Two Types of Cosmetic Veneers:
a. CONTACT LENS - No tooth reduction ($390 ea.)
Very thin 1/2 mm thick veneers bounded directly to your teeth with little
or no tooth preparation. Ideal for small teeth, spaces, and most
conservative procedure. (click
here for diagram and more details)
b. STANDARD - Tooth reduction ( $480 ea.)
Requires trimming or reducing the tooth before bonding the veneer to the
trimmed tooth. Required procedure for crooked teeth, large teeth and all
lower teeth. Better esthetics yet still a more conservative procedure than
crowns.
(click here for diagram and
more details)
State-of-the-art materials design now makes it convenient and
affordable to straighten crooked teeth and correct your smile using
invisible braces.
These braces are a series of clear plastic trays which are worn 24/7
(except to eat or to clean teeth). The advantage is that these clear
braces are mostly invisible to the eye as opposed to unsightly metal
braces and can be temporarily removed if you want to attend a special
function or occasion with wearing the braces.
Our focus is on the front, upper teeth and lower crooked teeth. These
braces are not suitable for correcting the bite or resolving back teeth
problems. Normal wearing time is 2 to 4 months. Click
here to learn more.
When teeth have compromised strength due to large
fillings, root canals, or fractures, full coverage crowns or caps are
indicated. The tooth is reduced by approximately 2mm on all sides all the
way to, or slightly below the gum line. This reduced tooth stub becomes
the core for placing a tooth colored crown over the
stub. An impression is taken of the reduced tooth and the porcelain crown
is fabricated in the lab. It is then seated and cemented in place at a
later appointment. Today we can safely fit esthetic crowns with the same
strength and wear characteristics as natural teeth. Molar teeth usually
require porcelain over metal for maximum chewing strength ($650) whereas
front teeth and bicuspid crowns do not need metal ($520). Proper care and
hygiene can result in 5 - 20 year life expectancy.
Just as in tooth colored crowns and caps it is now
possible to replace unsightly large silver or gold fillings with tooth
colored inlays/onlays that has the strength and wear characteristics of
natural enamel. The filling is removed, the tooth prepared and an
impression of the tooth is made. The laboratory fabricates the inlays/onlays
restoration. It is then seated and cemented in place; esthetic white teeth
is the result, with an average life expectancy of 10 - 20 years with
proper care and hygiene. Laboratory fabricated inlays/onlays are stronger,
more durable, and more wear resistant than large composite fillings.
A very esthetic, yet inexpensive and minimally
intrusive way to replace or add a tooth to our smile. By definition to
"bridge" a gap means support is obtained from the adjacent
sides. In other words, the false tooth is held in place by the two teeth
next to the gap. Normally for most bridges in the back of the mouth the
support is in the form of full crowns in which case the adjacent teeth are
whittled down to accept crowns. In the case of Maryland Bridges, we only
reduce or prepare the adjacent teeth enough to place "wings"
which are then bonded in place. Design and preparation are critical for
strength, esthetics and retention.
The Maryland Bridge when in place is very esthetic
yet conservative. It should be considered whenever a front tooth needs to
be replaced as an alternative to an implant or a conventional bridge.
A relatively simple procedure that is usually
accomplished without anesthesia. The teeth are shaped, contoured and
polished using diamond instruments and discs in a manner similar to filing
fingernails. The difference is that tooth enamel that is filed away does
not grow back and care must be taken not to create sensitivity.
It may be a stand alone procedure or as a part of a
total smile makeover program. The color, shape, arrangement and contour of
our smile is important to the image and personality we seek to project.
New materials and techniques developed over the last 25 years have
transformed dentistry. We now practice "adhesive" dentistry
which means we can "glue" or "bond" dental materials
to teeth whereas the old dentistry required cutting "undercuts"
or "locks" to lock-in or hold fillings.
These new developments have led to the new popular
term cosmetic bonding which refers to the use of tooth colored materials
that are applied directly to teeth with little or no cutting to beautify
the smile. Cosmetic bonding is used to cover or mask tooth defects or
imperfections, "straighten" crooked or mal-positioned teeth,
fill gaps or close spaces between teeth, enlarge teeth and other problems.
Although the procedure for bonding is relatively
simple, the application and results are very technique sensitive and
require skill and artistry. Bonding typically lasts 5-10 years and can be
touched-up or repaired if needed. It is an ideal procedure to fix many
small cosmetic problems inexpensively.
White or tooth colored fillings are now the
procedure of choice for both front and back teeth. Modern composite
fillings are a combination of resins and glass-like fillers which are
placed in the cavity and hardened by polymerization using special lights
or lasers. Similar to cosmetic bonding, they are "glued" or
"bonded" to the walls of the cavity which means less tooth
structure is removed leaving stronger teeth.
These materials are strong, biocompatible and
esthetic and have revolutionized dentistry. Early composites bonded only
to enamel and few other materials. Today we can bond to dentin (inner
tooth below enamel) and cementum (Root surfaces) with only slightly less
strength. We can save more tooth structure and offer tooth colored
restoration throughout the mouth for a natural, healthy look and a great
smile.
Composite fillings are used primarily for the front
teeth, root decay, cavities on the sides of molars and small biting
surface cavities on molars. Large fillings on the chewing surfaces of
molars are still best restored by porcelain inlays, on-lays or crowns.
Bleaching/Teeth Whitening
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Bleaching teeth to make them whiter and brighter is
the most common and least costly cosmetic dental procedure. It gives the
highest benefit to cost ratio and should be considered prior to performing
any other cosmetic procedure. It is easier to match bonding or porcelain
to natural teeth than try to bleach teeth to match the restoration.
Bleaching enhances all cosmetic procedures and should be the first step in
any smile enhancement makeover. All approved bleaching procedures used in
dentistry are chemical in nature. The differences are in the strength of
the bleaching agent, the length of time in contact with the tooth, and the
use of catalysts to speed up the reaction. Bleaching systems are usually
divided into two categories: At-home treatments which are usually done
with bleaching trays for two to three weeks. And in-office treatments of
approximately one hour with comparable results. At Super Smiles we offer
the best and latest of both.
