Reports on the ADI Team Congress 2011
Thursday 14 - Friday 15 April
Manchester Central Convention Complex
Petersfield, Manchester M2 3GX

Aesthetic dentistry today – a distinctive approach to nature
Speaker: Mr Michel Magne MDT BS – USA

Reported by Larry Browne

It was nice to welcome back Michel Magne.  His work is clearly thoughtful and researched.   He admits to a preference for minimally invasive approach to aesthetic restoration and with the development of ceramic bonding directly to tooth, much has been learned about the naturalness of thin carefully layered and coloured ceramics. As with all of these very talented technicians there is a huge appreciation of the clinical problems and the individual patient situation for each case.  

Michel outlined the difficulty of maintaining light transmission through artificial teeth in the presence of metal implants or cast metal based restorations. With implants there is little or no choice and disguising metal in the aesthetic zone is highly demanding. Combining his knowledge of porcelain bonding and light transmission we were shown examples of partial porcelain overlays or veneers used to mask the Zirconia CAD-CAM abutments. Cleverly this partial coverage technique was used to alter the base and reflective colour and produce a more natural florescence to which the subsequent final crown is bonded with composite tooth coloured cement.

We were shown demanding cases with thin Biotype light translucent gingival around a metal implant and Michel demonstrated and explained his innovative techniques for creating the illusion of nature. Recognising the shortcomings of some of our choices for tooth replacement Michel showed stunning examples of natural reproduction and completely undetectable laboratory made replacements.    

Everything was carefully planned and carried out with the patient and the clinician in close co-operation. All parties agreed on the outcome, from the beginning of the treatment. A thorough knowledge of the materials available and an appreciation of how to maximise the potential of each is clearly behind Michel’s grasp of every demanding case. That balance between natural artistic ability and hard-learned material science is evident in all of the wonderfully aesthetic cases we were privileged to see.

Michel has again shown us what a true master and craftsman he is. The subtlety of his shading and the wonderful match with nature in every case was undetectable. It is what we must all aspire to achieve for our patients.