An unpleasant smile can have a psychosocial effect leading to lack of self-esteem and a challenge in social relations. A perfect smile is a balance among 3 parameters: the white (teeth), the pink (gum) and the lips. A predictable smile correction warrants a multidisciplinary approach and good treatment planning. We planned for a minimally invasive interdisciplinary treatment approach for the restoration of a gummy smile with dental fluorosis in a young female patient. An interdisciplinary management of smile correction is crucial for successful results. Lasers for soft tissue management and minimal tooth preparation for direct composite veneer restorations being minimally invasive periodontal and restorative approaches were the key to success with exceptional patient satisfaction. Minimally invasive procedures in interdisciplinary dentistry should be embraced in the management of procedures requiring correction of both hard and soft tissues, for successful outcomes. Pre-treatment mock-up can build patients' confidence in dentistry and are useful tools for planning treatments with a predictable outcome. A beautiful smile is the fruit of a coordinated and balanced interplay between teeth, gingiva and lips. A compromise in any of these cornerstones can impair the beauty of a smile. Thorough knowledge and understanding about the various elements involved and their harmonious synchronisation makes smile makeovers a challenging task. One such challenge is the treatment of gummy smile. A gummy smile is a clinical condition that has gained tremendous focus and attention recently. Gummy smile is the excessive gingival display when a person smiles. It has been defined as a nonpathological condition causing aesthetic disharmony in which more than 3 mm of gingival tissue is exposed while smiling.1 Aetiology of a gummy smile can be multifactorial and the main factors being altered passive eruption (APE), vertical maxillary excess and upper lip hypermobility. The diagnosis must be accurate to deliver the appropriate line of treatment. Based on the complexity of the underlying aetiological factors involved, the treatment modalities also change from conservative approaches like aesthetic restorations and orthodontic tooth movements to periodontal and maxillofacial surgical procedures.2 Altered passive eruption (APE) also knows as “impaired passive eruption” is a clinical condition characterised by the coronally positioned marginal gingiva in relation to the cementoenamel junction (CEJ). Passive eruption is a physiological phase involved in the process of tooth eruption. As the teeth meet the occlusal plane, the soft tissue covering the teeth migrates apically till the CEJ is reached. Retardation in this process causes failure of the gingiva to migrate apically, resulting in short clinical crowns and excessive soft tissue exposure while smiling. This is visualised as a gummy smile.
Dental caries is an irreversible, microbial disease of the tooth which is characterized by demineralisation and dissolution of the hard tissues. Conventional methods such as visual and tactile examination, radiography, laser or light induced fluorescence methods help in the diagnosis of dental caries, though they lack sensitivity. Being an irreversible process, it is important to detect the caries process in its incipient stages. Very recently, intraoral scanners have also found their way through to the detection and diagnosis of dental caries, particularly, the incipient lesions. Use of advanced technology for the detection of dental caries in its incipient stages has enabled a change in the paradigm to minimally invasive dentistry which focuses more on a preventive approach to caries management. This review paper attempts to summarize the available literature on the role of intraoral scanners in caries diagnosis by performing a online search on PubMed, Embase, SCOPUS and MEDLINE databases. Only full text studies authored in English and published in peer reviewed journals between 2010 and 2022 were included in the research. Keywords and terms from both review articles and original research papers were taken. A total of 36 papers were reviewed including full texts and abstracts.
Anomaly like central cusp is accessory cusp which is similar to Dens Evaginatus (DE) in premolars. Such accessory occlusal/central cusps are rarely being reported in mandibular molars. The presence of these structures can be a cause of concern when they interfere with occlusion, get fractured or pulp is exposed. This report presents an unusual case of 21-year-old male patient with bilateral accessory cusp in permanent mandibular second molars, the left with Occlusal central cusp (7-cusp anatomy) and the right with a prominent expression of tuberculum sextum (5-cusp anatomy). The patient reported with sensitivity on lower left second molar. Radiograph did not reveal any pulpal extension in both the teeth. Buccal caries on left second molar was restored with composite resin and the accessory cusp was incrementally grinded. The patient reported on follow-up visit after 6 months and was asymptomatic. Early identification of supernumery occlusal central cusp and proper treatment can avoid pulpal complications.
A 25-year-old male reported to the Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics with a chief complaint of pain and swelling in the lower right canine region since three days. Patient reported history of trauma due to self-fall one year back. The tooth was associated with pain and tenderness when chewing food and increased on thermal changes. Intraoral examination revealed an obliteration of vestibule on the right mandibular canine region and tenderness on percussion. Pulp vitality with electric and thermal test elicited no response. Intraoral periapical radiograph revealed diffuse periapical radiolucency and in the pulp chamber space a radiopacity was evident, indicating calcification. Pulp stones are calcification formed in pulp chamber and sometimes extending to the root canal part. Radiographically, they are easily identified and they appear as radiopaque mass in the pulp space. Normally, pulp stones are found in isolated tooth and rarely all or many teeth are associated with the presence of pulp stones. The present case describes the removal of an 8 mm long pulp stone in a single mass from a mandibular canine in a patient with generalised occurrence of pulp stones. Pulp stones are discrete calcifications formed in the pulp chamber or the root canals and may exist freely within pulp tissue or may be attached to or embedded in dentin. 1 They are also called denticles and vary in size. The presence of pulp stones is frequently noticed on a routine bitewing or periapical radiograph. Pulp stones are a common occurrence. A study on Australian population found the prevalence of 46.1% in young adults. Occurrences were rare in premolars (0.4%), but significantly higher in molars (19.7%). 2
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