A Conservative Approach to Treatment of Dental Erosion: Case Report

Abstract

Tooth surface loss is a common condition with nearly three-quarter of the population in Trinidad & Tobago exhibiting signs and about one-fifth of those persons have moderate or severe wear. These patients become difficult to treat due mainly to loss of clinical crown height and also loss of occlusal vertical dimension. This case depicts the use of a conservative approach to treating a patient with moderate tooth surface loss, as assessed via the tooth wear index, with aetiology of acid erosion. The poor appearance of the dentition was the patient’s chief presenting complaint. With the use of 3M Filtek™ Z 250 Universal Restorative Composite (St Paul, MN, USA), temporary posterior build-ups were placed to increase the patient’s Occlusal Vertical Dimension (OVD) and were subsequently replaced with metal onlays. Anterior composite veneers were placed to achieve an aesthetically pleasing result at the increased OVD. The combined use of composite and metal onlays allowed for an economical and more conservative treatment modality for dental erosion rather than full coverage posterior and anterior crowns.