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ePaper created 2018-02-16, 10:54:19 | version 1.38.0
| technique naturomimetic layering Cosmetic enamel restoration using naturomimetic layering technique—Part I Author: Dr Sushil Koirala, Nepal Introduction A human face takes priority when de termining physical attractiveness.1 If we group the facial compo nents accord ing to their influence on appearance, t h e m o u t h takes prece dence over the others. Smiling is one of the most important facial ex pressions and is essential in expressing friendliness, agreement and appreciation.2 A smile develops when a person senses happiness, pleasure or humour.3 Whatever may be the emotion, a smile plays an important role in so ciety, and for a variety of psychological reasons makes both giver and receiver feel good.4 The face, gums (gingival complex), teeth (dentition) and emotion are the four basic components of a smile. A smile requires coordination of these four compo nents with voluntary or involuntary stimulation by various emotions; hence it is evident that every smile is different and denotes a sense of individuality.5 The upper and lower lip frame displays the zone of a smile, which can be linked to the frame of a painting. Within this frame, the gums act as the canvas and the teeth become the major substance of the smile painting. As the lips separate during speech or a smile, an image of the person is revealed, which may indicate youth or age, harmony or disharmony, and beauty or a compromised aesthetic appearance. Healthy and wellaligned teeth have been shown to have a positive effect on an individual’s confidence and psychosocial wellbeing.6 Among the four com ponents of a smile, it has been found clinically that even minor defects or disharmony in alignment, brightness or contour of anterior dental compo nents can negatively affect the overall smile aes thetic. This paper focuses on the role of the dental hard tissues, especially the enamel in smile aesthet ics, and presents minimally invasive technique to rejuvenate the compromised enamel at minimal biological cost. Understanding dental enamel Enamel is one of the most important structures of the tooth, both from a functional and aesthetic point of view. It is a uniquely organised nanostruc tured material, which forms the outermost covering of teeth.7 It is composed of crystalline calcium phos phate, which is 96 per cent mineral with the remain ing 4 per cent consisting of organic components and water. The organic content consists of breakdown Fig. 1: Attrition. Fig. 2: Abrasion. Fig. 1 Fig. 2 14 cosmeticdentistry 1 2017