Harvey Peck

A Concept of Facial Esthetics

Abstract No Abstract Available. Department of Orthodontics, Boston University School of Graduate Dentistry. Presented in part at the eighteenth biennial meeting of the E. H. Angle Society, Denver, November 1969.

An index for assessing tooth shape deviations as applied to the mandibular incisors

I t has been shown that naturally well-aligned mandibular incisors possess distinctive dimensional characteristics; these teeth are significantly smaller mesiodistally and significantly larger faciolingually, when compared with average population tooth dimensions. 1 It appears, therefore, that tooth shape (mesiodistal and faciolingual dimensions) is a determining factor in the presence and absence of lower incisor cr0wding.l These new findings have stimulated this present effort. The purpose of this article is to present the scientific basis and the clinical application of a new method for detecting and evaluating tooth shape deviations of the mandibular incisors.

Frequency of tooth extraction in orthodontic treatment

Orthodontic extraction frequency describes the percentage of an orthodontic patient population experiencing extractions of one or more permanent teeth, excluding third molars. It is a useful statistical measure of the many variables associated with the extraction-nonextraction decision. For a study sample of 537 North American white orthodontic patients, the frequency of tooth extraction was determined as 42.1 percent. This is compared with a range of 6.5 percent to 83.5 percent reported in the world dental literature. Factors responsible for the enormous differences in orthodontic extraction frequency are explored. The study of extraction frequency offers a simple, valuable aid for the clinician to understand better the nature of his patient population, his treatment methods, and his rationalizations.

Othodontic aspects of dental anthropology.

Variation in the size, shape, number, arrangement, and wear pattern of the teeth of man has long been an area of great interest to physical anthropologists. In this paper some of the remarkable variations to be found in the human dentition are identified and translated in orthodontic terms. Teeth are by nature imperfect structures, often just as disfigured individually as the malocclusions they form collectively. It is important that the orthodontist cultivates an anthropologists eye for tooth variations. With this sensitivity he shall surely enlarge his understanding of the limitations of orthodontic therapy and shall appreciate the valuable role of tooth altering procedures in achieving treatment success.

Laser radiation: Some specific dental effects and an evaluation of its potential in dentistry

Abstract Laser technology, in just five years after its birth, has opened many intriguing areas of medical research and clinical application. Preliminary tests have shown the pulsed ruby laser to have demonstrable effects on tooth structure in vivo and in vitro. In this study, several extracted noncarious maxillary incisors were prepared for enamel and dentin laser irradiation. An Ivorine Dentoform tooth was also irradiated. The apparatus employed was a focused, pulsed ruby laser head with a 2,000 joule power supply. After lasing, the samples were examined grossly and microscopically: 1.Enamel exhibited gross cratering from 0.1 to 1.1 mm. deep, depending on the amount of energy delivered to the target area. In dentin-deep enamel penetrations, a dark speckling of the exposed dentin subjacent to the lased enamel was observed. Examination under polarized light strongly suggested the presence of laser-induced crystallographic changes in the enamel bordering the enamel craters. 2.Dentin laser impacts yielded shallow, irregular craters less than 0.1 mm. deep. Three distinct zones of dentinal destruction were revealed: (a) a central zone of complete dentinal destruction; (b) an immediately surrounding zone of partial dentinal destruction; and (c) a scattered zone of dark speckling beyond the first two zones. 3.Lased Ivorine demonstrated the mildest effect, showing only surface irregularities. Suggestions are presented for possible future applications of the laser, as the state of the art of laser technology advances. Laser radiation offers exciting possibilities in dental research, oral tumor management, instrumentation, and precision techniques in restorative and prosthetic dentistry. Though laser researchers are presently too committed to the advancement of the state of the art to divert their attention to practical applications, this should not discourage dental investigators from uncovering further the lasers applicability to dentistry.