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J Am Dent Assoc, Vol 137, No 2, 160-169. © 2006 American Dental Association

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Background. Dental esthetics has become a popular topic among all disciplines in dentistry. When a makeover is planned for the esthetic appearance of a patient’s teeth, the clinician must have a logical diagnostic approach that results in the appropriate treatment plan. With some patients, the restorative dentist cannot accomplish the correction alone but may require the assistance of other dental disciplines.

Approach. This article describes an interdisciplinary approach to the diagnosis and management of anterior dental esthetics. The authors practice different disciplines in dentistry: restorative care, orthodontics and periodontics. However, for more than 20 years, this team has participated in an interdisciplinary dental study group that focuses on a wide variety of dental problems. One such area has been the analysis of anterior dental esthetic problems requiring interdisciplinary correction. This article will describe a unique approach to interdisciplinary dental diagnosis, beginning with esthetics but encompassing structure, function and biology to achieve an optimal result.

Clinical Implications. If a clinician uses an esthetically based approach to the diagnosis of anterior dental problems, then the outcome of the esthetic treatment plan will be enhanced without sacrificing the structural, functional and biological aspects of the patient’s dentition.

Key Words: Interdisciplinary dentistry; anterior dental esthetics; crown length; anterior tooth wear; gingival levels; crown lengthening; orthodontic intrusion; width-to-length ratio; resting lip level; diagnostic wax-up

This article has been cited by other articles:

				G. R. Samorodnitzky-Naveh, S. B. Geiger, and L. Levin Patients' satisfaction with dental esthetics J Am Dent Assoc, June 1, 2007; 138(6): 805 - 808. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. F. Fabel ANTERIOR DENTAL ESTHETICS J Am Dent Assoc, May 1, 2006; 137(5): 584 - 584. [Full Text] [PDF]