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Spear Digest Dental Articles

TADs to the Rescue!

TADs to the Rescue!

This is a patient who after several years of procrastinating has decided to move forward with treatment. The deciding factor for her was recurrent decay...

| 8 years ago
Why Gingivectomies Fail

Why Gingivectomies Fail

At one time or another, we all want or need to move gingival tissues. While our patients may need us to do that in order to reach their goals, it is a...

| 8 years ago
Removing Ceramic Veneers With a Laser: Part 1

Removing Ceramic Veneers With a Laser: Part 1

One of the more difficult things that we often encounter as restorative dentists is removing ceramic veneer restorations.  The goal is to remove the veneer...

| 8 years ago
Getting The “Sharpness” Right on Your Restorations
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Getting The “Sharpness” Right on Your Restorations

Have you ever had a patient say they have a hard time chewing, yet their teeth are clearly making contact? Maybe they even said their teeth are not 'sharp'...

| 9 years ago
Don’t Dismiss the Value of a Fractured Root
1

Don’t Dismiss the Value of a Fractured Root

Your 60-year-old patient has a long-standing bridge and she notifies you that the bridge is loose. When she comes in to the office you find one of the...

| 9 years ago
Treatment Decisions: To Remove or To Retain?

Treatment Decisions: To Remove or To Retain?

Imagine if this was your patient and he was presenting to your office for a second opinion on treatment. What would you?  This 18-year-old patient presents...

| 9 years ago
CAD/CAM and Planning
1

CAD/CAM and Planning

I am not a dentist who chooses to use an in-office milling system. It just doesn't make sense for my small practice and low volume of patients. Yet, I...

| 9 years ago
You Only Treat What You See...
1

You Only Treat What You See...

Consider this patient who did exactly what her dentist suggested; she cracked her lower left second molar and it split in half and had to be extracted....

| 9 years ago
Trauma 101
1

Trauma 101

In my practice, it is a fairly routine event to have a young child present secondary to a traumatic injury to upper or lower anterior teeth. Many of these...

| 9 years ago
The Impact From the Hygiene Operatory on Composite Restorations: Part I

The Impact From the Hygiene Operatory on Composite Restorations: Part I

Before and after a composite restoration. As clinicians, we spend a considerable amount of time placing composite restorations that strive to re-create...

| 9 years ago
The Occlusal Plane Guide
1

The Occlusal Plane Guide

When communicating the desired tooth position to the dental technician for a diagnostic wax-up, the more accurate and detailed the information provided...

| 9 years ago
Anterior Open Bites: Part IX

Anterior Open Bites: Part IX

The easiest open bite to correct is one that was caused by tooth wear from erosion, not attrition or grinding, and where the anterior tooth position didn't...

| 9 years ago