Restorative Dentistry

British society of prosthodontics debate on the implications of the minamata convention on mercury to dental amalgam – should our patients be worried?

The Minamata Convention on Mercury, a United Nations treaty signed on the 10 October 2013 by 128 signatory nations, including the UK, was designed to protect human health and the environment from...

Class ii resin composites: restorative options

Polymerization shrinkage is a key factor, accounting for the relative failure of direct posterior resin composite restorations. A majority of the currently available products contain the monomer...

Rehabilitation of oncology patients with hard palate defects part 3: construction of an acrylic hollow box obturator

A period of 6 months may be required (post-resection) before the definitive obturator can be constructed. However, this period of surgical healing will clearly differ between patients.4 The...

Dental management of a patient with multiple idiopathic cervical root resorption

A 12-year-old patient started fixed orthodontic treatment in 2002 (Figure 1). Two years later she was referred to the Leeds Dental Institute (by her orthodontist) just before her maxillary and...

A PREP panel, practice-based, evaluation of the handling of the kerr demi-ultra light curing unit

The importance of practice-based research has been emphasized by Mandel, who considered that ‘research is not only the silent partner in dental practice, it is the very scaffolding on which we build...

Maintenance and monitoring of dental implants in general dental practice

Generally, it is recommended that patients treated with implant-supported restorations are seen at least on an annual basis but, in some cases, they will all require routine hygienist treatment at 3-,...

Worn down by toothwear? aetiology, diagnosis and management revisited

Toothwear can be defined as ‘the loss of tooth substance by means other than caries or dental trauma’. Tooth surface loss (TSL) is an alternative term used which can confuse dentists and patients, and...

Minimally invasive long-term management of direct restorations: the ‘5 rs’

A failing restoration can be described as one that has suffered biomechanical defect or damage resulting in immediate or subsequent detrimental clinical consequences to the patient. This may affect...

Rehabilitation of oncology patients with hard palate defects part 2: principles of obturator design

Defects have been successfully managed with obturators (Latin: ‘obturare’ meaning ‘to block up’) for many years. Ambroise Pare was probably the first individual to close a palatal defect artificially...

Rehabilitation of oncology patients with hard palate defects part 1: the surgical planning phase

The number of individuals undertaking surgical reconstructions has increased from 38% to 91% from 1995 to 2009,4 with the use of microvascular free flaps becoming more common. Surgically...

Fibre-reinforced composite (FRC) bridge – a minimally destructive approach

The conventional design for an anterior bridge will consist of an everStick C&B (GC) (or other) fibre bonded from the palatal side of the first retainer tooth bridging the space of the missing tooth...

An update on crown lengthening part 2: increasing clinical crown height to facilitate predictable restorations

The ‘biologic width’ concept was first described by Gargiulo et al in 1961, following a histological study in human autopsy specimens, examining the relationship between the various components...

Seventeen years of using flowable resin restoratives – a dental practitioner's personal clinical review

Flowable composites can be traced back to the pioneering product, Revolution, offered on the dental market in 1992 by SDS/Kerr. The name of that first flowable resin restorative was well timed since,...

The value of cone beam CT in assessing and managing a dilated odontome of a maxillary canine

A fit and healthy 14-year-old school boy was referred to King's Dental Institute by his general dental practitioner who had started root canal treatment on the UL3, but this was aborted as a result of...