Tooth Wear NZ - Rebuilding Smiles with Confidence and Comfort

Acid Damage with Vitamin C

Tooth wear and enamel loss were making a smile disappear.

Treatment Timeline

  • Deprogramming to find a new stable bite.

  • Digital scanning to record tooth form

  • Digital Smile Design (DSD) to determine ideal tooth position.

  • Production of a 3D printed model with new tooth shapes and duplication in the mouth as a Mock Up for approval.

  • Rebuilding bottom teeth to increase face height with composite and porcelain restorations.

  • Minimal preparation, preserving as much natural tooth as possible, for 10 porcelain veneers and crowns on worn upper teeth.

  • Cementation of the finished result

The Damage To Teeth

These images of our patient’s existing teeth show the tooth wear and lack of display of any teeth at rest.

Step 1: Deprogramming The Bite

Tooth wear leads to an over-closed bite with shorter muscles and reduced face height. Finding a stable bite at a new height involves wearing a small removable splint for up to 3 weeks to let muscles stretch and find a stable resting point.

Step 2: 3D Digital Planning

First, we analyse the face and decide on the correct midline, smile curve and length of the teeth.

The design process is a careful planning exercise in 3D, using scans, X-rays, photos and facially driven tooth position to create harmony in the smile. These images show some of the detailed digital design we undertake to get precision, predictability and a smile that is in harmony with facial proportions and soft tissues.

Design by Digital Smile Design.

Step 3: Test Drive Your Smile

Once the design was finalised, we scheduled a Mock-Up appointment so that our patient could preview his new smile. By seeing and feeling his new smile, our patient got a glimpse of the emotional impact it would have on the rest of his life.

The transformation is instant, and our patients get to see the finished result before we start.

Before (Left) and After (Right) Mock-Up.

Step 4: Rebuilding Worn Lower Teeth

Lower teeth need to be raised in height to replace lost tooth structure. We can use a variety of materials to achieve this and can tailor our treatment plan to suit individual patient needs, where the cost of dentistry may be an issue.

Step 5: Porcelain Restorations On Upper Teeth

Beautiful ceramic restorations were crafted to restore length to 10 upper teeth. The result is stunning, and these are hard-wearing, very durable materials.

Final Results:

Before

After