Article
This large book professes to cover every aspect of aesthetic dentistry, with 47 contributors to the 30 or so chapters and an interesting introduction from Gorden Christensen. As a third edition, it clearly has been added to and certainly also refers to the changes in aesthetic dentistry that have occurred for reasons of technology and economy – interesting and more on that later.
The book covers virtually every aspect of contemporary and traditional aesthetic dentistry, from white spots to full mouth wear and re-habilitation and from the principles of aesthetics to practice management. There is excellent coverage of functional aspects of planning and executing simple and complex cases. I also really liked the step-by-step photos of preparation, impression and bonding procedures – all done beautifully. There is also a very nice interactive online section from Elsevier where you can watch videos/animations related to the book and subject matter and discuss content with other users. This is truly an excellent addition.
Chapters of note are ‘Esthetics and Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery’ by Daniel Buchbinder and ‘Esthetics and Periodontics’ by Rosenberg and Torosian. However, this book is clearly aimed at the US market. Not a single contributor is from Europe. Is this a problem? This reviewer thinks so because there are fundamental differences in how dentistry is practised in the US and Europe. Of course we are always converging but the fact is European educators are commonly leading the way in aesthetic dentistry and it seems a huge omission not to include a single one. As a result, the artistry of anterior direct composite and layering seems to be missing. This is one of the most single important aspects of aesthetic dentistry. There is no mention of the Dahl principle as a modality in the treatment of wear. To be fair, this is not a treatment often used in the USA, but it highlights the point made above about the unbalanced contribution.
There is not a single mention of the term ‘Align, bleach and bond’ and hardly a case even to show this concept. This is incredible really when you think what an impact that concept has had in the UK and Europe. To underline this, the Orthodontic chapter (a single one) also has no real mention of the aesthetic value of Anterior Alignment Orthodontics. I realize that I am biased as this is a concept that is my primary option on a progressive pathway in smile design. However, vast numbers of dentists also use this methodology and it seems to be completely ignored here.
In conclusion, this is a beautifully illustrated book with contributions from some of the USA's leading talent, however, it highlights some obvious contrasts in the way aesthetic dentistry is now carried out in Europe. Which leads us back to an important point. In Europe, did a recession make us practise more conservatively and with more consideration of a patient's financial position? The forewords seem to infer that this is what has happened in the USA. I‘d like to think that we are that way inclined anyway.