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Spear Digest Dental Articles

Photos Are Great for Diagnosis, But Don't Get Faked Out
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Photos Are Great for Diagnosis, But Don't Get Faked Out

I rely heavily on photography to help me get to a correct diagnosis and to enable my ability to treatment plan. I like to look at a photo with lips in...

| 9 years ago
Measure Twice, Cut Once
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Measure Twice, Cut Once

I've done some dumb things over the years. I've even made an upper partial denture that didn't have room for teeth because the lower teeth had erupted...

| 10 years ago
Closing 'Black Triangles'
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Closing 'Black Triangles'

Closing black triangles is a common request among esthetically aware patients. This particular patient wanted porcelain veneers to cover the mottled...

| 10 years ago
Easy Mock-Up for Esthetic Evaluation
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Easy Mock-Up for Esthetic Evaluation

A walk-through of how to make a simple mock-up when evaluating a dental patient for esthetic treatment.

| 10 years ago
Why the Recession on 11?
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Why the Recession on 11?

This patient is concerned about the dark line at the cervical of #11 (above). I am usually very kind to tissue when I use retraction cord and...

| 10 years ago
Black Bugs Under Margins?
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Black Bugs Under Margins?

I received this image the other day with a question about what causes the black line under veneer provisionals. There are obviously tissue issues...

| 10 years ago
The Value of Stick Bites
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The Value of Stick Bites

The stick 'bite' is a quick and easy reference for your ceramist. It's not really a bite registration; rather, it is a useful tool for...

| 11 years ago
The Trouble With Gingival Position

The Trouble With Gingival Position

One of the foundations of an esthetic restoration is gingival position. It is always better to have that discussion with patients before we...

| 11 years ago
Four Easy Steps to Midline Inclination

Four Easy Steps to Midline Inclination

Midline inclination isn't only noticed by dental professionals, anybody can notice an imperfect inclination even if it's as little as one millimeter...

| 11 years ago
Lip Service: How to Evaluate a Crooked Smile

Lip Service: How to Evaluate a Crooked Smile

A person's smile is a work of art. Think about it, the lips function as the frame and the teeth are the picture. As with actual pieces of art, we look...

| 11 years ago
Is The Bite Right? Part II

Is The Bite Right? Part II

This is the second of a two-part series discussing the philosophy of occlusion. Read part I, Is The Bite Right?. The crucial question of occlusion...

| 11 years ago
What’s the Best Course?
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What’s the Best Course?

This 50-year-old woman presented with hopeless teeth from the upper right central through the upper left second molar. Her one remaining molar on...

| 12 years ago