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Spear Digest Dental Articles

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...

| 12 years ago
Can Bonding Broken Tooth Fragments Really Work?
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Can Bonding Broken Tooth Fragments Really Work?

A 19-year-old patient named Tim presented with a crown fracture on his two central incisors. We decided to use the broken teeth fragments he brought with...

| 12 years ago
The Five Tenets of Esthetics
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The Five Tenets of Esthetics

In the last decade of the 20th century esthetics changed dentistry, and it continues to be a powerful force today. Esthetics is a branch of philosophy...

| 12 years ago
I've Just Got to Ask Why
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I've Just Got to Ask Why

As a father, one of the most common questions I get from my two boys is 'Why?' Why this, why that, why me, why now – and the list goes on. Sometimes...

| 12 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...

| 12 years ago
Ten-point Crown Prep Checklist
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Ten-point Crown Prep Checklist

In 'The Checklist Manifesto,' Dr. Atul Gawande, suggests that your work efficiency and outcome can be improved by using a simple checklist. Dr. Gawande describes...

| 12 years ago
The Top 10 Problems With Shade Selection
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The Top 10 Problems With Shade Selection

Poor lighting, mixed materials, old shade guides ... these are just some of the top issues dentists face with shade...

| 12 years ago
Laser Dentistry: The Missing Link to Beautiful and Predictable Cosmetic Dentistry

Laser Dentistry: The Missing Link to Beautiful and Predictable Cosmetic Dentistry

Journal Review From:_J Laser Dent 2008; 16 (Spec. Issue): 36-41_ Question: Can laser surgery offer hemostatic gingivectomy treatment, precision...

| 12 years ago
Benefits and Risks
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Benefits and Risks

This maxillary right central incisor is going away. The resorption evident on the root has left it little support, and it exhibits a 3+...

| 12 years ago
Composite

Composite

Composite materials in dentistry have come of age during my career. When I was at Case Western Reserve Dental School in Cleveland we had Adaptic,...

| 12 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
The First Piece to the Puzzle in Shade Taking: The Light

The First Piece to the Puzzle in Shade Taking: The Light

In my last blog we discussed the four pieces to the shade-taking puzzle. Let's take the first piece: The light. There are two aspects to this variable...

| 12 years ago