Surface Topography, the Finishing Touch of A Restoration

Matching shade and contours of adjacent dentition takes artful skills to achieve, without the right form the restoration will look like a crown, not a natural tooth. If properly shaped with correct color matching, without a natural surface topography the restoration will be exposed as a crown as well. This journey will provide you with an understanding of how to properly assess and create different surface conditions to match natural teeth. From stippling with burs and through the use of glass materials, a surface gloss, texture, and light dynamics can be manipulated to deliver the right smile for the patient.

Objectives:

• Quantifying a tooth’s surface (topography) to duplicate
• Handling of rotary instruments to create the desired texture effect
• Choosing the right glass ceramic and/or polishing technique to create a specific surface glossiness
• Manipulation of external glass colors for proper characterization