A Joint Effort

This case involved both Russell and myself. The patient was unhappy with the appearance of their front teeth and wanted to treat the decay and infection that was present. They were keen to avoid the loss of any teeth if at all possible. One of the front teeth had an area of infection associated with it and required a root canal filling, which is where I came in. I treated the infection and strengthened the tooth with a direct fibre reinforced post and core. The old fillings in the other teeth were then removed along with any decay. New direct white fillings were placed (by Russell) and the teeth were built up to improve the alignment and appearance. We chose this technique over direct crowns as it is a much less destructive and cheaper approach that helps us preserve as much sound tooth tissue as possible, which is much better for the teeth in the long run. The composites will not last forever and will need replacing but so long as the underlying tooth structure is maintained the teeth will remain healthy.