Cosmetic Solutions
Cosmetic dentistry is an essential part of our modern life. Besides, nothing is more contagious than a beautiful smile.
Almost everyone these days can appreciate the value of a beautiful smile. It increases our self-confidence and unlocks all of the benefits associated with people that smile more often such as reduced stress, more youthful appearance, and improved mood. If you don’t currently have the beautiful smile you desire we can help achieve this for you with cosmetic dentistry. Through the strategic use of composite restorations (aka “tooth colored fillings”), crowns, bridges, implants, removable prosthesis (such as complete dentures and partial dentures) we can transform patient’s smiles. Our team can perform a thorough examination of your dentition to determine which cosmetic dentistry options will best help you achieve the beautiful smile you deserve.
Porcelain Veneers
What does it take to make a beautiful smile? That is a complex question, but some of the qualities of a lovely smile are immediately identifiable. Good tooth color, shape and alignment are a few of the most important characteristics. If your teeth could use some improvement in any of these categories, porcelain veneers could be just what you are looking for.
Dental veneers are a wafer-thin layer of super strong porcelain that convincingly substitutes for natural tooth enamel. When veneers are bonded to your teeth, they can create a natural looking and beautiful new surface. This is because dental porcelain is translucent and tough like natural tooth enamel. However, porcelain veneers do not stain like tooth enamel does.
There have been remarkable advances in dental porcelain technology in recent years. Veneers can now be made so thin that they can sometimes be bonded directly onto your tooth without altering the existing tooth surface. In other cases, a very thin layer of tooth enamel needs to be removed to fit the new porcelain surface and make it look as lifelike as possible. Either way, the results are sure to make you smile.
Limitations of Porcelain Veneers
There are some situations in which veneers would not be an appropriate treatment option. For example, if you have a large gap or significantly misaligned teeth, orthodontic treatment might be a more appropriate solution than veneers. If you have lost a lot of tooth structure from trauma or decay it might be better to restore your teeth with porcelain crowns that cover the entire tooth.
Improving Your Smile with Porcelain Veneers
The first step in improving your smile with porcelain veneers is a dental evaluation to determine exactly what you do not like about your current smile. It is a great idea to bring in pictures of smiles you do like as a starting point for discussion. Often, steps will be taken to show you the end result of veneers before treatment. A model of your teeth can be created over which wax veneers can be placed and sometimes tooth colored filling materials can be placed directly onto your teeth to demonstrate the effect veneers would have on them.
Once the plan has been agreed upon, your teeth will be prepared by removing a small amount of enamel if necessary. Molds of your teeth will be taken and used by a skilled dental laboratory technician to create your veneers. You will receive a temporary set of veneers to wear during the few weeks it takes to create your permanent veneers. When the veneers come back from the lab, they will be cemented onto your teeth.
Caring for Your Veneers
Just like your natural dentition, teeth restored with veneers need gentle brushing and flossing every day. This will remove dental plaque and ensure good gum tissue health around the veneers. Regular checkups at the dental office will remain an important part of your oral and general health. Keep in mind that as tough as veneers are, they may not be able to withstand forces that come from using your teeth as tools or biting into very hard foods like candy apples. These things are not good for your natural teeth either! If you grind or clench your teeth at night, you might be advised to get a custom made night guard to protect your veneers for years to come.
Bridges
Missing teeth can cause a noticeable change in in the way we speak and eat. Fortunately we now have many options to restore your smile. Bridges or “fixed partial dentures” are a form of tooth replacement used where a tooth or several teeth are missing. Unlike a removable partial dentures, which can be taken out to clean, a fixed bridge is permanently cemented in and can only be removed by a dentist. They replace missing teeth by attaching to abutments, which are either natural teeth or dental. Fixed bridges are made by placing crowns on the abutments and fusing the crowns to the tooth replacement which is called a pontic. This bridge is then bonded onto the abutments.
The procedure for a bridge usually takes two appointments to complete. At the first appointment the abutment teeth on either side of the gap are prepared by removing a portion of the enamel and dentin. Accurate impressions of the prepared teeth are then taken and sent to a dental laboratory where the bridge will be constructed. A temporary bridge will be made and temporarily cemented while your permanent bridge is being fabricated. It usually takes about three weeks for the bridge to be fabricated by the dental lab. At your second visit, the bridge is adjusted for fit and cemented in place.
Though bridges can be a great restorative option, they are not indicated for all patients. Bridges require support on both sides of the area missing teeth either by other teeth or implants in order to be placed. Also, in situations where the two adjacent teeth are healthy and require no restorations an implant is a much more conservative treatment alternative. If you are interested in replacing a missing tooth, let the team at Blue Wolf Dental review what treatment options may be best for you.
