Questions & Answers

Here are a list of questions related to cosmetic dentistry. Just click on a question to see the answer. Click here to return to list of Question & Answer topics.

Black and unsightly silver fillings?

Cracked, worn, discolored or broken teeth?

What about Painless Dentistry?

How can bleaching improve discolored, dark or stained teeth?

How can dental bonding painlessly repair broken teeth?

Poor self-image, resulting in low self-esteem?

What are Porcelain Veneers?

Too much filling, too little tooth?

Do you have worn, broken, discolored, unsightly, silver-mercury fillings?

Black and unsightly silver fillings?
Many people have had silver fillings placed into their teeth because they had "cavities". These silver fillings are called amalgams. Amalgam fills the space where the decay in the tooth has been removed.

However over time, the amalgam corrodes and leaks which blackens the silver, and many times the tooth. This is easily seen as soon as a patient opens his or her mouth and is usually a source of embarrassment for the patient.

Composite fillings are made of a porcelain-like material that actually bonds to the tooth for a tight seal. They are strong and stain-resistant, and they are color-matched to the natural tooth, making them "invisible".

Composite fillings also lack the sensitivity that is often associated with silver amalgam fillings. They are especially suited for smaller cavities and for patients who may be allergic to metal fillings.

Please don't hesitate to call our office with any questions you may have about the benefits of replacing silver amalgam fillings with invisible composite fillings.

Cracked, worn, discolored or broken teeth?
For over 100 years, dentists have been using silver-mercury amalgam fillings to restore decayed or broken teeth. The only other alternative was gold and that was always too expensive for most folks. Now there is a new and economical way to restore teeth using tooth-colored resin fillings. The resin is made up of glass particles in a plastic matrix. The doctor bonds the putty-like material to the tooth with a high-intensity light. This hardens the material and allows it to be shaped and polished for immediate use.

Once completed, the tooth has a natural appearance and is actually stronger than before due to the strength of the adhesive agent used to bond the resin to the tooth. Resin restorations not only look better, but they are stronger and last longer than the old silver-amalgam fillings. Resin restorations can range from $150 to $350 per tooth.

Please call with any questions you may have about the benefits of resin restorations.

What about Painless Dentistry?
We offer a pain free and needle free option to patients with small cavities. The Air Abrasion System involves using a tiny sandblaster to wash away decay on the top of teeth. These teeth can then be filled with tooth colored composite resin to appear as if nothing had ever happened. You will leave the office free of decay with no postoperative sensitivity or numbness.

How can bleaching improve discolored, dark or stained teeth?

Bleaching is a safe, effective and relatively easy means of producing a whiter smile.

Two bleaching methods are available: Power Bleaching with Zoom Whitening System as seen on the ABC show "Extreme Makeover", done at our office, and At-Home-Bleaching, which provides for home use (not to be confused with over-the-counter bleaching products available in your local drug store).

The difference between the two is the strength of the whitening agent and the time it takes to get effective results. Power bleaching achieves results in a one-hour session, while home bleaching may take up to four weeks of regular use. A limited exam is done before the session free of charge to ensure optimal oral health and understanding

Sensitive teeth, or those that are chipped, eroded or weakened by cavities, should be repaired or protected before they are bleached.

How can Dental bonding Painlessly Repair Broken Teeth?
Bonding is typically painless and can yield dramatic results in a single office visit. Essentially, bonding hides any natural flaws through the placement of a thin plastic coating on the front surface of the teeth.

After treating the tooth surface, a puttylike bonding material is applied that is then sculpted, shaped and colored to suit the patient's needs. A high-intensity light causes the plastic to harden after which the new surface is smoothed and polished.

Bonding can lighten stains, close gaps and even alter crooked or malformed teeth. It can be utilized to change the shape or color of a single tooth or if necessary to revamp the entire smile.

Please call our office for a free cosmetic consultation.

Poor self-image, resulting in low self-esteem?
The appearance of the teeth has a dramatic effect on both the person's attractiveness to others and on their own self-image and self-esteem. Studies have shown that a person's appearance will have a strong effect on their social and career success, by influencing how others perceive them.

While the appearance of the teeth is one of the most important contributors to facial beauty, it is also probably the most often neglected when improvements to appearance are sought. A person with low self-esteem connected to their facial appearance, can often be greatly helped by cosmetic dental procedures.

Dental make-overs have become more common, less invasive, and more effective in correcting deformities and cosmetic dental problems. The effect of these procedures can be nothing short of dramatic both in terms of appearance and also in terms of correcting, at least partially, personality deficiencies caused by poor self-image. Ugly teeth are no longer a matter of fate; they are now becoming a matter of choice.

What are porcelain veneers?
Porcelain veneers are often used for the same reasons as bonding (to lighten stains, close gaps and even alter crooked or malformed teeth). They are considerably more durable and stain resistant than bonding.

The veneer is actually a thin piece of porcelain similar in size to a fingernail. Once it is "bonded" onto the tooth it becomes extremely strong. It also blends in with the remaining tooth structure so that it is unnoticeable to the naked-eye. Once in place, it looks, feels, and functions just like a regular tooth.

Porcelain veneers can be utilized to change the shape and color of a single tooth or if necessary, revamp an entire smile. Porcelain veneers can also be used to correct teeth that have been worn from clenching and grinding.

Please call for a free cosmetic consultation. You may ask any questions you have about the benefits of porcelain veneers.

Too much filling, too little tooth?
A Crown for a Tooth
Teeth are often restored with fillings of silver or composite plastics. These materials can often accomplish the aim of replacing the part of the tooth that has been lost in a strong and good-looking manner. However, there comes a point where the damage to the tooth has removed too much structure to hold a filling. The restoration must be done by a technique that will attach to the remaining tooth, stand up under heavier use and meet more elaborate cosmetic requirements. The Crown is the dental restoration that can strengthen and restore the entire top of a tooth. The crown can also be part of the attachment of a fixed bridge for the replacement of teeth. The tooth is strengthened because it is covered from the outside with a casting of metal or ceramic that will wrap up and splint the tooth. The chewing of the tooth can be improved because it can be reshaped to match more efficiently with the opposing teeth. A crown can improve cosmetics by the use of modern ceramic processes that produce translucency and color that is more natural than has ever been possible.

Worn, broken, discolored, unsightly, silver-mercury fillings?
Tooth-colored "resin" fillings For over 100 years, dentists have been using silver-mercury amalgam fillings to restore decayed or broken teeth. The only other alternative was gold and that was always too expensive for most folks. Now there is a new and economical way to restore teeth using tooth-colored resin fillings. The resin is made up of glass particles in a plastic matrix. The doctor bonds the putty-like material to the tooth with a high-intensity light. This hardens the material and allows it to be shaped and polished for immediate use. Once completed, the tooth has a natural appearance and is actually stronger than before due to the strength of the adhesive agent used to bond the resin to the tooth. Resin restorations not only look better, but they are stronger and last longer than the old silver-amalgam fillings. Resin restorations can range from $150 to $350 per tooth. Please call with any questions you may have about the benefits of resin restorations.