In the last decade, dental medicine has seen a remarkable number of technological discoveries and advancements, meaning that dental services available today cover a complex and comprehensive range of dental treatments. However, to achieve performance and excellence in this field, alongside state-of-the-art equipment and dental materials, it is also necessary for dentists to be constantly informed and trained.
Handling a complex case requires a team of dental medicine and technology professionals and specialists. For a treatment plan to be successful, the doctor taking the patient's history will consider the patient's needs and desires, and will propose a series of treatments that will resolve both dental aesthetics and functional issues. Patient involvement in creating the overall picture of what they will achieve in the end is essential.
Carrying out aesthetic dental treatment involves several activities:
– intégration du projet esthétique final
– its breakdown into treatment stages
– carrying out the necessary prosthetic work
The areas involved, which we will describe very briefly below, are:
- Restorative therapy
- teeth whitening
- Dental occlusion
- Orthodontics
- Endodontics
- surgery - implantology
- Periodontology
Restorative therapy
In a situation where a prosthetic work is to be carried out on vital teeth that have old fillings, these fillings should be redone, even if no issues are reported on clinical and radiological examination. When removing old fillings, dental caries that are not visible may be detected and it is advisable to treat them immediately. Another motivation stems from the need for the colour of these restorations to be as close as possible to the colour of whitened tooth tissues.
2. Tooth whitening therapy
In the field of teeth whitening therapies, there are several types of procedures.
– procedures involving the use of thermoformed trays in which an active substance is applied at different concentrations, which the patient uses either at home or under the supervision of the dentist in the practice.
– whitening procedures using polarised light lamps or lasers, performed by a dentist in their practice. The advantage of this procedure is that it is faster and less painful, and also allows for much more precise control of the whitening agents and the marginal periodontium.
3. Occlusal therapy
Occlusal therapy is one of the key factors in ensuring ultimate success. Initial occlusal examination is paramount before commencing treatment. The main objectives of this therapy are occlusal stability and ensuring functional guidance in protrusion and lateral movements.
Dental occlusion is the factor that maintains aesthetic restorations during function and ensures the health of the structures of the dentomaxillary apparatus. Besides an aesthetic appearance of the teeth, correct chewing and phonation are equally important for the patient's happiness and well-being: they can eat properly and speak correctly.
4. Orthodontic therapy
Orthodontics is still underestimated, being considered a treatment that only addresses children and adolescents. Preliminary orthodontic treatment can aid aesthetic treatment in the following situations:
dental movements in the vertical plane
– Retrusion or labial movement of the front teeth, the position of which would alter the prosthetic design
– the necessity of dental tooth movements for the redistribution of interdental spaces, for better proportions regarding the width/length ratio
– restoration of contact points with modification of interdental papilla size
– straightening of crooked teeth with the opening of spaces for implant placement and correction of the distribution of chewing forces along the axis of the teeth
– orthodontic extraction of an unsaveable tooth
– resolving dental crowding by correcting the shape of the dental arch
– modification of dental axes and correction of the oral pathway
5. Endodontic therapy
The current trend in dentistry is “minimally invasive,” meaning minimal enamel preparation with minimal sacrifice of tooth structure. This type of therapy, which is very current in dental practice, requires special attention in the following situations:
– extensive carious destructions involving the pulp chamber
incorrect endodontic treatments
– vital tooth, but with insufficient tooth tissue to ensure retention of future dental crowns
– Dental malocclusions that have not been orthodontically corrected and require significant tooth substance reduction.
6. Implant-surgical therapy
Therapy and aesthetics on implants require special attention in the following cases:
– atraumatic extractions with special instruments to allow immediate implantation
– the necessity of applying bone grafts and non-resorbable/resorbable membranes that arises from insufficient bone volume
– augmentation of the area with connective tissue to stabilise aesthetic results
– positioning the implant so that it ensures correct aesthetics and prevents subsequent labial recession
– in the situation where the computer – tomograph detects a sufficient bone volume for carrying out a “flap-less” type dental implant placement, with the aim of avoiding gingival scarring in the frontal area.
7. Periodontal Treatment
Another type of dental work is the junction between the periodontium and the prosthetic work. This junction represents the weak point of a dental restoration and is often the place where patients notice that “the tooth is fake”. Periodontal surgical techniques aim to perfect the criteria for gingival aesthetic to ensure the entire ensemble has a distinguished final appearance, while maintaining its health.
The team of doctors and professionals at Chiromax Galati Dental Clinic offers you personalised, high-quality, comprehensive services in maxillofacial surgery, implantology, and dentistry, aiming to help you with prevention and healing, with an emphasis on both the functional and aesthetic aspects of healthy and beautiful teeth.
Bibliography
An insight into dental aesthetics, Dr. Florin Lăzărescu – Quintessence Publishing House, 2013