Minimally Invasive Approach for Improving Anterior Dental Aesthetics: Case Report with 1-Year Follow-Up

Tooth whitening: current status and prospects

As a safe, effective, economical, and convenient technique, tooth whitening is one of the most popular treatments for improving tooth discoloration. This review summarizes the theoretical and recent research developments in the classification and mechanisms of tooth discoloration, as well as the principles, agents, effects, and side effects of tooth whitening techniques. The aim is to provide a basis for the clinical treatment of tooth whitening techniques and to suggest possible new ideas for further research. The accepted mechanism of whitening is the redox reaction of oxides in the whitening reagent, and the whitening effect is remarkable. However, side effects such as tooth sensitivity and irritation of gum and other oral soft tissues can still occur. It is recommended that more monitoring be carried out in the clinic to monitor these side effects, and care should be taken to protect the soft tissues in the mouth during office whitening procedures. Furthermore, there is a need to develop new additives or natural whitening products to reduce the occurrence of side effects.

Management of Turner's Hypoplasia Using Resin Infiltration: A Case Report

The causes of enamel discoloration can vary, leading to aesthetic concerns for patients. Injuries to primary teeth can lead to developmental issues in permanent successors, with enamel hypoplasia, commonly referred to as Turner's tooth. Diverse methods are available for addressing tooth discoloration. A case of an 11-year-old pediatric patient with a brown patch on the upper left central incisor was reported to the Pediatric Dentistry Department. A well-demarcated, yellowish-brown lesion was present on the labial surface of 21 and was diagnosed as Turner's hypoplasia. Resin infiltration was done using the Icon Smooth Surface (DMG America Company, Englewood, NJ) resin infiltration kit. The resin infiltration technique provides an approach to meet aesthetic requirements. In this case, the resin infiltration technique was successfully utilized to address the discoloration of the left maxillary central incisor, which was affected by Turner's hypoplasia.

In Vivo Evaluation of the Effects of Sintering Temperature on the Optical Properties of Dental Glass-Ceramics

In prosthodontics, the ability of glass-ceramics to express the optical properties of natural teeth is an important goal of esthetic restorations. Dental restorations do not merely need to be similar in color to natural teeth; proper optical properties, such as opalescence, transparency, etc., must be combined in order to achieve excellent esthetic effects. The optical properties of ceramic materials are mainly distinguished by different hues (e.g., A, B, C, and D) combined with translucency (e.g., high translucency (HT), medium translucency (MT), low translucency (LT), and medium opacity (MO)). However, there are many varieties of tooth color. Therefore, it is expected that glass-ceramics can change their nanocrystal size and porosity through different heat-treatment temperatures and times and, thereby, present different transparency effects. This study mainly analyzed the influence of changes in sintering temperature on the optical properties of glass-ceramics. The optical properties of glass-ceramics in the oral cavity were evaluated with human trials. We hypothesized that (1) the transparency of glass-ceramics can be changed by controlling the sintering temperature and (2) glass-ceramics modified by the sintering temperature can be suitable for clinical applications. Results showed that the transparency decreased, the nanoparticle size increased, the crystallinity increased, and the surface hardness decreased as the sintering temperature increased. High-brightness glass-ceramics have more-sensitive optical properties. Results of clinical trials showed that glass-ceramics whose transparency was changed by controlling the sintering temperature can be candidates for clinical applications. Based on the above results, the hypotheses of this study were supported. In the future, we will continue to explore the esthetic field of dental restorations.

In Vitro Evaluation of the Shading Effect of Various Zirconia Surface Stains on Porcelain Crowns

Human teeth display various colors under natural light. Dental restorations, such as zirconia crowns, are generally used to rehabilitate the oral function of patients with tooth loss due to trauma or natural tooth falls. However, significant improvements in the color and translucency of zirconia are required to meet the clinical needs for dental restoration. In the past, a large amount of ceramic powder has been used to improve the appearance of zirconia. However, the interface between the ceramic powder and zirconia makes them prone to falling off. Therefore, the aesthetics of zirconia crowns remains a major challenge. Recently, substantial advances have been made in the field of dental materials, as special staining agents for zirconia have been introduced as alternatives to ceramic powders. Therefore, this study tested zirconia-specific staining agents that were used to produce zirconia samples with A1 and A3 colors. A dental colorimetric plate was used as the control group to assess the staining effects of the different brands of staining agents. Meanwhile, two hypotheses were proposed: that the staining effects of these special staining agents for zirconia met the criteria for clinical application and that there was no significant difference between the different staining agents for zirconia. The results showed that the coatings of different brands of staining agents were ultrathin, with a thickness of approximately 27–78 µm. In addition, the coloring effects of the zirconia staining agents were not significantly different from those of the colorimetric plates. After staining, the zirconia samples had decreased surface roughness and contact angle values, which improved surface smoothness and cleanliness. In summary, the results support the hypothesis of this study that zirconia stains can be used as an alternative to the current fabrication methods for clinical dental restorations. We sought to identify the clinical techniques that are easier to perform and to overcome the current problem of dental technicians requiring considerable dentin space for staining. It is expected that the results of this study will be useful in clinical dental restorations.

Relationship of Anxiety and Depression with Perfectionism in Patients with Aesthetic All-Ceramic Repair of Anterior Teeth

Background

Many psychological problems arising from patients undergoing aesthetic repair of teeth should be considered. However, there are no published studies on the relationship between anxiety/depression and perfectionism in patients with aesthetic repair of anterior teeth.

Material/Methods

A total of 640 patients receiving aesthetic repair of anterior teeth were assessed using the Corah dental anxiety scale (CDAS), a self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), a self-rating depression scale (SDS), and the Chinese version of the Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Psychological Scale (CFMPS). Statistical analyses included use of the independent-samples t test, correlation analysis, and multiple stepwise regression analysis.

Results

We found that 156 patients with a high dental anxiety disorder had significantly greater SAS and SDS scores than those without a high dental anxiety disorder. There were significant differences between these patients and the non-high dental anxiety group, based on 3 dimensions of the CFMPS: concern over mistakes (CM), doubt about action (DA), and organization (OR). Patients with dental anxiety had a significant positive correlation with SAS in the categories CM and DA, with SDS in the categories CM and DA, and with personal standard (PS); OR was negatively correlated with SAS and SDS scores. Regression analysis showed that the CM and OR dimension scores of CFMPS and age had strong predictive effects on SAS scores, while CM, DA, PS dimension scores, and age were strong predictors of SDS scores.

Conclusions

The incidence of dental anxiety prior to anterior tooth repair treatment is high, and patients with dental anxiety have a significant tendency toward pursuing perfectionism.

Erosion Infiltration in the Management of Molar-Incisor Hypomineralization (MIH) Defects

White spot lesions caused by enamel demineralization are frequently encountered in dental practice. Their management has always been an important issue in modern dentistry. However, the real dilemma was treating aesthetic demands with noninvasive or minimally invasive techniques preserving the natural tissues. The introduction of resin infiltration technique seems to provide an intermediary treatment modality between prevention and restorative therapy. This case report is aimed at reporting the management of MIH opacities in anterior teeth with resin infiltration technique.

Evaluation and Comparison of Caries Excavation Efficacy of Three Different Burs: A Micro-computed Tomographic-assisted Study

Aims and Objectives:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of three different caries excavation methods using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT).

Materials and Methods:

Fifteen freshly extracted human molar teeth with occlusal dentinal caries were selected. The teeth were sectioned longitudinally into two halves and were randomly divided into three groups (n = 10) depending on the caries removal technique: Group 1: tungsten carbide (TC) bur, Group 2: cerabur (CB), and Group 3: Excavus (EX) tipEX). A preoperative micro-CT scan of all the samples was taken. The caries excavation procedures were carried out followed by postoperative micro-CT scan. The preoperative and postoperative scans of each tooth were analyzed for caries removal effectiveness (CRE), mineral density (MD), and minimal invasiveness potential (MIP) using Avizo 9.4 software (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Germany). Statistical analysis was conducted by applying three-way analysis of variance and independent sample t-test using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software, version 20.0 (IBM Corporation, USA).

Results:

Among the three groups, the TC group had the smallest RC/IC (residual caries/initial caries) ratio, highest mean MD at the cavity floor, and highest MIP. The EX group significantly had the highest RC/IC, lowest mean MD, and lowest MIP. Both the CRE and MIP parameters of CB group were acceptable (RC/IC = 0.08, mean MD = 1.09g/cm³, and MIP = 1.09).

Conclusion:

As compared with the three excavation methods, CBs can be considered as an alternative to TC burs because of its MIP and complete removal of infected carious dentin.

Non-vital Endo Treated Tooth Bleaching with Sodium Perborate

Recently a visually pleasing smile has become a major concern for the patients; therefore, dental bleaching has gained importance due to its safety and great aesthetic results. The aim of this paper is to report a case of a non-vital, discolored, maxillary central incisor bleached by Sodium Perborate with the use of glass ionomer cement as a mechanical barrier. The patient was a 35-year-old female complaining of a discolored and unaesthetic appearance of her upper front tooth. After endodontic retreatment, the bleaching treatment was applied to the maxillary left central incisor. Following the treatment, a satisfactory aesthetic result was achieved.