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Ask the Dental ExpertsOur philosophy is to help our patients achieve and maintain exceptional dental health. We work hard to make sure that our level of care is deserving of our patients’ respect and confidence. Our tradition of preventive dentistry is the basis for all service and care in our practice. We welcome all questions and comments regarding dentistry in the hope that we increase your dental "IQ" and help you make better dental health decisions.I would like some price information on teeth whitening please.Thanks for the enquiry. The cost of teeth whitening can vary greatly; depending on what we do to lighten (whiten) your teeth. There are many different procedures from simple tray bleaching to in office whitening procedures. You can also do direct bonding or porcelain veneers to whiten you teeth. That is why it is difficult to give exact costs. Please give us a call and we would be happy to help you explore your treatment options. Dale J. Brant, DDSCharles Campbell, DDS(713) 795-5905Labels: cosmetic tooth procedures, cosmetic tooth whitening
Placing a Porcelain Inlay
A porcelain inlay is an indirect filling that is used to repair a decayed portion of a tooth or the hole left in a tooth after a silver-mercury amalgam filling has failed. In some respects, it works much like a tooth filling because it fits within the cusp of a tooth to replace either a lost filling or fill a cavity caused by decay. However, a porcelain inlay is very different from a standard filling. Not only is it made from an entirely different material, but the process used to make it similar to the process of making a dental crown. Porcelain inlays are made in a laboratory to match the shape and size of the tooth. They restore the cosmetic appearance of teeth, and they strengthen teeth by restoring the original surface area that was lost to damage or decay.
We at the Cosmetic Dentistry Center of Houston do not recommend the use of silver-mercury amalgam fillings. However, we do often fill teeth with composite resin through a process known as dental bonding. Dental bonding, however, requires a certain minimal tooth mass in order to be performed. When decay or tooth fracture has destroyed the majority of the tooth surface, placing a porcelain inlay can restore the appearance and function of the tooth so it does not have to be extracted. For people who cannot afford dental implants at this time, placing porcelain inlays provides a viable alternative to tooth replacement.
Manufacturing porcelain inlays is very similar to manufacturing dental crowns. It will take two appointments to make the inlays and place them. During the first visit, the dentist begins by cleaning up the affected tooth or teeth to prepare them for the placement of inlays. The dentist first numbs the area around the teeth to make the procedure painless. If the problem is old fillings, he or she will first extract what remains of the filling from the interior of the tooth. A rubber dam may be used to prevent debris from falling into your mouth. Any decayed areas are also removed, and the remaining healthy portion of the tooth is reshaped.
The dentist will then make impressions of your teeth in order to create a working model of your natural bite. These impressions are very important and must be meticulously taken in order to create an accurate model. A dentist may place a small string between your teeth and gums in order to push the gums gently away from tooth surfaces. Once the impressions are made, the dentist will place temporary inlays in your mouth while the porcelain inlays are being made. It will take approximately one to two weeks for the laboratory to manufacture your new inlays. When they are ready, the dentist will call you back, remove the temporaries, and place the permanent inlays in your teeth. The dentist will check the bite with colored tape to see where your teeth are coming together, and he or she will also floss between the teeth to make certain there are no tight spots.
If your teeth pass inspection, the dentist will permanently place your porcelain inlays by cementing them in place. Inlays can last anywhere from 10 to 30 years and have proven themselves to be one of the most effective cosmetic tooth restoration procedures we can economically provide to our patients. Labels: composite bonding resin, cosmetic dental bonding, cosmetic dental crowns, cosmetic dental procedures, cosmetic tooth procedures
There are many cosmetic teeth procedures that we can perform for you here at the Houston Medical Center Dental Group. Some are simple, requiring only one or two office visits. Some are more complex, requiring reconstructive dental work to repair or replace damaged or broken teeth.
Cosmetic Dental Bonding
One of our newer, more advanced cosmetic teeth procedures is cosmetic dental bonding. This procedure has basically replaced silver-mercury fillings. A special bio-friendly resin that looks like tooth enamel is used in dental bonding. It fills cavities much better than older amalgams, smoothes out cracks, and whitens tooth surfaces. Because it lasts longer as well, there is little risk that it will fall out.
Cosmetic Dental Bleaching
Another one of our more popular cosmetic teeth procedure is cosmetic dental bleaching. This is done with a bleaching gel. During your initial office visit, the dentist whitens your teeth. You then use another bleaching agent every night, at home, for two weeks. During your second and final office visit, another treatment of bleach is applied.
Cosmetic Dental Veneers
Dental veneers are made of porcelain. They are very hard and very difficult to break. Their color looks like that of natural tooth enamel. Porcelain is resistant to staining, so once veneers are applied, they will retain their color for years.
Veneers are one of the most versatile cosmetic teeth procedures. They can be used to treat a number of conditions. They can cover small chips and pits in tooth surfaces. They can whiten badly discolored teeth which bleach will not work on. They have even been used to correct minor tooth alignment problems.
Cosmetic Dental Porcelain Crowns
Prior to the development of more sophisticated cosmetic teeth procedures, dentists had few choices in treating severely decayed or fractured teeth. When a cavity destroyed more than 40 percent of a tooth, or when a tooth was cracked down to the dentin, the tooth had to be pulled. Prior to the development of dental implants, people no real tooth replacement options beyond traditional bridges or partial dentures. .
Porcelain crowns have introduced a whole new realm of options. While the life of a tooth cannot always be saved, crowns now make it possible to salvage physical structure and function of the tooth. Severely infected or damaged teeth can be cleaned with a standard root canal. Then, they can be capped with a porcelain crown that looks identical to surrounding teeth. Porcelain crowns are much more resilient than natural teeth, so they can restore both aesthetics to the smile and allow you to eat virtually anything.
Cosmetic Dental Implants
For people who have lost teeth, implant dentistry offers the best tooth replacement options. Made from a bio-friendly alloy known as Tivolloy, dental implants screw into the jawbone and act like artificial tooth roots. When the jaw has accepted this implant, the dentist then caps the base with a porcelain crown, effectively creating a whole new tooth where none has existed for years. Labels: cosmetic dentistry, cosmetic dentists Houston, cosmetic teeth whitening, cosmetic tooth procedures, cosmetic tooth whitening, dental imlplants, dental implant, teeth replacements
here are Many Cosmetic Teeth Procedures Your Dentist Can Perform to Restore Your Smile. This is because dentistry can be a science as much as it is an art. The essence of cosmetic dentistry, after all, is the restoration of a beautiful smile. Many cases are simple, and easy to treat with basic procedures. Others, however, are much more complex, and present such a challenge that only the most advanced cosmetic teeth procedures can address. Fortunately for patients these days, science has become as diversified and specialized as art. Cosmetic dentists in our society now have access to a wide variety of technology that will allow them to repair virtually any problem they encounter with any number of sophisticated cosmetic teeth procedures.
Tooth Whitening is one of the more basic forms of cosmetic teeth procedures that involves whitening the teeth with special bleach that is made permanent and sealed by a high intensity light. It is normally the first course of action a cosmetic dentist recommends for moderate or moderately heavy tooth discoloration. Very severe cases of discoloration, however, often need more aggressive cosmetic teeth procedures are needed.
Dental Veneers
If stains are too severe for bleaching to remove, it is sometimes better to overlay the tooth with a hard, non-permeable substance cosmetically attractive and impervious to further discoloration. Porcelain just such a substance, and features a remarkable appearance that is very similar to the natural translucence of tooth enamel. Once applied; dental veneers will last for years, and never stain or discolor themselves.
Dental Bonding
Perhaps the simplest and most painless cosmetic tooth procedures that dentists perform are cosmetic dental bonding. This procedure is performed with a composite that is either customized to the color of exiting teeth, or whitened to improve their appearance.
Dental Crowns
If severe tooth decay goes untreated for too long, it can destroy more than 50 percent of a tooth to the point that it cannot be salvaged. This is especially true if decay breaks into the nerve chamber and begins killing the root itself. Cosmetic dentists avoid the patchwork procedures silver amalgam fillings that have since become outdated and proven insufficient. Instead, they remove the diseased portion of the tooth and cap it with a dental crown. Unlike a veneer is the crown is made to cover the cover the entire tooth, acting like a cap over its exterior surface.
Dental Implants
In those unfortunate cases where a tooth cannot be saved, and it has to be extracted, there is still a cosmetic that can save the smile procedures. This solution is the dental implant. A dental implant is made from a titanium root structure attached to the jawbone, capped by a porcelain crown that looks just like a natural tooth. Implants work so well that people who get them often forget they had them to begin with.Labels: cosmetic dental bonding, cosmetic dental implants, cosmetic dentistry, cosmetic teeth whitening, cosmetic tooth procedures
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