How to Compensate For Discolored Preps

Restorative Challenge

The female patient was previously restored with less than ideal esthetic and functional results. In pre-planning the case, Dr. Jim Fondriest, Lake Forest, IL, and I intended to use IPS e.max lithium disilicate restorations. But when the old restorations were removed, we found the canine preps to be very dark so we switched to zirconia-based restorations on teeth #6 and #11 to cover the dark color and used HT e.max for the rest of the teeth.

To maximize strength, I used a full contour design with very thin enamel layering ceramic on the facial surface only. Fortunately, the introduction of more translucent zirconia in pre-colored discs such as Zenostar Translucent has reduced the required thickness of layering ceramic for achieving an esthetic blend. This material improvement combined with the advanced CAD software available today allowed us to design full contour restorations with a uniform facial...