Cosmetic Dentistry Directory Blog
Cosmetic Dentistry Directory
Friday, July 30, 2010
Types of Porcelain Veneers
Do you have some crowding in your teeth or a gap between some of the front teeth? Do your teeth have slightly mis-matched sizes? A smile can be vastly improved when relatively small defects like these are corrected, and a quick and effective way to correct them is porcelain veneers.
Actually that is not quite true because veneers correct nothing. They are tooth covers, placed on front surfaces only, and they cover small defects rather than correcting them. If you have one or more relatively large gaps between front teeth, or crowding throughout your mouth, you might need orthodontic work to re-align all your teeth for structural improvement rather than a cosmetic dentistry procedure to enhance your smile visually.
But if you have, for example, a small gap between the upper two front incisors, two porcelain veneers can cover it. Each veneer would be made slightly extended on the gap side so they would meet nicely and the gap would now be invisible and irrelevant.
Many companies offer brand-name porcelain veneers. Some of the brands are Empress, MAC, and da Vinci and there are others, all with various advantages and disadvantages. They are all designed to create a smooth, even line for your smile.
“Prep”, “Low Prep” and “No Prep” Veneers
All dental veneers are very thin but the exact thinness varies among the brands. Most veneers are between 0.5 mm and 0.8 mm thick – about as thick as a contact lens or a fingernail. They require the removal of some tooth enamel to make room for them, so that your teeth and veneers can be kept in a smooth line. These are “prep” veneers.
One of the thinner brands of veneer is Durathin, at 0.3 mm thick. Thinner veneers are made from stronger porcelain and require less tooth enamel to be removed. However, the thinner your veneers are, the more your underlying tooth color can show through. Also, there is a limit to how thin veneers can be and still be structurally sound. Durathin veneers tend to look very good and last well and are in the category of “low-prep” veneers.
- Lumineers
You may have heard of Lumineers, as the manufacturer, Den-Mat in California, has promoted them strongly. They are also 0.3 mm thick but are marketed as needing “no-prep”. No tooth enamel needs to be removed. Some dentists are enthusiastic about Lumineers but others are not and do not offer them.
A common criticism of Lumineers is that they look less natural – they look bulky and thick, despite being very thin. As well, people with Lumineers often complain that they can feel a bump along their teeth at the gumline and sometimes that their upper lip gets caught on that bump.
One advantage of Lumineers is that they could be a reversible procedure since no tooth enamel is removed. If you decided you didn’t like them after all, you could go back to your natural teeth or have something else done.
However, if you choose your cosmetic dentist well and have your porcelain veneers properly done, you would not need to reverse it. As always, it is best to research your procedure before making decisions about it.
To speak with a fully-qualified cosmetic dentist in your area, please see Find a Dentist above. Or you could use the map below, or just send us an email.
posted by JennyK at 10:31 AM
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Early Caries Detection
Regardless of your age, dental health, or dental goals, catching tooth decay early is always a benefit. As many as 90% of all Americans have at least one cavity and 75% have their first cavity by the time they are five years old. Early cavities typically remain undetected and may not be discovered until they are causing toothache.
Early signs of tooth decay
- Pain upon chewing
- Bite changes when chewing
- Constant bad breath
- Chronic bad taste in the mouth
- Pain when eating hot or cold foods
- Red, puffy or bleeding gums
Many cosmetic dentists now use the DIAGNOdent Classic, a painless method of detecting caries, or cavities, at the earliest stages. Finding and treating cavities early helps to minimize decay and makes treatment of that cavity less time-consuming and less expensive.
How DIAGNOdent Works
The small device has a pen-like probe that sends a safe, painless laser beam into the tooth. An LED display gives a low reading when there is no decay and a high reading when there is decay. That decay area also becomes fluorescent under the laser light and an alarm will tell your dentist of any hidden decay, giving a higher pitched sound for larger decay areas than for small areas.
Please see Catching Problems Early for more on DIAGNOdent.
DIAGNOdent reliably and non -invasively diagnoses cavities at an early stage when teeth are most vulnerable. Your restorative treatment will then be quick and easy, will cost less, and will require less time spent in the dental chair.
If you would like to find a good cosmetic dentist in your area, please use Find a Dentist above, the map below, or just send us an email.
posted by JennyK at 3:13 PM
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Five Tips For Choosing a Cosmetic Dentist
In choosing your cosmetic dentist, it is important to do some research on the candidates. You would not want to entrust your smile’s appearance to someone who is learning on you. Since cosmetic dentistry is not taught in most dental schools, a general dentist lacks the advanced training and hands-on experience that a properly qualified cosmetic dentist has.
1. Gather a Short List of Candidates
If you are reading this blog, you are online and could start by googling “cosmetic dentist in Pasadena, CA” or whatever your location is. You will probably get a lot of results, unless you are in a small town. In that case, widen your search to the county name or the nearest city.
2. Check the Dentist’s Qualifications
When you look at each cosmetic dentistry site, go to the dentist’s Bio page, maybe called Meet Dr. Bigsmile or Meet Our Doctors, or to the About Us page which might link to dentist bios. Check on the dentist’s background and training, noticing if there is training beyond basic dental school.
· If you see mention of “LVI”, you probably need search no further, as the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies (LVI) is the premier school for cosmetic dentistry training.
3. Check the Dentist’s Experience
How long has this dentist been practicing? Are the Before and After photos of actual patients, or just stock photos? (If they are actual patients, the site will usually say so.) What do the Testimonials say? Look at the Technology page to see what the dentist has invested in – this will tell you the high priorities for this practice. Are there items to catch dental problems early such as Vizilite cancer screening or DIAGNOdent? Any equipment to enhance dentist/patient communication such as smile simulation software? How up to date is the dental imaging equipment?
4. Look at all Relevant Website Pages
If you have some procedures or dental problems in mind that you want the dentist to be experienced with, read those pages. Try to get a sense of how often the dentist does those procedures or solves those problems. Check the relevant Before and After pictures.
5. Go for a Consultation
Choose one of the candidates and schedule a consultation. Make sure that at least part of the time will be spent with the dentist rather than just an assistant. When you are there, look around at the facility, note how competent the team members seem to be and whether they get along well, and ask yourself if you feel comfortable in this office. Does the dentist answer questions clearly? Would you feel well-cared-for coming to this office twice a year for check-ups?
By the time you have had one or more consultations you will probably know which dentist to choose. If you would like some names of qualified cosmetic dentists in your area, please send us an email, use the map below, or use Find a Dentist above.
posted by JennyK at 1:36 PM
Friday, July 9, 2010
Gum Disease: Part 3, Periodontitis
The early stage of gum disease is gingivitis and when it becomes severe, it is called periodontitis. By the time you have periodontitis, the gums are bleeding when you brush or floss, teeth are decaying and perhaps giving you a toothache or two, and bacteria have spread below the gumline on to the tooth roots and into gum tissue, spreading infection.
Further, you probably have breath odor (halitosis) and plaque on the teeth and gums has become hard tartar (calculus) and cannot be brushed off. The gum disease cycle is now established:
- Bacteria have multiplied and spread down between the teeth and their surrounding gums;
- The increased bacterial numbers and increased acidic excretions have enlarged those spaces, creating “pockets”;
- This added space enables bacteria to multiply more and their even greater numbers spread deeper down in the pockets and into gum tissue;
- Which further enlarges the pockets, loosening teeth and creating more space for more bacteria.
This vicious cycle could continue indefinitely, with bacteria ever multiplying and spreading, teeth ever more damaged, gums decaying, the jawbone eventually decaying, and at some point all teeth lost. For most people, a dentist intervenes before this point, and saves as many teeth as possible.
Periodontitis Treatment
Reversing this cycle can take many months, perhaps a year. We are fortunate in that modern dentists can use a soft tissue laser to quickly and painlessly remove decay and debris. This gives you a head start on your home dental care. Your dentist will probably recommend special toothpaste and a good mouthwash, and perhaps an electric toothbrush and a water pick.
For a mouthwash, it is best to avoid any that contain alcohol, as alcohol is drying to tooth enamel and can eventually cause cracks to form. Many dentists offer a tooth moisturizing treatment that helps restore water to the enamel. It is also best to avoid a mouthwash or toothpaste that contains chlorine, as chlorine is known to form carcinogenic compounds in the body.
Chlorine dioxide is a safe ingredient and very effective in killing bacteria without affecting helpful flora and fauna. It will also help to whiten your teeth. Read the product ingredients, starting at the end of the list where the most questionable ingredients are listed. Feel free to ask your dentist any questions that arise.
Your periodontitis treatment will require a series of dental visits for further laser cleaning and then for regular professional cleaning. To prevent bacteria from building up again, persistence and consistency will be important in your home care. When the gum disease is gone, you will be a candidate for cosmetic dentistry, as good dental health is the foundation of cosmetic smile enhancements.
If you would like to find an excellent cosmetic dentist in your area, please contact us today or use the map below.
posted by JennyK at 11:53 AM