Combination Cases
A combination case is when we use more than one type of dental restoration to rebuild and improve your smile. This could include a mix of crowns or bridges on natural teeth, porcelain veneers, and implant-supported crowns or bridges. Your treatment might involve any two of these options—or even all three—working together to restore the look, function, and health of your teeth.
Sample clinical cases
• Crowns on Natural Teeth and Implants
This person came in with dental implants already in place where the upper right second premolar (#4) and upper left second molar (#15) would normally be. A root canal had also been done on the upper right first molar (#3), which currently has a temporary filling and will need a permanent crown.
The upper left lateral incisor (#10) never developed (it’s congenitally missing), which has caused spacing between the front teeth.
The front teeth are worn down and short. They've been repaired several times with tooth-colored filling material (composite), but that material is now wearing out and breaking down.
The goal of treatment, and what the patient wants, is to make the front teeth look longer and close the gaps between them. The patient is hoping for a nice-looking smile with teeth that also work well for biting and chewing.
Before 
To help reach the patient’s goals, they were referred to a gum specialist (periodontist) to check the health of the gums and to perform a procedure called crown lengthening on the upper front teeth, specifically teeth #6 to #12 (which are the upper front and side teeth, from canine to canine). This procedure helps expose more of the natural tooth, allowing the new front teeth to be made longer.
The treatment plan includes:
A crown (cap) on tooth #3 (an upper back molar on the right side).
A bridge attached to a dental implant to replace missing teeth #4 and #5 (two teeth just in front of tooth #3, also on the upper right side).
A crown on the implant at tooth #15 (an upper back molar on the left side).
To improve both appearance and function of the front teeth, crowns will be placed on seven upper front teeth. Because tooth #10 (an upper front side tooth on the left) is naturally missing, the crown on tooth #11 will be shaped to look like tooth #10, and tooth #12 will be shaped to look like tooth #11. This creates the appearance of a complete and balanced smile, with longer, more natural-looking front teeth and no gaps.
After 
• Crowns and Laminates
This person came to us with noticeable gum recession affecting their upper front teeth. They had already been advised that they needed periodontal (gum) surgery, which would improve their oral health but could lead to even more gum tissue loss. After the gum treatment was completed and healing had occurred, we created a plan to restore both the health and appearance of the patient’s smile.
To do this, we placed crowns (full tooth coverings) on the upper right molar and two nearby premolars (#3, #4, and #5), as well as the upper right canine (#6). On the left side, we restored the two upper premolars (#12 and #13) with crowns as well. For the five front teeth (#7–#11), which are most visible when smiling, we used porcelain veneers—thin, custom-made shells that cover the front surface of the teeth.
At the following appointment, all 11 restorations (6 crowns and 5 veneers) were carefully placed and bonded. The result was a healthier, more beautiful smile that addressed both function and esthetics.
Before 
After 
