M. Săndulescu 1
1 PhD student, junior assistant lecturer, Department of Oral Implantology, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Medicine and Pharmacy “Carol Davila”, Bucharest
Abstract
Soft tissue management has a major infl uence on the esthetic result of a restorative dentistry treatment. Th e esthetic zone not only plays a signifi cant role in the physical appearance of a person, but it also has a subtle but defi nite infl uence on the psychology of that person. The clinical exam of a 22 year-old female revealed a chronic gingivitis around the central right incisor (tooth 1.1). Moreover, the probing depths around 1.1 were increased, and were accompanied by severe bleeding. As such, the patient was dealing with a displeasing appearance of her smile which determined her to deprive herself of the social communication instrument that laughter is. We proceeded to removal of the crown and contoured a shoulder preparation of the tooth. We gave the periodontium time to heal (10 days), as well as time for the swelling to go down. The final impression was taken only after the gingival architecture was considered to be stable (another 14 days). During the whole treatment, the patient wore a provisional crown which played a signifi cant role in the healing process of the gingival tissue. The final restoration consisted of a full ceramic crown (with ideal marginal adaptation), which provided a superior translucency and, as such, a more natural appearance of the tooth. This restorative dentistry case emphasizes the importance of marginal adaptation of a prosthetic crown for preserving the health of the marginal periodontium of the tooth, as well as the esthetic aspect.