Black stain - a review

The purpose of this review was to summarise the fundamentals about black stain, its diagnosis and possible differential diagnoses as well as its microbiology and therapy. In addition, various studies investigating the relationship between black stain and dental caries are examined. Many studies report lower caries prevalence in children with black stain, but this finding could not be confirmed by all authors. Also, a negative relation between degree of staining and caries severity has been described. Reasons for these results are not yet clear but it was speculated that they are related to the specific oral microflora described in black stain-affected individuals

Cerec reconstruction of a hemisected mandibular molar: method and case report

Hemisection of mandibular molars is a viable method of preserving periodontally or endodontically compromised teeth or roots. This paper describes a simple chairside CAD/CAM method of fabricating a cantilever crown for a hemisected molar. The technique is illustrated by a clinical case, which was treated according to this protocol and was followed-up over 2.5 years. Given careful patient selection and strict recall intervals, the introduced method represents a conservative and cost-effective treatment modality for high-quality ceramic reconstructions of root-resected teeth. In addition, other treatment options such as implantation or prosthesis, which would represent therapeutic and prosthetic endpoints, can be postponed

Current status and perspectives of mucogingival soft tissue measurement methods

The morphologic and metric assessment of mucogingival soft tissue dimensions is of great multidisciplinary clinical and academic interest, in order to quantify and monitor gingival changes while in treatment, e.g., during periodontal, restorative, prosthetic, orthodontic, or implant therapy. Pink esthetics play an increasingly important role in the overall treatment success, and therefore have to be monitored throughout therapy. The purpose of this article was to identify and summarize methods, which aim at quantifying gingival dimensions in terms of morphology, thickness, and volume, with respect to their accuracy and practicability. The introduced measurement methods should further facilitate personalized treatment planning and monitoring. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Mucogingival esthetics play an increasingly important role whenever treatment results are evaluated. Several qualitative and (semi)quantitative methods for measuring soft tissue dimensions are available. New methods like CAD/CAM (computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing) technologies are emerging and allow practitioners to reliably monitor their patient's soft tissues throughout therapy. Future improvements may help to develop better treatment strategies in terms of optimized preservation and creation of gingival morphology, especially in the esthetic zone