Selective use of gingival-toned ceramics: case reports.

Use of periodontal surgical procedures should generally be considered, prior to prosthodontic treatment, for ridge augmentation and correction of minor soft tissue deficiencies. However, in certain instances surgery may be contraindicated or undesirable. An adequate functional and cosmetic result can often be achieved by incorporating pink ceramic material in the patient's fixed prosthesis. Five case reports are reviewed to demonstrate some appropriate uses of this material.

The immediate provisional restoration: a review of clinical techniques.

For each patient who requires removal of anterior teeth, there are a multitude of treatment considerations. Cosmetic demands, functional needs, treatment sequencing, timeliness, and affordability are some primary concerns that must be addressed on an individual basis. A patient will generally want a cosmetic and functional prosthesis at the earliest possible opportunity. Providing the most appropriate interim prosthesis for a given patient is both challenging and rewarding. The numerous clinical techniques for immediate interim tooth replacement are reviewed, and previously unreported methods are presented to assist the clinician in the selection of interim prosthesis design.

The partial overdenture in management of anterior apertognathia: a clinical report.

A patient with anterior apertognathia presented with an unserviceable maxillary removable partial denture. The unique pattern of partial edentulism was treated with a partial overdenture restoration of the bar attachment design. The final prosthesis was stable, well retained, and esthetic, serving as a conservative alternative to a surgical-orthognathic plan of treatment.

Foreign-body (silica) granuloma of the lip.

A foreign-body granuloma may occur in the lip secondary to traumatic implantation of dirt and sand. Several recommendations for the clinician encountering such contaminated wounds follow. Debridement of the wound and copious flushing are of primary importance as a preventive measure. The patient should be informed of possible sequelae and advised to seek treatment if nodules occur in later years. The development of a granulomatous response necessitates initial surgical intervention to establish the histologic diagnosis; however, repeated surgical procedures are not indicated unless subsequent enlargements cannot be resolved by intralesional injection of steroids. Last, it must be emphasized that a histologic diagnosis of a granulomatous lesion obligates the oral and maxillofacial surgeon to request additional studies to rule out a systemic involvement.

Coherent Doppler lidar measurements of winds in the weak signal regime.

In the weak signal regime coherent Doppler lidar velocity estimates are characterized by a localized distribution around the true mean velocity and a uniform distribution of random outliers over the velocity search space. The performance of velocity estimators is defined by the standard deviation of the good estimates around the true mean velocity and the fraction of random outliers. The quality of velocity estimates is improved with pulse accumulation. The performance of velocity estimates from two different coherent Doppler lidars in the weak signal regime is compared with the predictions of computer simulations for pulse accumulation from 1 to 100 pulses.

Sequencing platinum foil matrix removal in postceramic soldering of the collarless veneered retainer.

Postceramic soldering of collarless veneered retainers in which the porcelain margins were formed with a platinum foil matrix technique was investigated. The purpose of the study was to determine if removing the platinum foil matrix before or after indexing and soldering procedures would affect the porcelain margin integrity in fixed partial dentures. Prostheses were fabricated on a nickel-chromium laboratory model using both sequences. Six test cycles were performed. Each cycle included one soldering with matrix support and one without the matrix, for a total of 12 solderings. The fixed partial dentures were compared for degree of marginal seating with a measuring microscope and for configuration changes at the porcelain margins with scanning electron micrographs. In the microscopic analysis of marginal closure, soldering without foil matrix was statistically equal to soldering with foil in place. Removal of the platinum foil matrices prior to indexing provided for no further seating of the metal ceramic retainers. Evaluation by scanning electron microscopy demonstrated distinct configuration changes in the porcelain margins for the specimens soldered without matrix support.