Hope Restorative & Cosmetic Dentistry

Can I Switch from Dentures to Dental Implants

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I’ve been in dentures for 25 years. I don’t like them and am having a hard time keeping them in. Is it possible for me to switch to dental implants at this point?

Ken

Dear Ken,

illustration of dentures beside a dental implant

One of the biggest problems with dentures is the shrinking of your jawbone. This is what you’re experiencing right now. When your teeth were removed your body recognizes that. In an effort to be efficient with its resources, it will resorb the minerals in your jawbone where it perceives they will be more useful. That is why your dentures are no longer fitting.

Dental implants prevent that. Your dentist, or oral surgeon, will surgically place the implants into your jawbone. This tells your body that you still have teeth and it preserves your jawbone, preventing facial collapse.

It is possible for you to switch to dental implants. However, because of the amount of bone loss you’ve experience, it will require an additional procedure.

Getting Dental Implants after Dentures

You’ll need to have bone grafting done. This is an outpatient procedure which will build up your bone structure. Once that is healed, then it will be time to start the dental implant procedure. Without that bone, there will be nothing to hold the dental implants in place. They will come loose and fall out.

This is an advanced procedure, so you’ll want to make certain you’re going to a dentist which has the post-doctoral training in that procedure. With an experienced dentist, there is about a 98% success rate. But, you don’t want to go to an inexperienced dentist for this. There are too many things which can go wrong.

The good news is, this is also a chance for you to really update your smile. A dentist who has advanced training in both dental implants and cosmetic dental work can give you a stunning smile. This is the chance for you to get your dream smile. One you’ll be proud to share with the world. The best cosmetic dentists are AACD accredited. So, see if you can find an accredited dentist who does dental implants.

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

Matching Whitened Teeth to Dental Work

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I whiten my teeth regularly. My old dentist whitened them and would give me a whitening gel to touch them up every year. I’ve since moved and have a new dentist. I decided to get porcelain veneers. He did four of them, but they are noticeably darker than the rest of my teeth. He says it is the whitest shade. How is that possible? Can I do anything to fix this?

Lacey

Dear Lacey,

tooth shade guide

I think I know what happened here. The above is a tooth shade guide. This is the old standard one which dentists would use to match a dental crown to their patient’s natural tooth color. Then, as teeth whitening grew in popularity this became problematic. We could no longer find a shade white enough to match their teeth.

This is because teeth whitening doesn’t just remove stains which have built up over the years. It will also whiten the natural pigment of the teeth making your teeth whiter than “natural” shades. My guess is your teeth are whiter than what he has available on his shade guide. That also tells me your dentist hasn’t kept up with his field very much.

ivolclar shade guide for bleached teethIn the 90s, as teeth whitening grew in popularity, dental companies knew they had to expand the pallet. Here is an additional guide the Ivoclar company came out with for dentists to use when their patients had very white teeth. Your dentist should have based the color of your new porcelain veneers from something like this guide.

Getting Bad Porcelain Veneers Fixed

Show your dentist this post and ask him to re-do your porcelain veneers at his cost. They don’t match your natural teeth, so it is not the beautiful smile you paid to get.

This time, before you allow your dentist to bond them on permanently, tell him you will want to see them on first. He can use a temporary try-in paste. This will allow you to look at them carefully on your teeth. You get to approve them before they are bonded. If you’re not happy with how they look, it is a simple thing for your dentist to send them back to the lab and make changes. This has to be done before they’re bonded.

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

Whitening Strips Not Working on My Gray Tooth

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I have a gray tooth. I’ve been using teeth whitening strips on it, but it’s not working, even sleeping with the strips. It looks like my other teeth are whitening, but not the gray one. Do I need to get professional whitening done to deal with this gray tooth?

Andrew D. – Florida

Andrew,

If you’ve got a gray tooth, it’s likely dying. You may have had a traumatic injury to the tooth. It’s not going to whiten, even with professional teeth whitening. What you’re seeing is the bruising inside the tooth, not staining.

What your tooth needs is a root canal and a crown. The crown can be made to match the rest of your teeth, no matter what their color. So, if you’re happy with the color of the rest of your teeth, you can just have the crown made to match them.

If you’re not happy with the color of your teeth, you can have your dentist whiten them and then have the crown matched to the new color.

Whatever you decide, I wouldn’t wear your whitestrips overnight, unless they’re a brand designed for that. You’re going to end up with gum irritation. Most whitestrips have a time limit of 30 minutes.

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

Natural looking white teeth

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I want to whiten my teeth. I’m over forty and my teeth have yellowed quite a bit.  I just don’t want it to look unnatural.  So many people I see who have their teeth whitened, especially newscasters, have teeth that are so white you know they’ve been bleached like mad.  What is the secret to whitening them in a mild way?

Amanda C. – Texas

Amanda,

One of the things I love about cosmetic dentistry, is the ability to tailor the treatment to the desires of the desires of the patient.  The simplest way to whiten your teeth without them getting overly white, is to do professional at-home teeth whitening. You can whiten until you get it to the level of brightness that you want, then you stop.  It’s that simple.

If all you’re wanting is a whiter smile, that is the way to go. If, however, you’re wanting to change anythign else about your smile, such as their size or shape, than I suggest you ask a great cosmetic dentist about porcelain veneers. They can do a lot more.

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

What can I do to get the best smile?

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If I’m wanting to get a new smile, how can I ensure I get the best smile possible?

Sarah L. – Kansas City, MO

Sarah,

The only way to ensure you get the best smile possible is to get the best cosmetic dentist available to you.  Cosmetic dentistry requires a significant amount of technical training and artistry.  However, there is not a recognized specialty in cosmetic dentistry. Any general dentist can call themselves a cosmetic dentist regardless of their skill (or lack thereof).

There are countless horror stories about people who went to unskilled cosmetic dentists. At best, they wasted thousands of dollars on a disappointing smile. At worse, they ended up with a smile worse than the one they came to fix or even had their bite thrown off and ended up with TMJ.

The best dentist you can find will be accredited with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). This is different from just membership with the AACD. To get accredited you have to pass stringent exams and demonstrate significant artistry. Only the top 1-3% of dentists in the world attain this level.  It would be worth it for you to even drive to another city. There is nothing that makes you feel better than a smile you are proud to show. Think of all the smiling you’ll do, which on it’s own will increase your natural feeling of joy.

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

My dentures look like wooden teeth

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I got some dentures and I’m very dissappointed with them.  To me they look as bad as if I had wooden teeth. They’re way too dark.  My dentist insists that’s what makes them look natural, but my natural teeth weren’t this dark.  Is there a way I can whiten them?

Sandra W. – Cabot, AR

Sandra,

I’m sorry for the experience your having. I’m even more sorry to tell you there is no way to whiten dentures, or any other type of dental fixture for that matter.  How they look depends completely on the skill of the dentist you employ. It sounds like you have a decent family dentist who is trying to do cosmetic type of work.

To make dentures look beautiful takes a significant amount of cosmetic training. I can easily assume your dentist doesn’t have that training based on more than just your unhappiness with the result.  In dental school we’re taught that the dentist knows best, which is why your dentist argued with you about how they look. However, those with significant cosmetic training know that it is the patient who is the judge of how beautiful the result is.

Unfortunately, the only way to make these look any better than they do is by having them re-done by a more artistic dentist.

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

Best Cosmetic Dentists

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I’ve noticed Dr. Cha is listed as one of the country’s best cosmetic dentists. I wondered if you guys could answer a question for me. I keep hearing how important it is for a cosmetic dentist to be artistic too. But, I’ve been thinking about that. Most dentists send the work out to a lab to do. So, wouldn’t it make more sense to make sure the lab is artistic?

Simone F. – Lafayette, LA

Simone,

Though a good lab is imperative, they are dependent on the dentist to have artistic skills. Your wisest course is to look for the best cosmetic dentist and let them worry about the lab. Here is what the dentist has to do in order to have a beautiful result:

1. The tooth has to be properly prepared for the procedure.

2. It is extremely important that a high quality impression of the teeth is taken.

3. Detailed instructions have to be given to the lab such as, a shading map. Notice your individual teeth are not the same shade from top to bottom. In addition to a shade map, there will need to be instructions on surface texture, the degree of translucency, and many other details.

Bear in mind  that a great cosmetic dentist will only use a great lab. However, a great lab may be getting instructions from a horrible dentist.

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

Smile Makeover

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What do I do to go about getting a smile makeover?

Analisa M.- Staten Island, NY

Analisa,

The most important step in getting a smile makeover is choosing your cosmetic dentist. Many people don’t know that cosmetic dentistry is not actually a recognized specialty.  Anyone can “learn” a few cosmetic procedures and call themselves a cosmetic dentist. What you will get from a dentist like that is a disappointing smile.  In fact, you might be better off not going to them at all.

Instead look for someone with expertise in cosmetic procedure. You want someone with an artistic eye. Ideally, you’ll want someone who is accredited with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD).  Very few dentists attain that level of expertise, so you may have to drive a little ways. I assure you, it will be worth it.

Most of the time, cosmetic dentists pick porcelain veneers for a smile makeover. As long as you’re a candidate, they are the ideal way of getting a gorgeous smile. These tiny wafers of porcelain can change the shape, size, and color of your teeth.

You’ll meet with the dentist you choose and together decide on the type of smile you want.  He’ll make the veneers, or hire a lab to do it according to his specifications. Make sure he doesn’t permanently bond them on until you’ve tried them in with a temporary paste. This way you can  have any changes made before they’re permanent. However, if you choose the right dentist, he’ll do that automatically.

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

Invisalign or Veneers

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I want to get my smile done. I thought I’d like to get Lumineers, but my dentist said I would need to get Invisalign first. He also said that Lumineers would make my teeth look bulky, so I should get a different brand. Do you agree with his advice?

Ellie R.- Pennsylvania

Ellie,

I agree with your dentist about the Lumineers. They are not your best option. It is important to bear in mind that they are just one brand of porcelain veneers. There are several other brands that are much more aesthetic.

The other advice I’m not so sure about. Generally, you would either get Invisalign or you would get porcelain veneers, but not both, so that part of his advice I’m not sure I agree with. However, it is possible there is some special case that I’m unaware of such as severe crowding. My recommendation is that you get a second opinion. Try one of the dentists recommended for your area by mynewsmile.com.

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

Announcement: AACD Accreditation

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We are proud to announce that Dr. Jerome Cha is now an accredited member of The American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD).  Though any general dentist can join this reputable organization, accreditation has to be earned. This is a very elite level of cosmetic dentistry that very few dentists reach. It requires passing rigorous written and oral examinations as well as submitting case results to demonstrate your artistic skill.

What Does this mean for you?

This means confidence. No matter what your needs: reconstructive or cosmetic, you can be fully confident that Dr. Cha has the skill and artistry to give you the smile of your dreams.

You may be interested in learning about some of these cosmetic and reconstructive services:

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