I have been a dentist for over 25 years and have experienced and been thrilled by the advancements and improvements in my profession. But nothing is as exciting as the area of dentistry we call cosmetic dentistry. Other professions such as medicine can improve appearance using plastic surgery (face lift for example), but dentistry has truly achieved the ability to transform a smile that has begun to show the effects of time and age, and turn back the hands of time 20 or 30 years, almost instantly.
I belong to the generation known as the baby boomers. We are now middle aged, and traveling through our lifetime, the effects of food, drink, aging, and some cases smoking have caused undesirable changes in the color, shape and youthfulness of our smiles. Walk down any drugstore toothpaste aisle and you will see hundreds of types of “whitening tooth products”. Everyone it seems is interested in whitening, brightening and improving their smile and teeth.
Dentistry has available techniques that dramatically transform smiles, quickly and comfortably. Some of these are as follows:
Many studies and surveys have demonstrated that when people meet for the first time, they look first at the other person’s eyes and next at their teeth. Our smile says a lot about us and an attractive smile can go along way toward affecting how others view us. A good looking smile can have a tremendous effect on our self confidence.
Tooth color changes over time. As we mature our teeth sometimes darken due to natural changes of aging, the things we eat and drink that have colorings in them (such as cola, coffee and tea), or smoking. Other reasons for discolored teeth include old filling that have turned dark, childhood illnesses that have slightly damaged the outer covering of our teeth, and less than perfect oral hygiene that has allowed plaque and tartar to build up on our teeth.
Teeth Whitening today is one of the most exciting and satisfying procedures we do in our dental office! Every day we have happy patients tell us how great they feel now that their teeth are whiter, brighter and more youthful looking. Would you like your teeth be whiter and more youthful? If so, here are some facts and information about whitening and bleaching teeth.
Technique: Tooth whitening involves the use of either hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide applied to the surface (enamel) of the tooth which over time whitens the tooth.
In our office we use a high-tech tool to speed up the bleaching process so that the teeth can be whitened a number of shades in about one hour. This tool is called Zoom bleaching, using an advanced bleaching light beam that speed up the bleaching agent. Perhaps you have seen this Zoom bleaching technique used on the TV show “Extreme Makeover”.
Some of the other techniques for whitening teeth that we use in our office are:
Custom fitted crystal clear trays (thin plastic shells) that hold the bleach against the teeth and are used about one hour each day. In about one week you will see significant improvement, in about two or three weeks everyone around you can see the improvement.
Crest White Strips. Small strips about the size of a strip of chewing gum, with whitening bleach embedded in them. They are inexpensive and extremely effective. The Crest White Strips available in a dental office have a higher strength of bleach than the over-the-counter Crest White Strips and thus get the best results of the two.
Does bleaching harm the tooth?
No. There has been no situation know where bleaching teeth has done any harm. There can be slight sensitivity in a few cases during the bleaching but this always goes away quickly when the bleaching is completed.
Is bleaching permanent?
The bleaching or whitening effect lasts a very long time and in many cases the teeth never return to their former color, always remaining brighter than they were before. However over time teeth do lose some of their initial whiteness due to the same factors (smoking, food, drink) that caused their darkening in the first place. This can be easily overcome by using a touchup kit every once in a while to maintain the beautiful results of teeth whitening. Of course stopping the use of tobacco products would also be a smart choice in any event.
How about bleaching kits that you see on TV or in stores?
Some of these kits are probably OK, some are not. For Example Crest White Strips are sold in stores and are safe and effective; however the ones sold in stores are much weaker than the ones available in a dental office and so require a much longer time to work. But they still work! Some bleaching kits sold in stores or on TV can have high levels of acid and can harm teeth.
Will office bleaching whiten my old dark filling or crowns (caps)?
No. After bleaching the teeth we may need to replace some of the old filling and crowns. In our office we would be happy to examine your teeth and give you a report on what procedures will be needed to handle any discolored old filings or crowns, so that you will be happy with results.
Porcelain veneers are thin custom made porcelain shells that are permanently bonded to the front and sometimes middle teeth. The veneers are designed to reshape, widen the tooth or alter its color creating the appearance of a nearly perfect tooth.
PORCELAIN VENEER PROCEDURE
The tooth is very slightly shaped to allow room for the thin porcelain covering so that the final resulting tooth will not be thickened or bulkier than the natural tooth. An impression is made and from this, our dental technician handcrafts a veneer custom made for your tooth and smile. In some cases a temporary veneer is placed on the tooth for a couple of weeks while the dental technician designs the veneer. The veneers are tried in place and once the patient approves of the beautiful result the veneer is bonded into place. The procedure is totally without discomfort and the results are one of the most beautiful and smile changing treatments in the field of dentistry.
DURABILITY
Porcelain veneer have turned out to be one of the most dependable and long-lasting treatments available in the dental field. Literally, nothing lasts forever but a person can expect a number of years from a porcelain veneer. The average lifespan, depending on patient care and lifestyle, could be 10 to 20 years.
A crown would be the solution to these problems. A crown is a replacement outer covering, not unlike a thimble, that fits over and strengthens a tooth and restores its appearance and function.
There are different types of crowns for different purposes. The most common type of crown is a porcelain crown with a metal interior for strength. These crowns are very strong and very closely reproduce the look of a natural tooth. The metal inside the crown is often an alloy of gold.
On the back teeth, or molars, especially where it is difficult to see, a gold crown is often the perfect choice because of its strength and durability (average durability is 20-40 year with good hygiene care).
Before
After
Before
After
Within the last decade all porcelain crowns have been developed that rival the crowns already mentioned for strength and staying power. But nothing can match this all porcelain crown in it ability to look like a beautiful natural tooth. Some of the all porcelain crown brand names are Empress, Lava, and Procera; all of which have breathtaking aesthetics and strength that rivals porcelain-metal crowns.
PROCEDURE
Shaping the tooth to remove the decay in or around it.
Re-sculpturing the tooth to provide an ideal fit for the crown.
Making an impression of your teeth in order to create a custom-made crown.
Making a temporary crown out of tooth colored resin and fitting it onto the tooth during the interim period when the permanent custom-made crown is being created.
Applying the permanent crown (when received from the lab) by removing the temporary crown and fitting the permanent one onto the tooth.
After ensuring that the crown has the proper look and fit, the dentist cements it into place.
EXPECTED SERVICE OF THE CROWN
Crowns can be expected to last for a number of years providing good oral hygiene and regular professional care, including brushing and flossing, are required to maintain healthy, bacteria-free teeth, gums and crowns. This helps in the prevention of gum disease and decay.
ONLAYS
When a middle or back tooth (we call these premolars and molars) is damaged by dental decay or breakage we used to be faced with the decision of placing a filling or if the damge is more extensive, making a crown. But there are many situations where the damage to the tooth is in the medium category. We now have the technology to restore that tooth back to essentially brand new using a dental treatment called an inlay or an onlay.
Definitions:
INLAY: A porcelain replacement for a section of a tooth that is a bit too damaged for just a filling but does not require a full crown (cap).
ONLAY: A porcelain replacement for a section of a tooth that has been damaged to a point where one of the biting or chewing tips (cusp) requires strengthening or replacement.
Inlays and onlays are so lifelike and beautiful that another dentist or hygienist can miss the fact that a tooth has had that treatment. Very similar to a crown, an inlay or onlay is made by a dental technician during which time you will be wearing a temporary while the technician creates the inlay or onlay.
If a person is missing tooth in the front or back of the mouth a number of changes will occur (all bad) if that tooth is not replaced. The problems are:
The teeth next to the missing tooth tend to tip over (like the Titanic going down)
The tooth above or below the missing tooth that used to have a tooth to bite against now begins to move into the missing space.
Gaps begin to open between the teeth near the missing tooth
Food trapping, decay, periodontal disease, bad breath all follow in the wake of this missing tooth.
The solution is to have the missing tooth replaced. Some of the options available today to replace a missing tooth are:
A bridge is a good word for these dental appliances because not unlike a bridge crossing over a river by resting on 2 banks, the dental bridge is fitted to the tooth on either side of the missing tooth. These anchors teeth are slightly shaped to allow a crown to be placed over them. These two crowns are joined by a middle tooth which will replace the missing tooth.
Before and after photos coming soon.
When the bridge is bonded or cemented into place the replacement tooth has the good looks and strength of the original tooth. I have placed hundreds of bridgess in my career and people have found them comfortable, very functional, very natural and aesthetic looking, to the point that they often forget that it is not their natural tooth.
If you are missing a tooth you should look into having that tooth replaced and perhaps a bridge would be one of the best choices.
