Monthly Archives: February 2018

Dentures

30 Years of Dentures – Can My Smile Be Pretty?

I’ve had dentures for over thirty years. I’ve spent my life embarrassed by my smile. The other day I read something that reminded me I’ve never tried to do anything about it. Instead, I accepted it as a fate I couldn’t change. Now I’m wondering. After all this time, is it too late for me to have a pretty smile?

Miranda

Dear Miranda,

You’ve got a few issues going on here. But, first let me tell you before we go into what to do that yes, you can absolutely have a beautiful smile again.

Sadly, your dentures could have been gorgeous from the beginning. Many patients feel like what their dentist gives them is as good as it gets, especially when dentures are concerned. Maybe it’s because they remembered their grandmother’s dentures looked similar. It no longer has to be that way.

It would have taken a better cosmetic dentist than you obviously had. But, gorgeous dentures are done every day by expert cosmetic dentists. Looking at Dr. Cha’s smile gallery, there are a few patients there who had partial dentures placed. You can see they are stunningly gorgeous. When it comes to beauty, it’s not the procedure nearly as much as it is the dentist.

But how do you find such a dentist? When it comes to finding the most artistic and skilled cosmetic dentists, I recommend getting a dentist who’s reached accreditation level with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD).

Problems with Dentures

However, your bigger issue is not just how it looks. The downside of dentures is far greater over the long term. When your teeth were removed, your body wanted to preserve the minerals which are no longer necessary to retain your teeth. Unfortunately, that means you’ll start losing jawbone. Eventually, you won’t have enough jawbone to retain your dentures, leaving you a dental cripple.

Solution to the Problems with Dentures

Illustration of dental implants in three partsFirst, you’ll need to build up your jawbone again. This can be done with a procedure called bone grafting. This will provide you with bone again. From there, you have two choices. You can get your dentures re-done. You will have similar problems with losing jawbone all over again, along with the other types of problems which go along with dentures.

You have another option, though. My suggestion would be for you to instead of replacing your dentures to get dental implants instead. You’ll find that your quality of life goes up significantly, especially your chewing capacity.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Jerome Cha.

Porcelain Veneers

Why Would Porcelain Veneers be the Price of a Home?

I had a disastrous first smile makeover. Even the dentist who created it knew it was awful and offered me a full refund without me even asking. That should tell you how bad it was. So, now I’m off to get this fixed. You can imagine I’m not too willing to smile at this moment. The “makeover” is humiliatingly bad. I made a list of cosmetic dentists in my area. I’ve tried one who was highly recommended in fact, I heard that people fly in from other countries to have him do their makeovers. Unfortunately, he quoted me the price of my home. Is that what I’m looking at if I want this fixed?

Cora L.

Dear Cora,

A single porcelain veneer being held by a dental tool

I’m going on the assumption that your house is worth more than $100,000. That’s pricey even for the best of the best cosmetic dentists. Is it possible he quoted you a full mouth reconstruction? Did he say anything about your bite being off?

Some dentists only want to work on the “ideal” treatment, but a great cosmetic dentist can give you a gorgeous smile even if your bite is a bit off. Though, if it’s very off, you may want to look into TMJ disorder because you don’t want an additional problem.

What you were quoted isn’t a typical cost of getting porcelain veneers. I wouldn’t panic that you’ll have to mortgage your house to get this fixed. In fact, cost isn’t the biggest factor in determining who’s a better dentist. I know a couple of dentists in the area who might be able to illustrate this for you.

A Tale of Two Dentists Who do Porcelain Veneers

Dentist “A” costs a fortune. He gives gorgeous smile makeovers. Dentist “B” isn’t the cheapest but is less than dentist “A”. He gives gorgeous smile makeovers. It’s more about the skill of the dentist than it is the price.

In your place, because you’re already repairing a disaster, I’d say you need a highly skilled and artistic cosmetic dentist. See if there’s an AACD accredited dentist in your area. Most of them even have a beautiful smile guarantee.

If there’s not one within a reasonable distance, then look on the mynewsmile.com website. They list artistic cosmetic dentists by area. A dentist can’t buy their way onto the site. Either way you’ll get great results.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Jerome Cha.