Prosthetic solutions to biological deficiencies: Pink and white aesthetics

Abstract

The digital information age has made knowledge plentiful. With just a "click" of a mouse, our patients can take an active role in their own dental health. How wonderful it would be if knowledge were the only requirement needed. Proper processing of newly learned knowledge is needed to form an action plan or the knowledge helps with nothing. Keeping up with the latest products in the dental field is a full-time job in and of itself. These different options change the demands of our patients, making our job of knowing, with a certain accuracy, all of the products as well as the options and possible implications of the dental care that we choose for that particular patient. Since the mere action of telling a patient what is needed in their particular case is not just "selling" a product, but we are actually asking them to invest in our expertise in the procedure. So we owe it to our patients to know which product is the best for their particular case but also how that product works, what is the preparation design needed for that product and what are the limitations of it. Knowing all of this is necessary to know what is needed to get the best possible result and make for a happy patient and doctor and technician. A treatment plan is anything said prior to doing the treatment. Once the treatment has been completed, everything which is then said, is an excuse. If a dental professional offers a patient a treatment option and does not know how the product will react in that patient's particular scenario, a disservice is done to all involved.