Two resin-bonded bridges – 30 years on

Restorative case studies with their associated therapies are commonly reported but publications of very long-term outcomes are rare.

Thirty years ago the replacement of lost upper canines was described in Dental Update¹ in detail as to planning and clinical and technical execution. These restorations are still in place and, for clinicians, encouraging lessons can be learned.

The unusual feature of this case was that much less radical tooth preparation was employed rather than conventional methods which were prevalent at the time. Departure from convention intuitively creates reservations as to success and, at that time, etched bonded restorations had a variable reputation.² It would seem likely that the latter reflected the level of clinical and technical care employed in a procedure demanding a meticulous approach in all respects.

The following text is an abridged version of the original article repeating detail which the author considers of importance. Figure 1 reproduces a figure from the 1990 publication. Figures 2 and 3 relate to a chance meeting with the patient, with the photographs taken opportunistically.