Sunday, May 10, 2009

Cosmetic Teeth 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.

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Saturday, May 9, 2009

Immediate Dentures

People loose teeth for many reasons, including tooth decay, periodontal disease, and accidents. Bone loss can occur from periodontal disease can even cause bone that will further loosen teeth in their sockets. When they become this loose, or too severely damaged to cap, many dentists will decide that extracting them is the only option. In these instances, immediate dentures can then be used as teeth replacements.

Immediate dentures are made and placed in the mouth within 24 hours of tooth extraction. This is why they are called immediate dentures, and the rapid placement of them offers a very good chance of speedy recovery and minimized infection.

Immediate dentures are made from impressions of the mouth that the dentist makes before teeth are extracted. A mold is made from natural a tooth that mimics their size, shape, and texture. Dentists then pinpoint the exact shape and color of natural and use this to color your dentures. Your immediate dentures are then made and unhealthy and loose teeth pulled. This will be done under anesthetic to prevent you from feeling pain.

As each tooth is extracted, it is replaced with an immediate denture. After the procedure, there are some side effects that will linger for the first 24 hours. Your gums will probably swell and make your denture(s) feel tight. You may also have problems associated immediately after your dentures are placed. Some may tip when you chew, and you may notice an increase in salivation.

Your dentures may feel bulky at first no matter how closely we match them to your natural teeth. If you have a strong gag reflex, it may be triggered at first, but not for very long. Some people report a slight difficulty speaking at first. Overall, though, all of these effects diminish as your mouth eventually adjusts.

Your jawbone will also heal over the six to nine months, and your gums will shrink slightly. We will correct this by using a temporary lining material to fill the small gaps between the denture(s) and the gum. After about 9 months, when the healing process is complete, your mouth will assume a final shape that we can then use to reline each denture for a final fit.

No one wants to have a tooth pulled, but sometimes it is necessary. One way to prevent further tooth and bone loss is to get immediate dentures that will not only help maintain your health, but will also work to restore and improve your smile.

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