Archives for April 2020

Will a Gum Drop Down on a Dental Implant

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I had a dental implant placed and am now wearing the temporary crown. The crown looks obviously fake and the gumline where I had the implant placed is higher than it is on my other teeth. My dentist said the gum may drop down while I am wearing the temporary crown. But, I’m unhappy overall with this whole thing. I paid quite a pretty penny for this and my smile looks worse than when I was just wearing a dental flipper. My questions are: Will my gum drop down? Will the permanent crown look more natural?

Daisy

Dear Daisy,

dental implant being placed in three stages

A dental implant is a great tooth replacement option, so as far as that choice goes, you made a good one. Let’s just hope your current dentist is up to the task. It is possible that your gum will drop down to reach the dental crown. If it doesn’t, I’ll give you the options you have. However, there is something more important I want to address first.

You need to insist the temporary crown look the way you want it before the permanent crown is made. If he is not up to that, then you may need to switch to a better dentist. Tell him the crown looks fake and you want him to re-do it.

Then, when it is the way you want and the permanent crown is ready, make sure you get to see it in your mouth BEFORE it is permanently bonded on. There is a temporary try in paste he can use to do that for you.

Now, regarding your gum line. I want you to look in a mirror and smile your biggest, widest smile. Are your gums visible when you do that? If so, you want them to be symmetrical. That means if they don’t drop down, you will need an additional procedure to get that worked on. Your dentist should arrange for that.

If they aren’t visible, then you may not want to mess with it.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you have further questions.

This blog is brought to you by Marietta Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

Switching Dentists Mid Invisalign

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While I am very happy with my Invisalign treatment, I am not happy with my dentist. The treatment itself is a dream. It’s easy to use. It’s comfortable. And I can brush my teeth just like normal. My dentist, however, is very inappropriate. He tells suggestive jokes and the way he looks at me gives me the heebie-jeebies. Is it possible to switch dentists in the middle of treatment?

Carol

Dear Carol,

a side by side comparison of traditional braces and Invisalign on someone's teeth

Traditional braces versus Invisalign

Any time you want to switch dentists, the dentist is under an ethical obligation to transfer all treatment information to your new dentist. You shouldn’t have any problem with that. If he gives you any trouble, you could always mention that you could report his behavior to the dental board instead of simply switching dentists. That should sober him up a bit.

I’m actually wondering if you should report it anyway. At the very least, talk to his assistant and see if that is something that just happened with you or if it was a consistent issue with female patients. Not that one is better than another. However, knowing if it was a pattern may help with the dental board. Many people have enough trouble with dental anxiety without adding in the additional pressure of feeling uncomfortable in the chair because of the dentist’s behavior.

I’m glad you are happy with your Invisalign treatment. It has a very high patient satisfaction rate. It will be very easy for you to just take up at the exact same spot with whatever dentist you end up with.

There is a hidden benefit you may not be aware of. The clear aligners you are using with Invisalign can also double as teeth whitening trays. Your new dentist can provide you with teeth whitening gel, which is quite inexpensive. Then, you will just add the gel to your aligners for at least twenty minutes a day. Before you know it, you have both straight and white teeth. It’s like getting a mini smile makeover.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

Inexpensive Way to Cover Tetracycline Stains

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I’m 65 years old and retiring. I have some savings but not a ton. All my life, I’ve been embarrassed by my smile, which is marred by tetracycline stains. I know people say to get porcelain veneers for these, which are a bit out of my budget. Do you think if I had them done at a dental school, they would be more affordable?

Elaine

Dear Elaine,

woman covering her mouth with her hand

I don’t recommend you have a dental school do your porcelain veneers. The art of smile makeovers isn’t really taught at dental school. General dentistry is more of an engineering mindset and doesn’t bother with what they consider mere cosmetic electives. Any student who did your veneers would likely be doing their first case. Not only that, but it could very well be the instructor’s first case as well. Whatever they did would not give you the results you want. Plus, tetracycline stains are some of the toughest stains to do. The type of dentist you need would charge $1000-%1200 minimum per tooth. That’s not the inexpensive solution you’re looking for.

In most cases, teeth whitening doesn’t work on tetracycline stains because they’re so dark and deep. However, there is one brand that has had more success than other’s because it has a unique way of delivering the gel that gives it some more potency. Ask your dentist to use Kör whitening. It may not get rid of the stains completely, but it will certainly lighten them. Worst case scenario this gives you some time to save up to have any porcelain veneers done by the right dentist.

When selecting one, don’t just go by their price, even though I quoted one as a guide. Ask them how many tetracycline cases they’ve done. You don’t want someone new at it. Then ask to see the before and after pictures that show their results. It won’t matter if they’ve done 100 cases if they did them all badly.

If you would like to know what our office could do for you, just ask us for a remote smile consult. Send us a couple of selfies and we’ll send you back a video that will explain your options.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.