Archives for June 2020

Lumineers to Whiten Teeth?

Posted on June 30, 2020 by writeradmin.

I wanted to get my teeth whitened and talked to my dentist about it. He told me he was just certified in Lumineers and that could whiten my teeth while fixing a tiny chip I have on one of my teeth. The chip has never really bothered me until he brought it up. For some reason, it never occurred to me people will notice the chip. Now suddenly it worries me. However, the price of Lumineers is pretty high. Is there another option?

Beth

Dear Beth,

You definitely don’t want to move forward with your dentist’s plans. Not only is it a massive overtreatment, but you are likely to end up with a smile that is worse than what you started with. Lumineers is a brand of porcelain veneers that is highly marketed to inexperienced cosmetic dentists as being easy to place. While they don’t necessarily require tooth preparation the way other brands do, that doesn’t mean the dentist will know how to create a beautiful smile. While he is Lumineers certified, all that means is he attended a seminar. That doesn’t actually provide any training in doing smile makeovers.

Fortunately, I don’t think that is at all necessary for you. If your teeth need whitening, the logical procedure would be teeth whitening. Duh. This is significantly less expensive. As for the chipped tooth. It may not be as noticeable as you think. Your dentist is in your mouth up close. He is supposed to notice every little detail. If it didn’t bother you before I wouldn’t let the dentist’s comment change that.

That being said, I realize sometimes once something gets our attention, it is hard to let go. The simplest and most affordable solution if you decide something has to be done is to have tooth bonding done to it. This is where a cosmetic dentist will hand sculpt composite resin onto the tooth to fill in the missing part. The image directly above shows what this can look like. However, you should be aware this procedure requires a skilled cosmetic dentist. Before I let anyone try it, I’d ask them to show you some before and after pictures of cases they’ve done to make sure they are up to the task.

If a dentist offers an option for a virtual smile consult, that can help you find out what they can do for you.

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

Will Medical Insurance Cover My Dental Implants

Posted on June 25, 2020 by writeradmin.

I’ve lost quite a few teeth over the years, several not replaced, and have three dental bridges, all of which are over 30 years old. Because of this, I’ve had a hard time eating. I’d like to replace everything and get a dental implant denture. Will my medical insurance cover this because it is affecting my health?

Stephanie

Dear Stephanie,

Dentists get this question a lot. While it is true that not having teeth affects your overall health, medical insurance almost always has a dental exclusion in their policies. This is unfortunate because while many people have health insurance, not nearly as many have dental insurance. All that being said, you need teeth. If you’re removing or lost all of your teeth, the best replacement would be dental implants. It sounds like you already know that though. What you may not know is how important they are.

Once your teeth are gone, your body senses there are no longer there. Always striving to be efficient with its resources, it will then resorb the minerals, which your jawbone no longer needs to support your teeth, in order to use them elsewhere. Unfortunately, this begins to shrink your jawbone. In as soon as ten years, you’ll start to notice it is hard to keep your dentures in. A short time after that and it will become impossible. This is known in dentistry as facial collapse. Once this happens, you won’t even have denture teeth to eat with. Talk about impacting your health!

The solution to this is having implant-supported dentures, as you’ve expressed. The dental implants signal to your brain you still have teeth. Because of that, it leaves the minerals intact, thereby protecting your jaw.

Paying for Implant Supported Dentures

While your medical insurance won’t cover the cost. There are some ways to make this easier. First, most dentists don’t make you pay for the whole procedure upfront. Instead, you’ll cover the surgical part first. Then, when you’ve had time to heal and the bone has integrated with the implants, your dentist will then do the denture and you can pay the second part.

I realize, for many people even, that can be challenging. Some dentists let you pay it out as you go. Those who don’t almost always offer Care Credit, which is a medical credit card. They’ll pay for your procedure upfront and then you pay them out. They have low-interest payment plans and you get to choose which plan you go with.

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

Should I Save My Last Two Front Teeth?

Posted on June 13, 2020 by writeradmin.

I have two healthy front teeth. The rest of my upper teeth are gone. I have been wearing two partial dentures but it has been suggested I would be more comfortable by extracting the last two upper teeth and replacing everything with a single complete upper denture. Though, I’m not sure if it will make a difference I will also add that I have an underbite. I can’t get a dentist to give me a real opinion. Right now, I can still eat just using those two teeth.

Brent

Dear Brent,

With everything I say here bear in mind I haven’t actually examined you so I’m going just based on principles of dentistry in generalities. In order to give a firm recommendation, I would need to examine you and do some x-rays.

In most cases, it is always better to retain natural teeth. In cases where that isn’t a good idea, dental implants are the best tooth-replacement option. I am going on the assumption that you are on a tight budget and that is why you are asking about dentures. They have quite a few problems, so if you are at all able to financially, implant-supported dentures would be a much better option for you. These place four to six dental implants then anchor your denture to them.

For the sake of sticking to your question, let’s assume you can’t get implants. Having an underbite and eating on just those two teeth is putting a ton of stress on those last two upper teeth. Even worse, it will also be adding to the stress of your lower teeth. It is extremely important to save your lower teeth for reasons we’ll go over momentarily.

In your particular case, I think extracting those last two upper teeth and getting complete upper dentures will be an acceptable option for you. You will have more security when you chew not having partials trying to work around your two front teeth. Additionally, the acrylic teeth used in dentures will be easier on those lower teeth when you eat.

The Importance of Your Lower Teeth

While your upper dentures are held in by suction, your lower dentures just sit on the ridge of your lower jawbone. Even the best fitting dentures will reduce your chewing capacity by 50%. Even worse, the moment your teeth are removed, in an effort to be efficient with your body’s resources your body immediately begins to resorb the minerals in your jawbone to use elsewhere in your body.

After about ten or more years, you will no longer have enough jawbone left in your body to retain your dentures. This is known as facial collapse. If you can’t keep lower teeth, then dental implants can help to trick your body into thinking you still have teeth there and thereby protecting your jawbone.

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

How Often is the Dentist Necessary During Invisalign?

Posted on June 11, 2020 by writeradmin.

I live in Alaska and the nearest Invisalign dentist to me is over two hours away. Would it be absolutely necessary to return every two weeks for new aligners? That would be quite a hardship with me for work.

Rose

Dear Rose,

Much of how often you’d need to go to the dentist will depend on two things: First, the philosophy of the dentist and second, the complexity of your case. Each dentist is a little different in how they handle the distribution of Invisalign aligners. For instance, some dentists will only want to see the patient once a month and prepare them two sets of aligners. Others are more sticklers.

Given the distance you have to travel and the state you live in, I suspect your dentist will be rather flexible. The exception being, as I mentioned earlier, is if your case is more complex. Some teeth don’t cooperate as well as others. In that case, it would be in your best interest to see him or her more often.

That doesn’t mean it has to be in person every time. With today’s modern technology, he could probably do some of your check-ups through Zoom. Ever since the coronavirus hit, many of us have had to adapt to doing things a bit differently and are becoming quite adept at distance treatment.

I cannot speak for the particular dentist you will be seeing, so please bear in mind this is not me saying you can go less often. I’m just saying it is possible.

A Fun Side Benefit to Invisalign

I don’t know if your dentist has mentioned this to you yet or not, but I thought I’d let you know a little benefit to using Invisalign that has nothing to do with straightening your teeth. Because the aligners are custom fit to your particular bite, they can double as teeth whitening trays. This will allow you to straighten and whiten your teeth at a fraction of the cost. Your dentist can provide you with the professional strength teeth whitening gel.

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