DTUS1710

COSMETIC TRIBUNE | July 2010 Clinical 3D AD Fig. 10: Two weeks post-op, close-up. Fig. 9: Two-weeks post-op, close-up, retracted. Sarah Kong, DDS, graduated from Baylor College of Dentist- ry, where she served as a pro- fessor in restorative dentistry. She focuses on preventive and restorative dentistry, transition- als, anesthesia and periodontal care. Kong is an active member of numerous professional organi- zations, including the American Dental Association, the Acad- emy of General Dentistry, the American Academy of Cosmet- ic Dentistry, the Texas Den- tal Association and the Dallas County Dental Society. You may contact her at drkong@dallasdentalspa.com. About the author giva on the mesials of #7 and #10 and to create symmetry of #9 with that of tooth #8 (Fig. 8). The Bident unit allowed for gen- tle, clean coagulation in a wet field. There was no grounding needed, and because the unit is meant to be used with water, there was no tissue char- ring or shrinkage. A more effective, more precise and safer result was achieved with essen- tially no post-op bleeding — a perfect scenario for bonding teeth immedi- ately with no worries of a contami- nated field. The teeth were now ready to be bonded. They were carefully cleaned with pumice to remove any surface debris and stains. Metal strips were placed interproximally to isolate each tooth. Then they were microetched with aluminum oxide to allow for better mechanical retention. Thirty-seven percent phosphoric etch was placed and rinsed before the application of a bonding agent, such as OptiBond Solo Plus Unidose. Tooth #8 was bonded first using various layers of composite, starting with a microhybrid (Premise) and ending with a microfilled composite (Renamel). This tooth was contoured and polished with a series of pol- ishing discs (Shofu) before proceed- ing so the next tooth (#9) could be matched to this tooth without being bonded to it. Teeth #7, #9 and #10 were bond- ed in a similar fashion with vari- ous shades to create a more natural, graded appearance. As before, each tooth was pol- ished before bonding the next one. Final contouring and polishing were achieved and a high shine was gained with a Twist-2-It and polish- ing paste. In about two hours, the patient had a new smile! Even the gumline looked amazing immediately post-op with no bleeding (Fig. 9). Gentle Gel, an aloe vera and herb- al-based gel, was placed along the gumline and given to the patient to apply at home to help soothe the gums and provide for quicker heal- ing. The patient was amazed and in love with his new smile, even imme- diately post-op. When he returned for his two- week follow-up visit, the gums were ideally contoured and the resin veneers looked wonderful, and the patient said they felt wonderful, too (Fig. 10). No polishing was needed, so we just did another high shine polish to make them sparkle. Post-op photo- graphs were taken and the patient loved the results (Fig. 11). He also mentioned that he had no post-op pain originally and the gums looked and felt better in just a couple days after the bonding appointment. Overall, the patient was ecstatic about the dramatic improvement, especially how contouring the gum- line contributed immensely to the final cosmetic result. He also loved the fact that ortho- dontics was avoided and a beautiful smile was achieved in a single bond- ing appointment with a minimally invasive approach — less is more. Now he is already thinking about and looking forward to his next den- tal venture — resin veneers for his premolars. CT Fig. 11: Happy patient. Advanced registration for the 2011 AACD meeting in Boston, May 18–21, opens this month! For more details, visit www.aacd.com.