Cosmetic concerns provide opportunity for comprehensive dentistry
Files, J.
Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry 33(6): 430
2012
ISSN/ISBN: 1548-8578 PMID: 22774331 Document Number: 662995
This case involved a woman with occlusal dysfunction who was dissatisfied with her smile because of the unsightly display of gold crowns in her posterior and unattractive mottling on her anterior teeth. Factors such as a significant history of clenching and grinding, the management of active disease and infection, and the patient's desire for an ideal or "media-generated" smile increased the difficulty of the case. As part of a comprehensive restorative plan that included disease control treatment, root canal therapy, and orthodontics to idealize tooth positioning, a Kois deprogrammer was used to evaluate the patient's increasingly symptomatic, unacceptable function. In addition to reducing functional and biomechanical risks, the case resulted in improved esthetics with which the patient was highly pleased.