consultation, it was decided to place full porcelain crowns on her front 4 teeth to improve tooth position and shape. She also had a detailed evaluation and adjustment in her bite to obtain ideal harmony and function of the dentition. This case was completed by fabricating a custom night guard to protect teeth from any further damage.
Special thanks to Master Ceramist Skip Carpenter.
Dental Implant #2
History
Patient is a 40 yo male who lost his right front tooth due to history of trauma and internal resorption of the root.
Treatment
The tooth was extracted and a dental implant was placed to help preserve bone, gums and adjacent teeth. A single tooth dental implant crown and customized abutment were to restore the missing tooth. The patient is very pleased with the outcome in what can be a very scary experience of losing a front tooth.
Special Thanks to Dr. Ken Corsig of Charlotte Perio for placing the Implant and Master Ceramist Skip Carpenter