A question of space: options for the restorative management of worn teeth

How long does it take for the occlusion to re-establish following the placement of restorations at an increased occlusal vertical dimension? A literature review

Purpose This literature review aimed to investigate predictability of re-establishment of the occlusion following placement of restorations at an increased OVD, duration and to assess the quality of the available evidence.Methods An electronic search of articles using MEDLINE (1946-01/2019), EMBASE (1974-01/2019) and the Cochrane databases was undertaken. Search terms included dental restoration, vertical dimension and time. Studies involving placement of restorations at an increased OVD and recorded the time taken for the occlusion to re-establish were included. Eligibility assessments were carried out independently by two reviewers who also undertook independent extraction of predefined data fields, including study quality indicators.Results The search provided 61 results with 11 being relevant. A further 5 papers were identified for full text analysis. 4 papers used similar data from previous studies and 3 were excluded after full text assessment.. A final total of 9 papers were included in the review. It was indicated that the technique of placing restorations at an increased OVD appears to be clinically predictable in terms of re-establishment of occlusion and appears to occur most rapidly in younger patients.Conclusions The time taken for the occlusion to re-establish was between 15 days to 24 months. However, there is a need for prospective studies to evaluate the process in terms of success, predictive variables and specifically how long the process takes and this information would be helpful for both clinicians and patients, so that they know what to expect before embarking on a treatment.

Contemporary management of generalized erosive tooth surface loss

Management of generalized erosive tooth surface loss can be challenging. Careful pre-operative assessment of the patient and treatment planning is essential. The aim of any treatment provided is to prevent further tooth surface loss, restore aesthetics and function, and provide a stable occlusal relationship. Whilst attempting to fulfil these goals, it is important to protect the remaining tooth structure by using restorations which are conservative and do not cause further damage to teeth which are already compromised. This paper aims to describe a conservative approach to restoring patients with generalized tooth surface loss.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

To highlight conservative treatment options available for the management of generalized erosive tooth surface loss and show how they contrast with other destructive irreversible conventional techniques.

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Severe tooth wear is discussed from the perspective of appreciating the aetiologic background of the problem. A multifactorial basis is acknowledged for the extensively worn dentition and efforts to eliminate or minimize these underlying factors are important. The management of a case of severe incisal and occlusal wear can adopt different approaches. The author proposes the rationale and advantages for involving orthodontic preparation as part of the occlusal rehabilitation.

Crowns and extra-coronal restorations: considerations when planning treatment

Considerations when planning treatment is the third in the series of crowns and other extra-coronal restorations. Articles or chapters on treatment planning in restorative dentistry can make pretty dry reading, often built around a list of factors that might influence your decision-making. In truth though, planning and placing crowns or other extra-coronal restorations cannot be distilled into a series of lists. The decision-making involved requires experience, subtle understanding and a flexible approach, none of which come easily.