A Conservative Treatment to Address Functional and Esthetic Concerns Adolescents

When treating a patient with esthetic concerns, it is important to understand the patient's viewpoint about their smile, including their likes and dislikes. As is often emphasized at the Kois Center, clinicians need to know whether the patient desires the smile they used to have or the smile that they never had. The distinction is critical, and in the case presented the patient felt her smile had always appeared childlike because her teeth were particularly small. In her case, she wanted the smile she never had. The patient also expressed concerns about how her teeth fit together. Before an esthetic plan was created, a systematic diagnosis of the patient's periodontal, biomechanical, functional, and dentofacial risks with their associated prognoses was required. Once the case was diagnosed, a conservative treatment plan was created to minimize risk so the outcome would be predictable and long-lasting.