Archives for February 2021

Why Do My Porcelain Veneers Look Fake?

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I have a set of porcelain veneers done. I was so excited about finally getting the smile I have always wanted. While they are the right shape and color, something about them looks fake. I’m sending a picture, but I ask that you don’t publish it. My dentist is a friend and I don’t want him to know I wrote another dentist about this.

Name withheld

Dearn Anonymous,

Thank you for sending the photos. I know exactly what went wrong here. I’m going to start by showing you an image of a smile that looks natural. One of the teeth in this image is fake. I suspect you will not be able to tell which one that is.

Beautiful teeth

Notice that on this smile directly above has texture to the teeth. There are smooth grooves. Notice also that the color isn’t the same all the way from the top to the bottom. There are parts that are ore more translucent than others.

When I looked at the photos you sent, the teeth were flat. The color was white. The outlined shape of the tooth looked good, but because your dentist didn’t add any texture, they looked too shiny and fake. It was almost like you had chicklets put on your teeth instead of porcelain veneers.

I know this dentist is a friend, but you will be doing him a favor by letting him know this isn’t the smile you wanted. You can also show him this post, so he’ll understand what went wrong with this smile makeover.

There is no shame in this. Every dentist has to learn and improve. Cosmetic dentistry is an art form and all artists improve over time and learn new techniques.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.
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Tooth Replacements for Hockey Players

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Can you tell me what the best tooth replacement is? I’m a hockey player and have lost two teeth this season. I want something pretty sturdy in case I get hit in the mouth again. This just hasn’t been my season.

Bran

Dear Bran,

hockey player with a missing tooth

I am sorry to hear you have been having a rough season. Hockey is a tough sport as it is. When it comes to replacing teeth, the usual answer is the best tooth replacement option is a dental implant. However, your circumstance is a tad more complicated than most because your replacement tooth is likely to get hit again.

A dental implant is the premiere tooth replacement because it mimics your natural tooth’s engineering with a root form and a crown. However, when you break a tooth you are not as likely to take the root of your tooth with it. A dental implant, because of the way they are bonded with the crown is the opposite. If you lose the crown there is a good chance the implant will do some damage to your surrounding bone. We don’t want to risk that.

However, you do want the root form there in order to ensure you don’t start having bone resorption in the area, which will make it harder to get an implant later.

My suggestion is you have the root form of the implants placed, which will preserve your bone in that area, but delay the dental crowns until you are done with your hockey career. Some dentists even do same day crowns, which will speed that process up when the time comes. That doesn’t mean that you have to keep gaps in your smile.

I’d like to suggest you get something inexpensive, such as a dental flipper. These can fill in the gaps, but will come out easily if you are hit in the mouth again. This way there is no serious damage done to your jaw, which could require reconstructive surgery.

Best of luck to you and I hope next season is a winner for you!
This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

Luster Premium Home Tooth Whitening

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I received an advertisement for Luster Premium Home Tooth Whitening. When I looked it up, there were some good reviews. Do you know anything about the product? Is it safe?

Laurie Anne

Dear Laurie Anne,

tooth bleaching trays

Teeth whitening trays

I looked over both the reviews and the ingredients. I try to be fair about these type of things because I want people who can’t afford professional teeth whitening to have an option. Unfortunately, I don’t think this one is a good option. First, looking at the ingredients. They are not using a valid whitening ingredient. Instead, they use a pigment in zinc oxide. This will stick to your teeth and make them appear whiter, at least for a time. I am assuming that is where all the positive reviews came from. They saw the results and wrote a review before the pigment wore off. The light they advertise is too weak to have any real effect. I suspect it is only there for marketing purposes. Please don’t waste your money on this.

The one over-the-counter teeth whitening I have seen that does work is Crest Whitestrips. There are only two real downsides to this. First, the strips only cover your front six teeth. If your smile is wider than that, you’ll need to use more than one strip. Second, the whitening agent is pretty weak. This is because it is an over-the-counter whitening. There are legal restrictions on their strength in order to protect patients who are not under the care of a medical professional.

The number of boxes you would have to purchase in order to get the same results as you would with professional teeth whitening through a dentist will end up costing you about the same. One thing I suggest if the price is the issue is to simply be honest with your dentist that you want to whiten your teeth but don’t have the full price outright. See if he or she is willing to let you pay it out. It can’t hurt to ask. If they say no, you have two choices. You can wait and save or you can do it a little at a time with the Whitestrips. Either way, you will have white teeth.

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