Mr H first came to Elmsleigh House to share his concerns about the appearance of his remaining teeth and poor fit of existing upper and lower dentures. His wife didn't like the way they stuck out, although he said this made his grandchildren laugh!
At his appointment with Cathleen Perrin, Mr H was very clear about what he wanted to achieve, and brought a list of questions to make sure he was clear about his options. This was very helpful from a planning point of view.
His main concerns were that his current dentures no longer fitted, and that he didn't like their appearance or that of his own worn teeth. His three requirements were that the treatment stayed within budget; would improve the look and function of his teeth; and would need minimal maintenance.
Cathleen Perrin discussed improving the appearance of his remaining teeth with composite bonding, and asked Mr H to meet Professor Bill Sharpling, Clinical Dental Technician at Elmsleigh House, for a denture consultation to determine his options.
Bill found Mr H's existing dentures to be worn, which was causing his face to appear collapsed and affected his bite. Bill went through all options, including altering the existing dentures, new dentures to improve appearance as well as function, two implants to stabilise the lower denture or four implants to support a bridge.
As Mr H was uncertain which option to choose, models of his mouth were made so that Bill could show Mr H different solutions, discuss further options with Cathleen Perrin and the implant team at Elmsleigh House, and think about the preliminary design of new dentures.
Both Bill and Cathleen were keen to save Mr H's existing teeth and add tooth-coloured (composite) bonding, rather than removing them and placing dental implants or cutting them down for crowns. The treatment plan was developed to open Mr H's bite with new dentures, which would improve the look of his denture teeth and also allow room to repair his worn natural teeth with less chance of them chipping and breaking, which happened in the past. Both Bill and Cathleen knew that this was a big investment in terms of cost and Mr H's time, and wanted the very best result. Bill 'mocked up' solutions on the model of Mr H's mouth, which really helped Mr H decide to go ahead with new dentures and composite bonding to his teeth.
First Bill made 'try in' upper dentures to show Mr H how the shape, colour and position of his front teeth could be improved, as well as his facial shape. He also did a 'mock up' of cosmetic bonding to his lower teeth to show how this would look. Mr H was able to see what the finished result would be like, and was happy for his new dentures to be made.
The finished dentures were fitted, which improved Mr H's bite and appearance, fulfilling his wishes. Old discoloured fillings were removed and new tooth-coloured material was added to the upper and lower teeth, which was shaped and polished, resulting in the final 'wow' to Mr H's improved appearance!
Mr H was instructed how to care and maintain his new teeth, and ongoing monitoring is carried out as part of Mr H's dental care at Elmsleigh House.
Mr H was an excellent patient who knew what he wanted to achieve and thought well about the options. Bill, Cathleen and Mr H worked well together to achieve an excellent result and the patient is delighted!
