There are a number of ways to improve unsightly teeth. You can, of course, replace them with dental implants — but not if they're still viable. You can crown them: however, you'll have to significantly reduce their structure for the crowns to fit over them.
There is another less invasive option for teeth with mild to moderate imperfections — you can cover them with porcelain veneers. As the name implies, a veneer is a thin covering of dental porcelain bonded to the outside surface of a tooth. They literally put a “new face” on chipped, stained or slightly gapped teeth.
You'll first need a dental examination to ensure your teeth are reasonably healthy and that you don't have any significant dental problems that could interfere with the veneers. We can then design your veneers' shape and color to achieve the look you desire. We can also create a temporary “trial smile” with acrylic replicas of your proposed veneers to give you a realistic impression of your future smile.
The next step is the possibility the teeth need to be prepared for the veneers. Although quite thin, veneers can still make the teeth look larger or bulky. To compensate, we remove some of the tooth enamel. Although much less than for a crown, this alteration is still permanent: your teeth will need some form of restoration from now on. There are also “no-prep” veneers, which require no tooth surface reduction. Ask us if this is an option.
We then make an impression of the teeth, which with other information will guide a technician at a dental laboratory to manually create your new veneers. This can take several weeks and requires a high degree of artistry to produce a custom product that will match your teeth.
Once they've arrived, we'll use a permanent bonding process to precisely attach them to your teeth. It will then be up to you to care for your veneers, especially not biting down on anything hard that could chip or crack them. You should also maintain regular dental visits and proper oral hygiene to keep your smile as bright and attractive as possible.
Although small in size, veneers can make a big impression. They can restore the smile you once had — or give you the look you've always wanted.
If you would like more information on porcelain veneers, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can also learn more about this topic by reading the Dear Doctor magazine article “Porcelain Veneers: Strength & Beauty as Never Before.”
A woman as gorgeous and funny as Sofia Vergara surely planned to be a model and actress from the get-go, right? Wrong! Sofia’s first career choice actually was to be… a dentist! That’s right, the sexy star of TV’s Modern Family actually was only two semesters shy of finishing a dental degree in her native Columbia when she traded dental school for the small screen. Still, dental health remains a top priority for the actress and her son, Manolo.
“I’m obsessed,” she recently told People magazine. “My son thinks I’m crazy because I make him do a cleaning every three months. I try to bribe the dentist to make him to do it sooner!”
That’s what we call a healthy obsession (teeth-cleaning, not bribery). And while coming in for a professional cleaning every three months may not be necessary for everyone, some people — especially those who are particularly susceptible to gum disease — may benefit from professional cleanings on a three-month schedule. In fact, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to having professional teeth cleanings — but everyone needs this beneficial procedure on a regular basis.
Even if you are meticulous about your daily oral hygiene routine at home, there are plenty of reasons for regular checkups. They include:
So take a tip from Sofia Vergara, and don’t skimp on professional cleanings and checkups. If you want to know how often you should come in for routine dental checkups, please contact us or schedule an appointment for a consultation. You can learn more in the Dear Doctor articles “Dental Hygiene Visit” and “Dental Cleanings Using Ultrasonic Scalers.”