Dr. Zain Rizvi

18/09/2026

A case of clear aligners and home whitening to make a big difference to this patient’s smile

The patient wanted to maintain the central diastema as a personal feature but wanted a more symmetrical and whiter smile

Excellent compliance and a detailed planning process meant that this result was achieved without any refinements

18/09/2026

This patient was after an improvement in the aesthetics of the smile. We discussed options and settled on a transitional approach with composite whilst we set up the foundations for more definitive work in future.

A lot of dentists would follow the recession and place their material at the gum line. This would result in exceptionally long teeth and also compromise the ability to graft these defects at a later date. There is also the issue of predictable bonding to root cementum vs enamel.
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Using a facially driven approach (Spear) we set our incisal edge position and worked out ideal proportions for the central incisor. The rest of the smile design followed from there. The wax up followed this design.

I was in two minds about the technique used to restore the case. I have heard, read and experienced mixed opinions on injection moulding. However, having learnt from Dr Junaid Saleem Malik & Sachin Shah on utilising the triple matrix technique - I was willing to give it a go, especially within the context of this case.
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My experience was positive - largely down to the matrix design and quality of wax up. Resulting in minimal flash and excellent optical integration.

We are now ready for the second stage of periodontal grafting and the composites will serve as a guide for where we want to aim to restore the gingival margins to

16/09/2026

This patient came in regarding the chip on the large molar. We had a discussion about amalgam fillings and the long term effects they have on teeth & we chose to make a proactive decision in onlaying the molar but replacing the existing restorations at the same time.
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The patient was aware the existing smaller amalgams were clinically sound but felt like it was time to update these for a more tooth friendly material in composite resin.

Isolation under rubber dam is highly desirable in situations where we are removal old amalgam fillings and seeking to place well bonded resin restorations. I began by removing the existing fillings and performing a uniform occlusal reduction of 1.5mm on the first molar to allow sufficient ceramic thickness.

Once the occlusal plane was level, I then removed the existing amalgam restorations on the first molar and completed a gross preparation by connecting the mesial and distal box forms to the buccal and palatal margins which I had bevelled.
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The decision to immediately dentine seal is an interesting one. I’m not averse to it if it makes the case more straightforward (the same with deep margin elevation) but I do feel that we may be running along a train of thought that misses the point of what we are trying to achieve. In this regard - I like IDS for blocking out undercuts and reducing sensitivity if it is pre-existing. But in terms of bond strengths - I don’t really believe there is an issue with the current bond strength of ceramic to tooth via resin cementation. And at the fit appointment I would be air abrading my dentine - so wouldn’t this also count as IDS when bonding my final ceramic?
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What question are we really trying to answer here?

Provisional made from Bisacryl and cemented with PolyF. The distal box form really maintains this provisional. It’s then easy enough to flick off at fit. After sandblasting my prep we are ready to bond.
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I like using Monobond etch and prime to etch and silanate my ceramic - again - not an issue as the literature is supportive of this & it hasn’t had an impact on the bond between my resin cement and ceramic. But it has simplified my workflow to no end. It is rare that it takes

10/09/2026

A walkthrough of this anterior reconstruction. How many would have XLA’d?

09/09/2026

Full mouth rehabilitation: Module 1 - Treatment Planning & Record taking
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Last weekend I had a brilliant group of 22 young dentists who learnt all about the art of case presentation, record taking and treatment planning.
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I made an effort to make the programme practical and implementable because there’s nothing worse than knowledge without action.
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Due to demand there is an overfill date next month on 3rd October. You can click the link in my bio to access this

08/09/2026

Squeaky bum time drilling through the buccal of that cement retained implant crown 😂

06/09/2026

Headline for the case was ortho-restorative using clear aligners and composite resin. But we sometimes forget about the ground work performed in order to get there (extractions, perio treatment and fillings).

26/08/2026

19/08/2026

Minimally invasive edge bonding for this young patient to restore aesthetics and function
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Careful management of anterior guidance as well as a nocturnal splint will be important in avoiding fracture. I always tell these patients that I can’t stop them grinding their teeth but I can try and design the bite to survive the forces… if I’m lucky