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Figure 23: I make my next depth cut to ensure
adequate incisal reduction. I use the MADC-020
bur (Axis Dental) to place 2 mm depth cuts in the
incisal edge of tooth #8. This 2 mm of reduction
will give the technician a good opportunity to
build an esthetic, strong incisal edge. It also
helps to keep the final restoration from being
too far to the facial, aka too “bucky.” However,
if you are planning on adding some length to
the central (0.5 mm for example) you only need
to reduce 1.5 mm to give your technician 2 mm
of space.
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Figure 24: I now switch to the MADC-015 bur
(Axis Dental), which gives me a self-limiting
depth cut of 1.5 mm. I turn the handpiece so
that it is perpendicular to the facial surface of
the tooth and place a 1.5 mm depth cut at the
junction of the incisal and middle thirds. The
placement of this depth cut ensures that there
will be enough facial reduction to enable the
technician to create a flat facial profile on the
final crown. When crowns are too “fat” facially,
they will never blend in naturally with the
surrounding natural dentition.
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Figure 25: At this point, all of the depth cuts
are in place. We can see the half-circle in the
gingival third that is approximately 1 mm deep.
The 1.5 mm depth cut is at the junction of the
incisal third and the middle third, and the 2 mm
depth cuts in the incisal edge are there as well.
The beauty of these depth cuts is that there is no
guessing whether we have reduced enough —
we simply prep until the depth cuts are no
longer present. Once you break through the
enamel surface with a diamond, it becomes very
difficult to judge how much you have reduced. I
have not found an easier way to prep teeth than
with depth cuts.
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