CE: Functional Anterior Esthetics for the Interdisciplinary Minded Dentist

Program Description

The management of anterior aesthetic cases is often a daunting task as patients who are well informed via social media make increasing demands for the “perfect” smile.

Terms like porcelain veneers, composite bonding, and teeth whitening have gone mainstream in the lexicon of restorative dentistry along with trademarked products like Lumineers, E.max, and BruxZir. It is compulsory for today's esthetic dentist to master form, function, and esthetics in order to arrive at a treatment decision that meets the expectations of the patient.

So where do we begin? Is every patient a veneer candidate? What materials do we choose for the restorations? How do we communicate our desires to the dental ceramist? What if our patient does not accept the full treatment plan? Knowing where and when to make compromises in our treatment decisions is one of the hardest things we as dentists do on a daily basis.

This program will provide you with the essential tools and a system to begin assessing patients who come to your office demanding cosmetic and esthetic services. Know which patients to select as simple and conservative veneer cases and which patients qualify as more comprehensive oral rehabilitation cases.

Program Outline:

Topics to enhance your skills at planning and executing anterior cases include:

Review of Case Diagnosis and Treatment Planning

• Working up a case with a systematic approach
• Estimating fees

Visual Esthetic Analysis

• Teeth
• Teeth arrangement
• Gingival components

Dental Materials Update

• Current and new material properties overview
• Material strength and weaknesses
• Choosing the appropriate ceramic for the particular clinical situation
• Overview of cements for esthetic restorations

Gingival Tissue Management

• How to evaluate gingival esthetics
• Recontour, crown lengthen, or refer?

Porcelain Veneers

• How to determine if your patient's veneer case is full prep, minimal prep, or no-prep in 5 minutes
• The shocking truth about designing veneers with no preps, no margins, and no local anesthetic
• 10 myths and realities of the no-prep approach that every clinician must know
• Porcelain veneer material selection and lab communication - The Ultimate Guide
• 5 little known factors that could affect the success of your veneer cases during final cementation

Diagnostic waxup vs. direct composite mock-up

• Guidelines for how and when to use each

Provisionalization

• What materials to use
• Lock on technique vs. cemented provisionals
• Finishing and polishing instrumentation
• Provisional cements

Step by step presentation of case insertion protocol including:

• Slit rubber dam placement
• Bonding sequence of restorations and teeth
• 2x2 cementation technique vs 1x1 vs all at once cementation
• Finishing and polishing techniques

Finishing and occlusal adjustment of cases

• Centric contacts
• Eccentric contacts

Other Topics if time allows:

• Dental Photography
• Direct Composite Veneer and Class IV restoration
• Dental Imaging
• Invisalign to set up your cases

Course Objectives:

• Learn a systematic approach to planning any anterior case, simple or complex
• Develop an understanding of what is a no prep vs. prepped veneer case
• Enhance your knowledge of tooth and gingival esthetics
• Update your comprehension of dental materials for esthetic cases
• Utilizing Digital technology to predictably plan and manage restorative cases

Bio

Edward Lowe, DMD, is a 1986 graduate of the University of British Columbia and owns a private practice devoted to comprehensive functional aesthetic dentistry in downtown Vancouver, BC. He is an accredited member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and has been the editor-in-chief of the AACD’s Journal of Cosmetic Dentistry for the past 13 years. Dr. Lowe sits on the editorial advisory board of the Journal of Implant and Advanced Clinical Dentistry, Inside Dentistry and is a key opinion leader for the Dental Advisor and manufacturers like Ivoclar andAlign Technology. Dr. Lowe has published over 70 articles and lectures internationally on comprehensive restorative & aesthetic dentistry.