Dear Reader,

Throughout our 36-year history, Brasseler USA has strived to continually provide solutions to the needs of the restorative practice by developing innovative products and providing peer-to-peer education on their proper use within a procedure. This publication contains practical educational information from three of today’s leading clinicians and is the most recent in Brasseler USA’s commitment to our guiding principles of innovation and education.

In his article, “Modern Concepts in Provisionalization,” Dr. Gregg Kinzer reminds us that the provisional in the restorative procedure is much more than a simple “placeholder” until the final restoration is seated. A well-crafted provisional serves a number of purposes, not the least of which is contributing to the building of your practice. Dr. Kinzer then takes you step-by-step through the process of creating truly excellent provisional restorations, from trimming and finishing to final polishing.

Another leading author, Dr. Robert Winter, guides you through what often proves to be a series of challenging questions: How much tooth reduction is required in veneer preparations in order to achieve the desired outcome? What considerations should be taken into account? How can the precise reduction be most readily achieved? We hope you will find Dr. Winter’s detailed, practical instructional, “Outcome-Based Preparation Design for Anterior Veneers Using Specific Depth-Cutting Burs,” very helpful in addressing these issues.

Of course, the restoration is not complete until the necessary finishing and polishing is performed. These steps can be challenging in light of recent advances in ceramic restorative materials. In his article, “Finishing and Polishing with Modern Ceramic Systems,” Dr. John Sorensen reviews data concerning the effects of material hardness and surface smoothness and wear on opposing dentition. Proper finishing and polishing of modern ceramic restorations, using the correct instrumentation, are critical, and Dr. Sorensen concludes with a review of finishing and polishing instruments designed specifically for these materials.

Our hope is that you find the content in this issue both informative and practical, and that it contributes in some positive way to both your efficiency and quality of your restorative practice.

Sincerely,

Brasseler USA