Introduction
Periodontal disease, also known as gum disease is a very common disease inflicting 50 % of all adults. This disease has an insidious onset and often it is discovered when it is already too late to save the associated tooth or teeth.
Early signs of Periodontal disease include, redness around the gum margin of the teeth, bleeding upon brushing teeth and bad breath or halitosis. Periodontal disease can be easily prevented if seen early as the cause may be identified and active as well as preventive measures can be implemented. This disease is very much a preventable as well as curable, if it is identified early.
Periodontal disease can cause many untoward direct affects such as mobility of teeth, splaying of once perfectly aligned teeth and the ultimate loss of attachment and subsequent exfoliation of these teeth.
Case Report A sixty one year old man came to visit our clinic complaining of pain and mobility of the front upper teeth. Most importantly, he was not happy with the positioning of his upper teeth as he was embarrassed by its appearance. We found that the upper front teeth were malpositioned , and slightly mobile. There were deep pocketing and inflammation around these teeth.
Figure1: Initial condition of the patient after deep scaling
It was diagnosed that this patient was suffering from chronic adult periodontitis. Deep scaling was done on affected teeth and antibiotic therapy, as well as chlorhexidine mouthwash and strict oral hygiene regiment were implemented.
Three months later the deep pocketing stabilized and there was no more bleeding upon light probing of the gum margin of the affected teeth. However the displacement of teeth due to the past disease was still present and the patient was still complaining of its unsightly looks. At this juncture , two possibilities were explored. The first would be to use orthodontics as an adjunct to the successful outcome of the rehabilitation of the patient. However considering the patient's age and the relatively longer treatment time, it was deemed that this treatment would be impractical for him.
Figure 2: Zircon crowns prior to fitting
It was decided then, since he has improved his oral hygiene considerably and had no major medical problems, Zircon crowns would be a practical solution for his situation.
Figure 3: final insertion of the crown
Eight Zircon crowns were constructed using CAD CAM manufacturing method and inserted for the patient. The outcome, was pleasing and the patient was more motivated now to keep the result by maintaining his oral hygiene. The results are by no means complete as the other posterior teeth are still slightly discolored. Once we are satisfied that his gum problems has stabilized ; He will undergo whitening therapy for the rest of his other teeth to complete the oral rehabilitation therapy.
The Advantages of Zircon Crowns
The crowns are CAD CAM manufactured, therefore the margins are more accurate then conventionally made crowns. This means that the margin will not accumulate as much plaque and recurrence of periodontal disease can be controlled better. Zirconium margin is most biocompatible , therefore gingival tissue is more likely to grow towards them than conventional crown margins . Zirconium also looks better than normal crowns as there are no metal hues reflecting from the gingiva thus giving it a more natural appearance.
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