Bleaching
This is one of the most exciting developments in dentistry! Almost anyone with their natural teeth can now have whiter teeth painlessly and inexpensively. Two basic techniques exist:
In Office
At Home
The at-home process uses a specially made tray or mouthpiece that “hugs” your teeth and holds the bleach against your teeth for an extended time. The longer the bleach stays closely adhered to the teeth, the better the bleach results.
The keys to success with this technique are:
Cosmetic Contouring – Instant Orthodontics Reshaping Your Teeth
Dr. Goldstein is a master of re-sculpting chipped and broken teeth. This vast economical procedure saves your teeth from fillings or crowns and makes them appear natural again.
Many patients have grinding habits that have left unattractive wear patterns in their smiles. Cosmetic Contouring or resculpting is the perfect answer to correct this problem.
This economical procedure may restore your chipped or broken teeth instead of using more aggressive techniques, like fillings, veneers
or crowns.
Bonding
When teeth fracture and leave jagged edges we repair them with a resin putty. The putty is sculpted onto the tooth and hardened with a special light. This technique works well for small and medium fractures. The putty can also be used to cover unsightly teeth.
When teeth have a “ditching” or groove near the gumline, bonding is used to fill the void and alleviate any sensitivity and to prevent further wear due to tooth brushing and acidic foods.
Porcelain Veneers, Laminates, Facings
These restorations are most often used to correct cosmetic problems with the teeth – i.e., to fill spaces, cover stained teeth, and correct crooked teeth.
This is usually the best technique to use since it is more conservative than crowns and often times looks better. Only the front surface of a tooth is reshaped to accept the facing. The facings are adhered with a resin cement. These restorations can last 12 years or more.
Crowns & Bridges (Caps)
Crowns cover and protect teeth from breakage. They can also be used to make teeth whiter and prettier.
Many patients would like to improve their smile without using more aggressive techniques such as crowns or veneers. Your smile will be evaluated to determine if you are a candidate for a Morning Smile Makeover where a combination of in-office bleaching, Cosmetic Contouring (reshaping of the teeth), and / or Bonding (sculpting of the teeth adding a resin material) is used to improve smiles in one visit. These results are drastic and will change your smile instantly. You will walk out that day with a straighter, brighter and more dazzling smile! Call today to schedule a complimentary cosmetic consultation.
Crowns cover and protect teeth from breakage. They can also be used to make teeth whiter and prettier.
Types of Crowns
1. Porcelain to Metal – these are the strongest esthetic crowns. They are tooth colored and can last 7-20 years.
2. All Porcelain – these are the most esthetic crowns. They are made entirely of ceramic material and truly resemble natural teeth. They are more fragile than the porcelain to metal crown.
3. All Resin – a newcomer to dentistry, but potentially a popular crown type will be the resin crown. These are quite esthetic and are easy to repair when they break. They are also softer and more resilient than porcelain and may prove to be a viable alternative.
4. All Gold – although not the most esthetic, these crowns last the longest and are very “kind” to your gums.
What to Expect from Your New Crowns
New Crowns or laminates can play many “tricks” on you! They may initially feel perfect and later feel very odd. They may initially look terrific to you and your friends and later look odd! This is all very normal.
Why do these “tricks” occur?
Bridges
Conventional:
These are very similar to their namesake on our roads. We use two or more good teeth to restore a missing tooth. The teeth on both sides of the missing tooth are “ground” down to pegs and the bridge is made to fit over the pegs and hold a tooth in the missing space.
These bridges are usually made of a metal frame and covered with tooth colored porcelain. Recent advances have allowed dentists (in limited situations) to make bridges with either all ceramic or all resin.
Maryland Bridges
The Maryland Bridge is a conservative alternatives to the conventional bridge. There is less tooth structure removed for these bridges and usually the front part of your teeth is saved.
All Porcelain or All Resin
These two types of bridges are very esthetic. They look great. Since they have no metal substructure or all resin materials, they are often weaker than other bridges. If you want the best esthetics and are willing to be extra careful with your teeth, this style may be for you.
Implants
These wonderful advancements in dentistry allow us to replace missing teeth and restore them undetectably. The new teeth can look so natural, no one will know!
An implant is a metal “screw” that is placed in your bone and mimics the root of your natural tooth. An artificial tooth is placed on top of the implant and viola! New teeth!
If you have multiple missing teeth, implants may work for you too. Even people with dentures can have two implants placed to get a snap fit with their dentures; or they may have numerous implants placed and never wear a denture again!
The new implants have over 30 years of research to back them up. Millions of people now benefit from dental implants. The tales of bad implants are long gone – discover what modern implant dentistry can do for you!
Learn more about dental implants here at the Goldstein Dental Center.
Partial Dentures (Partials)
When you still have some teeth left, or want an inexpensive alternative to a bridge, a partial denture may be perfect. A “partial” will fill any gaps left by missing teeth and it is held in by your existing teeth or special “snap fits” that can be made to give the “partial” more retention.
Please note that implants can be placed in most people and you may never need to wear a partial again.
Full Dentures (Plates)
Dentures are the last treatment alternative to ever consider. Dentures are crude replacements for teeth. They can offer superb esthetics but without either a few key teeth or implants to hold the lower plate in, you will have movement of the denture. This movement usually causes food entrapment, sore spots, and more bone loss.
The upper denture usually has more retention and therefore moves less. It is often much more comfortable than the lower denture.
NOTE: If you have dentures, you may want to consider placement of dental implants. They can either tighten the fit of your denture, or you may be able to throw that denture away!