Treating the Worn Dentition Course

Category: Restoration

Instructor(s): Frank Spear, Gregg Kinzer, Jeff Rouse

Course structure: Lessons: 15 modules: 39 lessons | Duration: 20 h 36 m

Course overview

Gain a 360-degree understanding of one of dentistry’s most challenging conditions with Comprehensive Management of Tooth Wear: From Diagnosis to Restoration from SPEAR Education.
This in-depth, 15-module course takes you through the full clinical journey—from identifying wear patterns and understanding etiologies to planning esthetic and functional restorations, managing occlusion, selecting materials, and handling high-risk or interdisciplinary cases. Perfect for dentists seeking clarity, confidence, and predictability in treating worn dentition. This course offers essential insights into treating tooth wear, providing tools and strategies to deliver beautiful, functional, and long-lasting results for your patients.

Curriculum

Module 1: Etiologies of Tooth Wear

• This module delves into the causes and patterns of tooth wear. Learn how to diagnose and identify the various etiologies, including erosion, corrosion, and unusual wear patterns.
• Lesson 1: Diagnosis and Research of Wear
• Lesson 2: Etiologies of Wear
• Lesson 3: Erosion and Corrosion
• Lesson 4: Unusual Patterns of Wear
• Lesson 5: Wear Patterns in Diagnosis

Module 2: Understanding the Etiologies of Tooth Wear

• This module further explores the underlying causes of tooth wear, providing a deeper understanding to inform your treatment approach.
• Lesson 1: Understanding the Etiologies of Tooth Wear

Module 3: Changes that Occur with Wear

• Explore how wear affects tooth structure over time and how these changes influence treatment planning.
• Lesson 1: Eruption, Wear, and Changes Caused by Wear

Module 4: Esthetic and Functional Treatment Planning for Wear Patients

• Learn how to integrate esthetics and function when planning for patients with severe wear. Discover how to use systems like the EFSB to enhance treatment planning.
• Lesson 1: Airway Considerations when Treatment Planning Patients with Severe Wear
• Lesson 2: Integrating Esthetics and Function in Wear Patients
• Lesson 3: Using the EFSB System to Treatment Plan Wear Patients
• Lesson 4: Transferring Esthetic and Functional Information with Models

Module 5: Vertical Dimension and Wear

• This module covers the importance of vertical dimension when treating wear patients, including how to assess and determine the proper vertical dimension.
• Lesson 1: Vertical Dimension Considerations
• Lesson 2: Determining Vertical Dimension

Module 6: Structural Considerations and Wear

• Examine the challenges of restoring endodontically treated teeth in wear patients, with a focus on materials, techniques, and the ferrule effect.
• Lesson 1: Restoration of Endodontically Treated Teeth – Materials and Techniques
• Lesson 2: Restoration of Endodontically Treated Teeth – Ferrule

Module 7: Interdisciplinary Management of Wear

• Learn how to incorporate interdisciplinary strategies when managing wear patients, including treatment options for complex cases.
• Lesson 1: Interdisciplinary Treatment Planning of Wear Patients
• Lesson 2: Interdisciplinary Wear Management – No Overbite No Overjet
• Lesson 3: Interdisciplinary Wear Management – Intrude, Crown Lengthen, or Both
• Lesson 4: Interdisciplinary Management of Wear

Module 8: Occlusal Guidance in Wear Patients

• This module provides insight into occlusal guidance and the distribution of occlusal forces in patients with wear.
• Lesson 1: Understanding Occlusal Guidance
• Lesson 2: Occlusal Force Distribution

Module 9: Occlusal Pathways and Wear

• Study the impact of occlusal pathways on wear patterns and how to manage failures caused by pathway wear.
• Lesson 1: Pathway Wear
• Lesson 2: Managing Failures Due to Pathway Wear

Module 10: Designing Occlusion for Wear Patients

• Learn how to design occlusion for wear patients by considering different wear patterns, including CR and pathway movements, and end-to-end wear.
• Lesson 1: Occlusal Design with Wear in CR and Pathway Movements
• Lesson 2: Occlusal Design with Wear through Pathway and onto End-to-End
• Lesson 3: Occlusal Design with End-to-End and Crossover Wear
• Lesson 4: Trial Therapy and Evaluation when Attrition is Present
• Lesson 5: Restoring Maxillary Anterior Teeth in a Patient with Broad Patterns of Wear

Module 11: Anterior Material Selection for Wear Patients

• This module guides you in selecting the appropriate materials for anterior restorations in wear patients, focusing on strength, esthetics, and the pros and cons of different options.
• Lesson 1: Composite as Trial Therapy in Wear Cases
• Lesson 2: Laminated vs. Monolithic Restorations when Wear is Present
• Lesson 3: Strength vs. Esthetics in Indirect Restorations

Module 12: Posterior Material Selection for Wear Patients

• Explore the materials and techniques used for posterior restorations in wear patients, including esthetic and indirect ceramic options.
• Lesson 1: Posterior Esthetic Restoration Design
• Lesson 2: Posterior Indirect Ceramic Restorations
• Lesson 3: Posterior Chairside CAD CAM and Lab Composites

Module 13: Appliance Choices for Wear Patients

• Learn about appliance options for wear patients, focusing on selecting the right appliances to manage wear.
• Lesson 1: Appliance Selection in Wear Cases

Module 14: Implant Considerations in Wear Patients

• Understand the role of implants in wear patients, including when implants must provide anterior guidance and considerations for splinting and cementing.
• Lesson 1: Implants and Attrition
• Lesson 2: When Implants MUST Provide Anterior Guidance
• Lesson 3: Number of Implants, Splinting Screw vs. Cement

Module 15: Managing High-Risk Patients

• This final module focuses on managing wear in high-risk patients, including how to approach implants in the highest risk cases.
• Lesson 1: Implants in the Highest Risk Wear Patients