Fixing margin enamel chipping - before and after
November 9, 2020
Dr. Walter Devoto, DDS

Clinical Case: Fixing Margin Enamel Chipping with Flowable Composite

An easy way to fix properly thanks to the flowable composite.

About the Case

A ten-year-old patient chipped his right central incisor while playing with the family cat. The case was treated during an emergency visit. When a child is involved, and only a small repair is needed, it is important to have a restorative delivery system that is fast, easy to use, and dispenses a controlled volume of material.

While flowable composites provide many desirable features, the materials themselves often contain air bubbles. If these bubbles go undetected, and the composite is cured, a time-consuming repair may be needed to achieve an esthetic and color stable final restoration.

In a 10-minute procedure it was possible to esthetically integrate the 3M™ Filtek™ Supreme Flowable Restorative into the patient’s natural tooth structure making this an effective and efficient treatment option.

Fractured upper-right central incisor

INITIAL SITUATION: A fracture on the upper-right central incisor is evident on this pre-operative facial view.

Palatal pre-operative

Palatal pre-operative view reveals how little tooth structure is missing and how little composite will be required for restorative procedure.

Etched tooth

Etched tooth for 15 seconds with 3M™ Scotchbond™ Universal Etchant and rinsed for 20 after cleaning with 3M™ Sof-Lex™ Extra-Thin Contouring and Polishing Disc (coarse grit).

Applied adhesive

Applied 3M™ Scotchbond™ Universal Adhesive, rubbed for 20 seconds, treated with a gentle stream of air for solvent evaporation, and light cured for 10 seconds.

Applied composite

Applied 3M™ Filtek™ Supreme Flowable Restorative directly from the needle tip delivery system to the incisal edge in need of repair.

First layer of composite

The first layer of 3M™ Filtek™ Supreme Flowable Restorative prior to light curing. Notice that the material is stable on the tooth (no running or dripping).

Coarse contouring and polishing

Cured the first layer of 3M™ Filtek™ Supreme Flowable Restorative for 10 seconds, applied the second layer, and light cured with 3M™ Elipar™ DeepCure-S LED Curing Light. Used a coarse 3M™ Sof-Lex™ Extra-Thin Contouring and Polishing Disc to create the general form of the tooth.

Recreated the original texture of the tooth

Recreated the original texture of the tooth with a slow speed coarse bur (StyleItaliano Finishing Bur Kit).

Polishing completed

Polishing completed with the 3M™ Sof-Lex™ Diamond Polishing System.

Final esthetic result

FINAL RESULTS: Final esthetic result reveals an excellent match in both color and form.

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