Enamel microabrasion: observations after 10 years.

Enamel microabrasion has become accepted as a conservative, nonrestorative method of improving the appearance of teeth with superficial dysmineralization and decalcification defects. This article reviews the technique of enamel microabrasion using a commercially available compound of hydrochloric acid and fine-grit silicon carbide particles in a water-soluble paste. It also describes a method of combining enamel microabrasion with carbamide peroxide home bleaching. Finally, it presents the cases of representative patients who underwent enamel microabrasion (alone or in combination with dental bleaching).

Preparation of a dental case history report for publication.

Case reports in the dental literature share important information regarding clinical dental therapy. A general format for structuring a paper in preparation for publication in a professional journal is proposed.

Glass ionomers and esthetic dentistry: what the new properties mean to dentistry.

Ingenuity in research and development of glass ionomer systems has slowly but surely improved their handling properties and appearance. The author reviews the latest developments in relation to esthetic dentistry.

Enamel microabrasion for removal of superficial dysmineralization and decalcification defects.

Enamel surface "dysmineralization" can be defined as a disturbance in formation of the inorganic component of enamel during amelogenesis. Enamel microabrasion, a method of removing certain enamel dysmineralization and decalcification coloration defects, is described. In many cases, with insignificant and unrecognizable loss of enamel, superficial enamel discoloration defects can be permanently eliminated, improving the appearance of treated teeth.

Hastening the enamel microabrasion procedure eliminating defects, cutting treatment time.

Two cases illustrate the technique of treating enamel discoloration and decalcification by beginning with bur cutting and completing with microabrasion compound. This eliminates texture defects caused by bur cutting and reduces treatment time.

Glass ionomers for infants, children, and adolescents.

When practitioners fully understand the nature of the glass ionomer materials and use them within their limitations, their use can improve the quality of restorative dental care for young patients. The materials for young patients can be classified as luting cements, dentin replacement liners and bases, and glass ionomer dentin and enamel restorative material. Future research efforts should be directed toward improving the glass ionomer cement by increasing fracture toughness and wear resistance, decreasing hardening time, and simplifying the sensitive handling technique.

The preformed stainless steel crown for restoration of permanent posterior teeth in special cases.

There are problems involving permanent posterior teeth for which the stainless steel crown may provide the most desirable short-term solution. In placing the crown, emphasis should be given to recognition of the wide variation of available crowns, occlusal considerations, the importance of the rubber dam, and the use of a precementation radiograph to confirm margin adaptation of the crown.

Clinical performance of resin-modified glass ionomer cement restorations in primary teeth. A retrospective evaluation.

BACKGROUND: The authors retrospectively evaluated the clinical performance of one resin-modified glass ionomer cement as a restorative material in Class I, Class II, Class III and Class V restorations in primary teeth. METHODS: A total of 306 patients who had received a total of 864 resin-modified glass ionomer restorations, which had been in their mouths for a minimum of three years, were included in this evaluation. The authors assessed the clinical observations recorded in patients' records and used bitewing radiographs to assess Class II restorations. RESULTS: The authors found an overall restoration success rate of 93.0 percent, with Class I restorations having a 92.6 percent success rate, Class II restorations having a 93.3 percent success rate, Class III restorations having a 100 percent success rate, and Class V restorations having a 98.0 percent success rate. CONCLUSIONS: The resin-modified glass ionomer cement functioned well as a Class I, Class II, Class III and Class V restorative material in primary teeth. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Resin-modified glass ionomer restorative cement is a durable and reliable material to use for Class I, Class II, Class III and Class V restorations in primary teeth. Therefore, dentists have a proven alternative to silver amalgam and resin-based composite for primary tooth restoration.

Rapid neurologic assessment and initial management for the patient with traumatic dental injuries.

The authors believe that a dental practitioner can be adept at observing insidious signs of neurologic impairment secondary to trauma of the head and neck. If approached logically in a systematic order, the course of neurologic assessment of a patient with traumatic dental injuries can be achieved in a short time. If neurologic damage is suspected, immediate medical referral is indicated, as impending neuropathologic crises of secondary injury may be prevented with definitive early care. Medical personnel will benefit in their diagnostic course from information gathered by the initial provider of health care. The dentist also provides a service to the patient by ruling out definite signs of neurologic deficit before directing complete attention to emergency dental procedures.

Restorative dentistry for preschool children.

Successful management of the behavior of the preschool child is a prerequisite for the dental experience to be pleasant for both the child and the dentist. There are many ways for the dentist to interface with children, but none is as desirable with cooperative or potentially cooperative preschool children than techniques in the linguistic domain. Fortunately, because most children are very competent in communicating in language sometime around their third birthday, such techniques are reliably effective with preschool children. Knowing the reasons why a seemingly potentially cooperative preschooler may not be so is important to the dentist seeking mastery skills in working with this age group. Another extremely important issue in behavioral pediatric dentistry at this time is the role of the parents in the dental appointment and their right to informed consent for certain behavioral management strategies.

Bonded composite resin crowns for primary incisors: technique update.

A technique for restoration of carious primary maxillary incisors with a hybrid visible light-curing composite resin and a dentinal bonding agent is described. Careful use of this technique and the new materials can provide a restoration that is esthetic and resistant to fracture and displacement. The technique requires careful preparation of the operative field and precise handling of the restorative materials. The method is illustrated by the placement of bonded composite resin crowns in a 3-year-old boy.

Enamel microabrasion followed by dental bleaching: case reports.

Certain enamel coloration defects can best be eliminated by a combination of treatment methods. This report describes the treatment of two patients whose enamel discoloration was corrected with a combination of enamel microabrasion and patient-administered dental bleaching with a carbamide peroxide gel solution.

Bonded composite resin Class II restoration: an example.

Bonded composite resin can be used for restoration of certain teeth with posterior proximal carious lesions. Successful restoration depends on careful tooth isolation, proper dentin and enamel bonding methods, selection of an appropriate composite resin, and ideal handling of all the restorative materials. This paper details a procedure for placing a mesio-occlusodistal bonded composite resin restoration in a maxillary premolar.

Correction of anterior tooth crossbite with bonded resin-composite slopes.

Chief disadvantages of the reversed stainless steel crown method for crossbite correction are the difficulty in adapting a preformed crown to fit the tooth in crossbite and the metallic appearance of the steel crown form. An inclined plane with ideal mechanical advantage for correction of individual anterior tooth crossbite can often be custom sculpted of resin composite and bonded in position. Treatment is rapid and inexpensive and requires little cooperation from the patient. The report describes and documents two cases that used bonded resin-composite slopes for anterior tooth crossbite correction.

Combining resin composite bonding and enamel microabrasion.

Some teeth can best be treated by a combination of enamel microabrasion and resin composite bonding. This article outlines a protocol for treating patients with such teeth and documents one case, showing 5-year results.

The quintessential sealant?

A method of placing a reinforced resin-bonded sealant is described. When the beneficial properties of resin-bonded sealants are combined with those of preventive resin restorations, the outcome is perhaps the "quintessential sealant."

Bonded composite resin/ligature wire splint for stabilization of traumatically displaced teeth.

Two cases in which tooth splinting was required after traumatic dental injuries are documented. In each patient, an acid-etch-retained composite resin/ligature wire splint was used to stabilize displaced teeth after they were replaced into their proper positions. The step-by-step splinting technique is described, and the rationale for the method is reviewed.

Visible light-hardened glass-ionomer cement base/liner as an interim restorative material.

A visible light-hardening, glass-ionomer cement, dentinal base/liner has been used as a dentinal and enamel replacement restorative material for certain lesions in primary teeth. The material has all the advantages of glass-ionomer cements and the additional advantage of rapid hardening by light curing. The procedure for using the material as a restorative material in primary teeth is described, and several cases are documented.

Alternatives to silver amalgam and resin composite in pediatric dentistry.

Silver amalgam has become a less attractive dental restorative material for restoration of primary teeth. After many decades of scientific and nonscientific controversy, use of silver amalgam for primary teeth is waning, not because of its mercury content but because dentistry has come up with more suitable materials. This article reviews the development and use of glass-ionomer silver-cermet cements, resin-modified glass-ionomer cements, and polyacid-modified resin composites (compomers) for restoration of primary teeth.

Light-hardened glass-ionomer-resin cement restoration adjacent to a bonded orthodontic bracket: a case report.

Light-hardened glass-ionomer-resin restorative cement has all the advantages of glass-ionomer cements and the additional feature of rapid hardening by visible light application. The new restorative formulation can be used to restore a carious lesion adjacent to a bonded orthodontic bracket.