Simulation of White Enamel Discoloration in Composite Resin Veneer Restorations

Abstract

T-■» he acid-etched enamel bonding technique and the wide variety of com­ posite resin materials have revolu­ tionized restorative dentistry for anterior teeth. Fractured incisors and those with developmental color or morphologic de­ fects can be conservatively and often im­ perceptibly restored. When performed with care, such restorations can have years of use before replacement or un­ complicated repair may be required. The visible light-cured fine, superfine, and micro-particle filled composite resins, which are based on Bowen’s1 bisphenol and glycidyl methacrylate (BIS-GMA) formula filled with colloidal silica, offer the best long-term solutions for restora­ tive problems that itivolve anterior teeth (R. E. Jordan, personal communication). Simonsen2 and Jordan and others3 de­ scribe techniques for correction of facial enamel defects. They identified step-bystep procedures for preparing affected teeth and esthetically restoring facial sur­ faces to normal color and form. In some cases, it may be desirable to characterize composite resin facial veneers to simulate enamel color defects. Such treatment may be required to create a homogeneous ap­ pearance of an entire facial surface, create visual harmony among adjacent teeth, or to add small white resin areas resembling enamel hypoplasia to mimic such defects in normal enamel surfaces. This paper describes a technique that was used to modify composite resin ve­ neer restorations to resemble enamel white discoloration on two maxillary cen­ tral incisors.