Planning and making crowns and bridges (fourth edition)

  • B. G. N. Smith &
  • L. C. Howe
UK: Informa Healthcare price £125.00, pp 326 ISBN 0415398509 | ISBN: 0-415-39850-9

This is the latest edition of a well established textbook. The fourth edition is considerably enhanced by the inclusion of implants, which hitherto have not featured in this text. The book is well written and beautifully illustrated and the authors are to be commended for their pragmatic approach to the subject.

It is often said that success is a poor teacher and that we really only learn when things go wrong. The authors have taken this onboard because they have included illustrations of things that are not perfect and in this sense the book is clinically realistic and eminently practicable. This approach is commendable because when crown and bridgework are designed and prescribed for patients, a degree of compromise is often required particularly at the treatment planning stage and the authors have acknowledged this in the text.

The layout of the book is very user friendly and each section is preceded by some very helpful indications and contraindications for the various techniques described. These sections then go on to describe the different types of preparations and the clinical techniques required to realise successful results with each individual type of restoration. In addition there are helpful hints and tips for when things go wrong.

The structure of the text is logical, flowing and pitched at a perfect level for both undergraduate students and postgraduate students. Unusually the text is not referenced, which the authors have done deliberately as the book is not intended to be a reference text but rather a clinical guide or manual.

In summary this book is to be recommended for its very comprehensive approach to the subject, which is tempered with clinical realism.