Cosmetic Services

Veneers

Basics: Cosmetic dentistry seeks to create a result that improves the appearance of the patient. All dentistry is part art and part science and all cosmetic dentistry has its foundation in solid, proven scientific principles. Just as function dictates form, improving the patients function as in speaking and chewing results in improved appearance. Veneers are very thin porcelain facings that are bonded permanently to front teeth. They can be a very conservative way to improve the shape, alignment and color of teeth.

How to Prepare: Cosmetic dentistry requires planning, as in any procedure, so detailed records, study models, photographs, and x-rays are first assembled. The patient’s personal desires are fully considered and balanced while several approaches to treatment are discussed. Treatments to be considered are implants, full dentures, partial dentures, fixed bridges, crowns, veneers, white fillings or a combination of these.

What to Expect: Once a consensus is reached on the treatment approach that will be taken, a wax model of the finished result is often created. This model is presented, examined and the approach will be discussed. Both parties will understand the expected outcome including the total investment and the time needed to see the treatment through to a beautiful, lasting result.

After the Procedure: Treatments can proceed sequentially from start to finish or it may be done in stages to be accomplished over a period of months as suits the particular desires of each well informed patient.

Tooth Whitening (Custom trays or Impression-free Take Home Kit)

Basics: Teeth darken over time due to environmental influences and from food and drinks. Some staining is on the outside of your teeth and can be removed by your brushing or better by a hygienist’s polishing. The other darkening is more below the surface and this is the staining tooth whitening can remove.

How to Prepare: Tooth whitening can be accomplished in three ways:

1-     Over the counter products like Crest White Strips. These are “low and slow.” They don’t cover the tops of teeth, use weak agents and cost about $50 a box. You will have to keep buying the kit to keep your teeth whiter.

2-     Pre made (one size fits all) kits provided by our office. No impression is necessary. These are one-time use, similar to Crest White Strips with a more professional fit and higher solution percentage.

3-     Custom whitening trays that are created from an impression of your mouth and molded to embrace your teeth precisely. These trays can be used for many years and the patient has a choice of whitening solutions to use.

What to Expect: Whitening does not happen overnight. Teeth are whitened steadily for six to eight weeks wearing the trays for one hour a day. Patients commonly see a four - eight shade improvement in whiteness. Stronger solutions work faster but may cause more short-term sensitivity to the teeth. Whitening solutions will not harm your teeth. They contain fluoride and potassium nitrate to reduce sensitivity so teeth are more resistant to decay and gum health is often improved.

After the Procedure: Once whitening is achieved it will last for many months. Over time the whiteness will begin to fade back. At this time, wearing the whitening appliance for just one or two days will pop back the shade to its whitest. Just like physical fitness, teeth whitening requires regular maintenance and attention to keep your desired whiteness.

Dentures And Partial Dentures (Metal Free Options Available)

Basics: Full dentures are used to replace and restore tooth function for patients who have lost all of their natural teeth. Upper dentures and lower dentures are made to precisely bite together so that food can be masticated and proper speech can be produced. Dentures can be very successful in restoring a beautiful smile. They can be made exactly duplicate the patient’s original teeth as to shade and alignment or changes to whiteness and alignment can be made to fulfill the patient’s highest expectations. Partial dentures are removable replacements for missing teeth when some remaining teeth are used to support and stabilize the appliance.

How to Prepare: Dentures are often made to be placed on the same day the teeth are extracted so that the patient never has to be seen without teeth. In this case, impressions and preliminary records are taken at planning appointments.

What to Expect: Dentures nearly always require adjustments after 24 hours to relieve sore spots. We follow new denture patients very closely especially in the first two weeks; follow up care remains our commitment to you. If you choose an immediate replacement denture, often we recommend that a second denture be made four to six months later after complete healing of the gums has occurred. That way you end up with a spare denture, something many people appreciate.

After the Procedure: New dentures often create a new set of challenges. You can expect to have some soreness and trouble keeping them in place. Speaking will be different and you will often need to work to say certain words. Coughing and sneezing will dislodge dentures and it takes experience to master. Eating will be a learning process where starting with softer foods and gradually introducing more challenging foods is the best course to pursue.

Botox

Basics: Botox (botulinum toxin) is the brand name for a protein produced by a bacterium that can be used to paralyze nerves that control muscle movement. The effects are reversible. Frown lines and smaller creases in your skin can be the result of years of undesirable pulling of small facial muscles. When Botox is injected into this area the muscle relaxes and the lines lessen or disappear.

How to Prepare: You will have a planning appointment where mapping of target areas will be discussed and your questions will be answered. Generally, this procedure is low stress and little preparation is warranted.

What to Expect: Botox is actually injected with a tiny needle into a cleaned skin. The typical session involves pricks of this needle and micro amounts of the medicine are deposited under the skin. It may take up to ten days for the effect to be appreciated. The desired effect will last two to three months but will gradually fade and need to be repeated.

After the Procedure: The area will be slightly tender and red for 30 to 60 minutes and then you will feel, and notice in the mirror, the gradual relaxation of the targeted muscles which will result in relaxed, smoother skin and fewer creases and lines.

Implant Services, Surgical placement

Basics: An implant is a screw-shaped surgical component (about the size of a root of a tooth) that is threaded into the bone of the jaw. It is used to support a dental prosthesis such as a denture, a crown, or a bridge.

How to Prepare: There is no special preparation necessary if you are in good health. If you smoke, have poorly controlled diabetes, or any bone diseases you may not be a good candidate for predictable success.

What to Expect: Implants are made from pure titanium a light, strong, non-magnetic metal. They are placed in a socket of an extracted tooth and as the bone heals around them, over the course of three months, they become very stable. If the socket has healed already, we make a small incision in the gum and prepare a socket into which the implant may be threaded. Once healed, the top platform of the implant lies just under the surface of the gum. Your plan may call for a single implant or multiple implants depending on the approach taken to meet your particular need.

After the Procedure: The area will be a little tender and you will have to eat a soft diet for two weeks. It takes about three months for the bone to heal around the implant before it can be used to support an individual crown or a snap attachment to hold a denture or a full arch of teeth.

Restoration of Implants (Crown, Bridge or Attachment to Secure a partial or Complete Denture)

Basics: Implants essentially replace the root of a former tooth. They remain in the bone so that their top portion is about two millimeters under the gum. The second phase involves securely attaching a component to that implant that extends above the gum. This component, often resembling a metal thimble, can be used to support a porcelain crown replacing a single missing tooth or a snap to stabilize a complete or partial denture.

How to Prepare: The restoration of an implant is relatively easy and is most of the time accomplished without the need for anesthesia.

What to Expect: Attachments to implants (called abutments) are threaded to match threads inside the implant and are then tightened to stay in place permanently. Abutments in turn are used as the foundation of a crown or as a support to anchor a denture or partial denture. If it is a single crown you need, an impression will be made and a porcelain crown fabricated to be cemented at a subsequent appointment. If the implant is designed to stabilize a denture, a snap attachment is bonded to the inside of your existing denture. Then the denture is snapped onto the implant

After the Procedure: You will experience no pain and you will be able to chew and behave normally without fear of causing problems with your new implant.