With advances in dental science over the past decade, huge strides have been made in the ability of dentistry to esthetically enhance the smile. We are proud to apply these conservative and time proven techniques in our practice.
There are basically three main systems to enhance the smile. These include tooth bleaching, the use of porcelain veneers and full coverage porcelain crowns, or “caps” as they are sometimes known.
The single most conservative and remarkable treatment to enhance the smile is tooth bleaching. This safe and effective method of brightening the color of the teeth has been used for a number of years with simple astounding results. Because the teeth are not physically altered in any fashion, the smile is enhanced by lightening the color of the teeth and, thus, warming the smile. While the bleaching results are not a permanent change, they are long lasting. Once the initial bleaching procedure has been completed, a one or two day maintenance bleaching is recommended every 18-36 months.
Teeth that are more yellow in color, usually as a result of the aging process, bleach with the best results. Gray colored teeth, teeth swirled with multiple colors, intrinsically stained teeth, such as those stained with tetracycline or fluoride will bleach to a certain degree but may not brighten up as much as other tooth discolorations. (Click here to see our special bleaching section)
Veneers offer a more conservative tooth alteration than full coverage crowns. Tooth preparation (a light roughening of the tooth surface with the dental drill) is required for porcelain veneers. While the tooth structure is altered, most of the natural enamel remains on the tooth, which very nearly keeps the tooth in its natural state. The before and after results of porcelain veneers is striking, rendering a durable and long lasting improvement of the smile! Often times, we will bleach the teeth first and then veneer them to get the brightest and most natural final appearance possible. While veneers may be made of plastics, either in a direct or indirect technique or in porcelain, we only use porcelain because of the final esthetics and durability. (Click here to see our special veneer section)
For any number of reasons, it may not be possible to use veneers or bleaching to improve the smile. In these instances, it may be necessary to crown the teeth using porcelain to metal, porcelain to gold or all porcelain crowns. This technique usually involves reshaping the teeth in such a way that most, if not all, of the natural enamel is removed during the preparation of the teeth and the final crown cemented to the prepared tooth. While this technique is time proven and very esthetic, it is not as conservative as either bleaching or the use of veneers.
Sometimes it is necessary to use a combination of bleaching, veneers and crowns to get the smile that you have always wanted. If you are not happy with your smile- including the shade, shape or alignment of the teeth, ask us about ways to make you happier with your smile!!
