Dental students' ability to evaluate themselves in fixed prosthodontics.

Self-evaluation is an essential skill for dental professionals for lifelong learning and improvement through the course of their careers. Students taking a preclinical fixed prosthodontics course were studied. The students were asked to assign themselves a grade upon completion of their timed preparation examination (teeth preparations and provisional restorations), and these were compared with grades given by the faculty.

Evidence-based approach for treatment planning options for the extensively damaged dentition.

Restoring the extensively damaged dentition has always been a difficult decision-making process for the dental practitioner. Decisions to restore these teeth were primarily based on the fact that "fixed" teeth are typically better functionally than "removable" teeth and better esthetically than "no" teeth. Prior to dental implants, restoring missing teeth and extensively damaged teeth utilizing traditional therapy such as crown lengthening, root hemisection/amputation, endodontic therapy, apical surgery, post and cores and splinting were the options available to our patients.

Distortion of disposable plastic stock trays when used with putty vinyl polysiloxane impression materials.

Statement Of Problem: Impressions are made using high-viscosity putty vinyl polysiloxane impression materials in conjunction with disposable plastic stock trays. The impression materials have been shown to be dimensionally stable. However, it remains unclear if the disposable plastic stock trays are rigid enough to resist deformation thus yielding potentially unreliable results.

The role of all-ceramic crowns in contemporary restorative dentistry.

A large number of all-ceramic alternatives to metal-ceramic restorations are being marketed aggressively to the dental profession. Most of these all-ceramic alternatives have little or no scientific evidence to support their use. This article present guidelines for clinicians to analyze new ceramic systems and specific indications and contraindications for use.

Esthetic considerations with removable partial dentures.

The reduction in partial edentulism that has occurred due to successful preventive procedures and the predictable use of osseointegrated implants has reduced the need for removable partial dentures. However, for a variety of reasons, many patients can continue to benefit from partial denture therapy; and these patients deserve the best esthetic result possible. The primary esthetic objection to removable partial denture therapy is the unsightly display of the clasp assemblies.