Saturday, March 10, 2012

Fractured central incisors

I've noticed that the majority of patients coming to me with an emergency are usually either in pain, or have fractured a tooth. Specifically a front tooth. The case below is something that I see quite often. 

This young lady was having a drink at a bar, and the beer bottle was knocked into her right central incisor, tooth #8. She wasn't in any pain, but was really self-conscious about her appearance. I noticed and asked her about her left central incisor, tooth #9, which had a chip as well. She stated that it's been there for as long as she could remember. After taking a radiograph to make sure the root of tooth #8 was unaffected, I got to work.


I selected a shade that would match her own teeth. Local anesthesia was not necessary, as the fracture didn't appear to be close to the nerve inside the tooth, and there was minimal preparation needed prior to restoring it. I evaluated the size and shape of her teeth, and placed a composite restoration on #8. The chip on #9 was restored with composite as well in order to achieve a more symmetrical smile and in turn, enhancing aesthetics.


She seemed very happy with the final result, which made my day!