Our case of the month for October involves composite bonding of the lower front teeth which were heavily worn and using a principle called the Dahl technique. This technique is not very well known but it is fantastic method for treating worn down teeth where there is no space to restore them. For example, when your front teeth wear down due to grinding, acid erosion, bad habits (biting pens, nails etc), there is often little space to restore the teeth using conventional fillings. In the old days, the teeth may have been cut down for invasive procedures such as crowns or veeners. The Dahl technique involves the careful restoration of the worn teeth directly or indirectly with little, if any, tooth preparation. This must be with precision so that the contact on the new restorations is in such a way that the unworn teeth can slowly re-position and make contact over time. Usually this takes 12-16 weeks to occur but what a concept! For example, just take a look at our case below:
Heavily worn down upper front teeth.
Restored front teeth using the Dahl technique.
In this case, the upper front 4 teeth were cosmetically bonded using G-aenial composite by GC directly. Initially the back teeth were unable to make contact due to the Dahl principle. However, after a 16 week period, the back teeth made contact and the occlusion (bite) is now sound. The second photograph was taken 6 months after the bonding procedure. It is important that the correct techniques and materials are used. Dr Nissit Patel has been using the Dahl technique for over 10 years with fantastic success. He uses G-aenial by GC in practice due to the superior handling, wear resistance and aesthetic properties.
If you suffer from tooth wear and would like a minimally invasive solution, please contact us.
We will have a solution! Photographs are the sole property of Dr Nissit Patel.