The dental technician as a member of the hypodontia multidisciplinary team, with practical considerations for anterior restoration design

Most patients seeking treatment for hypodontia will require prosthetic replacement of their missing teeth. This will be in the form of dentures, bridges and implant restorations. As these are created by one or more dental technicians who supports the clinical team, a close working relationship between these colleagues is likely to improve the quality of treatment outcome. This interaction will usually occur towards the end of the patient's treatment process, when definitive restorations are prescribed. However, appropriately trained and experienced dental technicians should be involved throughout the patient's treatment process as an integral part of the multidisciplinary team approach to effectively manage these patients. This paper describes the contribution of dental technicians to patient care with particular focus on communication between the restorative dentistry clinical team and the dental technician to improve the quality of anterior restorations. As missing maxillary lateral incisor teeth are a common presentation for this patient group, further technical detail relating to planning resin-bonded bridges for replacement of these teeth is included.