Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to D M Belles.
In removable partial denture fabrication, the patient's interest usually lies in the improvement of his or her esthetic appearance. Unsightly facial clasps have always been a cosmetic problem with traditional options either expensive or technically difficult. This article describes an alternative for anterior retention that maintains excellent esthetics with a simple approach.
A technique that allows the correction of alveolar ridge defects with titanium implants and pin stabilization is described. The use of titanium pins has improved the intimacy of contact of the implant with the bone, which simplifies implant placement and enhances implant stabilization.
This investigation examined the marginal characteristics of the collarless metal ceramic restoration made with two commonly used direct-lift techniques: (1) a porcelain/wax paste and (2) a porcelain/liquid slurry. The metal copings touched the shoulder in half of the groups and were left 0.5 mm short in the other half to comprise the four experimental groups. Marginal seal was evaluated at facial and lingual surfaces on embedded and sectioned specimens for each group. Photo negatives were made of each specimen and projected at a constant magnification so that tracings could be made of the space between the die shoulder and corresponding porcelain. Composite surface measurements were made for each sample with a Zeiss Interactive Digital Analysis System instrument to evaluate porcelain adaptation to the shoulder. The porcelain/liquid groups demonstrated significantly smaller (p less than or equal to 0.05) facial marginal openings than the porcelain/wax groups. The group made with the porcelain/liquid technique with the metal on the die shoulder produced the most consistent overall results. The porcelain/liquid group with the metal off the shoulder had a statistically larger (p less than or equal to 0.05) mean marginal opening from the external margin to a point 0.75 mm to the interior than both techniques with the metal on the shoulder. Lingual marginal adaptation did not vary with each of the four experimental groups.