“Kim” is a 60-year-old female who came to our dental clinic for her discolored teeth that occurred from taking an antibiotic, tetracycline, when she was a child. Tetracycline is now known to cause discoloration in developing teeth so it is not used in children anymore if at all possible. Kim also had a deep overbite and tipped, crowded lower front teeth that had worn down over the years, creating a collapsed bite. Her front teeth also tipped inward towards the tongue, which creates a flat or concave look to the lips, since they are not supported properly by the teeth.
The patient also had root canal surgery on the upper left lateral incisor that left a large dark “tattoo” on her gums. Fortunately, this was not visible when she smiled.
The patient had always been self-conscious of her smile due to the discoloration of her teeth, so she was always hesitant about smiling big or laughing. She always wanted a pretty smile with whiter teeth. She was willing to embark on a major project to correct her overbite and the tipped teeth. She consented to orthodontic treatment to move her teeth, but before that was started, the teeth were built up with tooth-colored filling material. This provided a durable, but temporary, restoration of her teeth so that the orthodontist could place the braces on the correct length of teeth, instead of her short, worn down ones. This gives a superior result for patients who are using braces as part of a major mouth restoration.
Following the bonding, braces were placed on her teeth which she wore for about two years. Once her time in braces was completed, her bite was corrected with the overbite being reduced and the tipped back front teeth properly uprighted. For accuracy and precision, new impressions were taken to plan out Kim’s future smile and chewing function. A full set of temporary crowns were made from the diagnostic blueprint, and she wore these temporary crowns to “test drive” her new teeth before the final crowns were being made.
The final crowns were all made of a high strength and very esthetic ceramic material that should last for many years. Although it took longer than we originally thought to complete her treatment, Kim was incredibly happy with the result as she finally got the beautiful smile she always wanted!
Original Smile New Smile Top Row
Original Smile Top Row New Smile Bottom Row
