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Contemporary Esthetic Dentistry
This nearly 800 page book is a terrific collection of comprehensively referenced work by Dr George Freedman who has taken contributions from over 50 very experienced names in the world of Esthetic Dentistry.
It is beautifully illustrated and this quality is consistent throughout pretty much all of the book.
What I especially liked is that virtually every aspect of clinical dentistry has been touched on with an aesthetic slant or view. Each chapter, although written by many different names, still possesses a thread of the headlines that run through the book, namely: Relevance to Esthetic Dentistry, Clinical Considerations, Material Options, Artistic Elements, Evidence Base, Controversies and Future Developments. This thought process has been applied to 34 different chapters ranging from: Caries Management, Adhesion, Anterior and Posterior Composites, Photography, Bleaching, Direct Veneers, Porcelain Veneers, Denture Esthetics, even to Sterilization and Disinfection.
Dr Freedman candidly admits that dentistry moves on rapidly in the time it takes to put the book together and new developments can change treatment options and trends quickly, but this is also a ‘live’ book which is constantly being added to online.
I felt that Orthodontics could have been represented in more detail, even if the book was put together 2–3 years ago. And some elements on the psychology behind smile design and patients' expectations in different parts of the world might have been quite interesting too. I would also like to see something on Progressive Smile Design. But I am nit-picking here because this is a vast piece of work and Dr Freedman should be commended for putting together something as comprehensive as this.
Stand out chapters for me were William Mopper and Sunil Bhoolabhai on Anterior Composites and one of Dr Freedman's own chapters on Ultraconservative Dentistry, which I thought was excellent.
Don't expect to plough through this book on a trip or holiday. It is a reference book and will be particularly useful sitting in your practice and much of it will be relevant for many years to come. I consider it a good buy for any dentist interested in carrying out his/her dentistry aesthetically and we all know that ought to apply to every dentist.