This patient was referred for dental implants by his regular dentist in Glasgow because of an infection above an old porcelain bridge. The front two teeth were affected and the supporting root subsequently extracted. A temporary partial denture was required until healing of infected bone had occurred.
Due to the increased width of teeth being replaced and thin bone two mini dental implants were placed, as opposed to one wider diameter dental implant. The latter would ordinarily be the preferred support.
After a further three months of implants integrating with healthier bone, two implant crowns were fitted. Due to the difficulty in matching adjacent natural enamel and the colours in lower incisors, it was necessary for the patient to attend the porcelain technician/ceramist. It was agreed to ignore the opaque porcelain to the right of the final picture as this crown will soon be replaced by the patient’s referring dentist.
Dr Brendan Murphy (BDS Glasgow) 1992 GDC 67679 is clinical director at Crystal Dental Glasgow. He has been a dentist in Glasgow for more than 20 years. He is passionate about patient care and highly experienced in cosmetic dentistry. He shares the case studies on this website as examples of what is possible when faced with often tricky dental issues. It is never too late to seek help even for long term dental problems.