The Art of Ceramic Journal
Notes from
the bench.
Dr. Andi-Jean Miro on veneers, porcelain, photography and the workflow she teaches in Art of Ceramic. Written for dentists.
How to Choose a Hands-On Veneer Course
Most dentists pick a veneer course by the before and afters. I would pick it by what you can do on the Tuesday after it ends.
Read the articleFeldspathic Veneers on Refractory Dies: What Dentists Should Know
Feldspathic porcelain is the material I favor for anterior veneers. It is also the one that asks the most of everyone in the chain, starting with the dentist.
Read the article 5 min readClinical Dental Photography: The Settings and Setup I Use
I take about 400 photos a day. These are the settings, the kit and the habits behind them, the same ones I teach in Art of Ceramic.
Read the article 5 min readCosmetic Dentistry CE: What a Hands-On Porcelain Course Should Cover
CE credits tell you a course met a standard. They do not tell you whether it will change your Monday schedule. Here is what I look for in the curriculum.
Read the article 4 min readVeneer Preparation Design: Build the Arch Before You Prep
The most common prep mistake is not the depth or the margin. It is prepping each tooth where it is instead of where it is going.
Read the article 4 min readShade Matching Porcelain Veneers: What the Shade Guide Misses
"Make me veneer number eight, A2" is not a shade prescription. Here is how Dr. Rhodri Thomas and I actually communicate color to the lab.
Read the article 4 min readFrom Impression to Refractory Model: The Lab Workflow Behind a Veneer
Most dentists never see what happens between the final impression and the try-in. Every step of it depends on what you sent.
Read the article 4 min readMinimal-Prep vs No-Prep Veneers: How I Decide
Prepless is everywhere right now. Real prepless candidates are not. Here is how I decide how much to prep, and when to prep nothing.
Read the article 4 min readPorcelain Layering: What Dentists Should Understand About the Build
You do not have to layer porcelain yourself. You do have to understand what the ceramist is building, or you cannot ask for it.
Read the article 4 min readSmile Design Photography: The Photos That Make the Plan
The first photographs you take are not for your records. They are for the patient, on a screen, while you are still in the room.
Read the article 4 min readThe Direct Mock-Up: How I Show Patients Their Smile at the First Visit
A wax-up shows the lab what you want. A direct mock-up shows the patient, and it shows you exactly where you will need to prep.
Read the article 4 min readVeneer Cementation: The Details That Decide the Result
Cementation is the last ten minutes of a case and the first thing that shows up when it fails. Treat it like craftsmanship.
Read the article 4 min readHow to Write a Veneer Lab Prescription Your Ceramist Can Use
The ceramist has never met your patient. Your prescription is the only version of that person they will ever see.
Read the article 4 min readCosmetic Case Acceptance: The Consultation Is an Interview
Case acceptance does not start when you present the plan. It starts on the phone, and most of it happens before you walk into the room.
Read the article 4 min readAGD PACE CE Credits: What Dentists Should Know Before They Book
Credits are the receipt, not the reason. Still, you should know exactly what you are getting when a course says "AGD PACE approved."
Read the article 4 min readThe Best Cosmetic Dentistry Courses in the US: How to Build Your Path
There is no single best cosmetic dentistry course. There is a best next course for where you are. Here is how I would build the path.
Read the article 4 min readIGNITE: What Advanced Cosmetic Education Looks Like After Your First Course
Your first course gives you the workflow. The next one should put you closer to the chair, with harder cases and someone watching your decisions.
Read the article 4 min readLearning Cosmetic Dentistry Online: What an Online Course Can and Cannot Do
Online courses are excellent at one thing: letting you rewatch the exact step you forgot. They are not a substitute for your hands at a bench.
Read the article 4 min readVeneer Temporaries: The Test Drive Before the Porcelain
The temporaries are not a placeholder. They are the design, worn in real life, and the blueprint your ceramist should follow.
Read the article 4 min readFacial Analysis for Smile Design: Midline, Cant and Facial Thirds
I always say smile design is a denture setup. You decide where the teeth belong in the face, then you build toward it.
Read the articleYour next case
starts here.
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