cosmetic dentistry_ beauty & science

I 17 special _ prosthetic techniques I cosmeticdentistry 4_2011 reconstructionofasingletoothquiteeasy.Agreatdeal of information is needed in order to rebuild the shape ofatoothandtorecreateanatural,harmoniouslook.It becomes more complicated when it is necessary to re- placethewholeanteriorsegmentorthedentitioninan entire jaw. For this reason, the knowledge of the ana- tomicalfeaturesofthesingletoothisveryimportant. A further aid for determining the de- finitivewidthoftheteethisthewidthof thenosebase,whichagreesinmostcases with the width of the front teeth (Figs. 25–27). In his theory, Gerber suggests, amongst other things, that from an em- bryo-genetic view the proportion of the nosebaseandthewidthofthenoseroot canbedetermined(Figs.28–31). When it comes to determining the length of the anteriors, some clues can be derived from the age of thepatient. The lip type is of great importance here. In vertical perspective, we distinguish between a full and thin lip and/or between a long and short upper lip (Figs. 32–34). Patients with short upper lips expose more of theirteeththanpatientswithlongerupperlips.Thelips outline the space that is subdivided by the arrange- ment of the teeth, which typically determines certain aesthetic key factors. One can achieve harmony with the remaining parts of the oral region by weakening orintensifyingthevisibletoothareas. _Conclusion In this article, I have only paid attention to the upper anteriors. The main reason for this is that the upper anteriors are aesthetically much more signifi- cant than the lower anteriors. The different shapes of teeth can be observed on both the upper and lower anteriorsfromthefacial,mesialanddistalaspects. This method for achieving aesthetic harmony can besummarisedas: 1.analysisofthefacialparts,i.e.faceshapetype; 2.analysis of the dento-facial parts, i.e. lip–nose type; and 3.analysis of the intra-oral area, i.e. bite situation and remainingdentition._ Figs. 28–31_These images show just a few of the many dento-facial varieties that can be found in nature. Fig. 32_Very full lips suggest long upper anteriors. Fig. 33_The standard lip type. Fig. 34_The shallow lip type suggests relatively short anteriors. This is also due to the small distance between the nose and the upper lip. Björn Maier completed an apprenticeship as a precision mechanic in 1995 and subsequently completed an apprenticeship as a dental technician in his parent’s dental laboratory in 1999.He then worked in the US,Germany and Switzerland.From 2006 to 2007,he completed thecourseattheMasterSchoolinStuttgart,Germany, and opened up his own laboratory,Zahntechnik Björn Maier in spring 2007.He also lectures internationally. Zahntechnik Björn Maier Ludwigstr.10 89415 Lauingen Germany info@bjoern-maier.com cosmeticdentistry _about the author Fig. 32 Fig. 33 Fig. 34 Fig. 28 Fig. 29 Fig. 30 Fig. 31