DENTISTRY EXPLAINED
Hello friends!
I have decided to start a series called “Dentistry Explained” in order to provide some details and information on certain procedures that you may have questions about.
1. SMILE MAKEOVERS
By popular demand, I wanted to provide a general overview of how Smile Makeovers are done!
These are called veneers and can be done either directly in one visit like the photos I’ve been showing, or in multiple visits with the use of a lab. The “90-min makeover” as I call it, refers to composite veneers that are done in one clinic visit. I prepare the tooth surfaces minimally to not remove too much structure. Any decay or cavity is also cleaned out in the process. I then sculpt the teeth with white filling material and that’s it!
The pros of doing it this way are:
1) Cost : much cheaper than lab manufactured porcelain or zirconia veneers.
2) Maintenance : easily polished or adjusted if ever damaged or chipped.
3)Time : it’s a quick one-appointment visit.
*Of course all situations are different and a consult is ideal to discuss the specific options for each patient.
2. THE “DARK TOOTH”
Sometimes, when a tooth is traumatized, either through an impact or accident, it starts to darken over time. Many people come in asking if their tooth is “dead” and how this can be resolved. In simple terms, teeth, like any part of the body, have blood vessels that supply “life” to them. When this blood supply is cut off from an impact, or inflamed through any trauma, the result is blood flow clotting inside the tooth. The dark pigments from the now “black” or dark clotted blood supply start to stain through the tooth.
This generally means a root canal needs to be performed unless that was already done then the tooth can be restored in a way that brings back its esthetic state. Sometimes we can “bleach” the tooth from the inside, but many times the surface of the tooth needs more esthetic treatments such as a veneer or crown. Veneers can be either hand made with regular filling material or can be made in a lab with porcelain and/or zirconia which give very esthetic results!
In the example below, we treated the tooth with regular filling material in one short appointment.
