Hope Restorative & Cosmetic Dentistry

Archives for February 2020

Figuring Out My Smile Makeover

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I want to get a smile makeover with porcelain veneers. My dentist said he wants me to get my teeth whitened first. I thought the porcelain veneers would change the color of my teeth. Why both procedures? I’m worried this dentist is doubling up procedures.

Cathy

Dear Cathy,

a porcelain veneer wafer being placed on a tooth

Believe it or not, your dentist is trying to save you money. Yes, porcelain veneers will change the color of your teeth, but unless you are willing to place porcelain veneers on every single tooth, teeth whitening is a better option for you. Of course, if you prefer to put a veneer on every tooth, I’m sure your dentist wouldn’t mind that.

The idea is to whiten your teeth to the color you’d want your porcelain veneers. It’s it is easier to match the porcelain veneers to the whitened tooth than it is to match whitened teeth to the color of veneers.

Additionally, unless there is something structurally wrong with your bottom arch of teeth, then teeth whitening is all you’d really want there. What shows when you are smiling is your upper teeth. Your bottom teeth are briefly visible while you talk, but as long as they match the color of your upper teeth, they look fine.

The Most Important Consideration with Porcelain Veneers

When you are considering getting a smile makeover, the most important factor is who does the smile makeover. You can have two dentists use the exact same materials and the smiles will turn out very differently. This is because cosmetic dentistry is actually an art form. One artist is bound to be better than another. So how are you to find the dentist with the right artistry who can give you a gorgeous smile?

If I were in your place, I’d look for someone who is proven. See if you can find an AACD accredited dentist in your area. They are among the top 1% of cosmetic dentists in the country. It is worth it even if you have to travel to see them.

This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Jerome Cha.

Can a Smile Be Pretty After Dentures?

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About 30 years ago, I received full dentures. They have always looked fake. Now, as I’m aging, I’m having a hard time keeping them in. Is it too late for me to have a pretty smile? Are there other options for me instead of dentures?

Lucy

Dear Lucy,

Mature couple posing and smiling

No matter what your circumstances, you can have a beautiful smile.

It makes me incredibly sad that you’ve gone this many years embarrassed by your smile, through no fault of your own. Patients don’t always know the options available to them. There are many dentists, Dr. Cha included, who are trying to change that. First, I want to address why you are having trouble keeping your dentures in at the moment.

When your teeth were removed, your body began resorbing the minerals in your jawbone. Within the first three years, you lose up to 60% of your jawbone. After those initial years, the rate of resorption slows down significantly. However, you’ve been missing teeth for 30 years. That is more than long enough to have facial collapse set in. This means you’ve lost so much jawbone, there isn’t enough left to retain your dentures properly.

When this happens, you have to build back up the bone in order to have properly functioning teeth again. This can be done with bone grafting.

Dentures or Dental Implants

After you have built the bone back up, you have a couple of choices. The first is to get dentures again. The biggest downside to that is you will again begin the bone resorption. This leads me to your second option. You can get implant overdentures. These use four to six dental implants to secure your dentures to your jaw.

Having those implants have quite a few advantages:

  • It prevents bone loss.
  • It keeps your dentures completely secure.
  • It greatly improves your quality of life, including your chewing capacity.

Getting a Beautiful Smile

The key to getting a gorgeous smile is the dentist who creates your dentures. Cosmetic dentistry isn’t really taught in dental schools. Because of that, you need to find a dentist who is not only skilled with dental implants (if you decide to go that route), but invested significant time in cosmetic training. The top of the line cosmetic dentists are AACD accredited. That’s different from just membership. Accredited dentists have passed stringent exams on their technical knowledge and presented a large number of specific cases, they’ve personally done, to prove their artistry.

This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Jerome Cha.

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