It isn’t unusual for clinicians to regularly see patients who have clinical failures or complications related to poor occlusion. Complications can cause pain, compromise masticatory function and affect patients’ phonetics and appearance.

Shade matching is subjective and influenced by many different factors. An inaccurate shade is a common cause of remakes, as even the slightest difference between an actual shade and its perceived color makes a huge difference in the mouth and is unacceptable to the patient and clinician. Being aware of issues that can affect your perception of color, and knowing how to reduce their influence, allows you to take more accurate shades.

There is nothing quite like the satisfaction of seating a case successfully without the need for time-consuming adjustments. Conversely, it can be very frustrating for the clinician and the patient when things don’t go smoothly. Perhaps a restoration fails to seat correctly or needs such significant adjustments that it must be returned to the lab for refinishing or entirely remaking. Poor impressions and incorrect shades are two of the most common failures resulting in remakes and adjustments, and there are many others.

The introduction of stronger and more durable ceramics over the past few years has greatly increased the clinician’s choice of materials when fabricating an all-ceramic three unit bridge. The latest generation of zirconia is suitable for three unit bridges and can restore teeth anywhere in the mouth, and IPS e.max is suitable for anterior teeth.