When a patient has darkness in their esthetic zone, they can feel insecure and unhappy about one of their most important features – their smile.

The new Spear Study Club module from Dr. Greggory Kinzer, “Treatment Planning Dark Teeth in the Esthetic Zone,” discusses etiologies of dark teeth and the factors that influence the decision-making process for treatment.

According to an American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry survey, 99.7% of surveyed adults believe a smile is an important social asset. When asked, “What would you like to improve most about your smile?” the most common response pertained to whiter, brighter teeth.

“This is one of the common patients I end up seeing in practice,” said Dr. Kinzer, a Spear Resident Faculty member who serves as an instructor in various Spear Seminars and Workshops.

“It’s one of the driving forces that brings a lot of people into the office to seek treatment,” Dr. Kinzer said. “But it brings with it a lot of clinical challenges.”

Data from the U.S. Census and Simmons National Consumer Survey showed that 40.5 million Americans used tooth whiteners in 2018. Patients who have discoloration caused by restoration, trauma or root canal related issues may not get the results they are looking for with regular in-office or at-home whitening systems.

“My goal with this module, is to explain some of the things we need to evaluate before we even start treatment,” Dr. Kinzer added. “There’s a lot of treatment options that we can utilize, but I think some of them today may be under-utilized.”

Study club members will learn predictable, conservative methods to improve the color of the underlying substrate, like bleaching, masking and changing the post-core. Additionally, they’ll gain insights on how endodontics and tissue color play into treatment option considerations.

This module will leave club members more confident in their ability to:

  • Identify the biggest challenges when addressing dark teeth in the esthetic zone
  • Know the etiologies of dark teeth in the esthetic zone
  • Learn conservative approaches to treat dark teeth

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