Archives for July 2021

Invisalign for Protruded Teeth

Posted on July 27, 2021 by writeradmin.

My mother has had protruding teeth her entire life. I know she’s been ashamed of her smile, but was never able to do anything about it. My parents worked hard but were quite poor due to not having much education. They sacrificed their own future to make sure I’d have one and gave me a great education. I’m in a place now where I can take care of myself and them. I don’t know if cosmetic dentistry can work or if she’ll need something else. Can you point me in the direction of some options to consider?

Patricia

Dear Patricia,

You brought tears to my eyes in your love and compassion for your parents and what you want to do for your mother. Often you will find when patients have a misaligned bite, they also have headaches. Fixing her teeth will not only help her feel more beautiful, but it can also improve her quality of life. I haven’t examined your mother or even seen a photograph of her teeth so I’m going to give you all the options I think may work. She’ll need an examination to see what will work best in her situation.

Traditional Braces

This is a tried solution, though most adults are not too thrilled with a mouth full of metal. It is what I would use if her case were too complicated for any of the other solutions.

Invisalign Braces

invisalign aligners

For older patients, I prefer Invisalign. This uses clear aligners to straighten teeth. They are invisible even at a conversational distance.

Because the aligners can double as teeth whitening trays, they will allow her to straighten and whiten her teeth at the same time, giving her a mini smile makeover.

Porcelain Veneers

porcelain veneers

A final option is porcelain veneers. This is the most expensive. It doesn’t actually straighten her teeth but can make them appear straight. It can also change the shape, size, and color of her teeth at the same time. However, it will only work if her teeth are not too protruded.

I’d take her to see an excellent cosmetic dentist and discuss each of these options. Personally, I favor the second option, but it really is up to you guys to decide what is best for her.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.
Click here to learn about our free virtual smile makeover consult.

Titanium Versus Zirconia Dental Implants

Posted on July 16, 2021 by writeradmin.

I currently have two titanium dental implants already placed. I need another implant. Recently, I read that the titanium ones can cause neurological problems in the long term. Is this correct? If so, should I remove the other implants and get all zirconia? I keep hearing dental implants are the best but maybe it is dangerous to have metal in your body.

Raz

Dear Raz,

Titanium and Zirconia Dental Implants

I would be interested to see where you read that titanium can cause neurological problems. I only know of one “source” and that was a natural news site that had zero data to back up the claim. Just the opinion piece. On the flip side of things, we have decades of data where titanium has been used in the body and is very biocompatible.

Metal is a natural and essential part of our body. Think about how much iron you need in your blood to survive. Of course, not all metals are a good idea. For instance, I completely understand why patients would not want silver amalgam fillings, which contain a majority of mercury. Titanium is different. We know it to be safe.

As to what type of dental implants to get, my opinion is you can do either titanium or zirconia. More dentists use titanium, but that is simply because they have been around longer and we have studies that back up their longevity. Zirconia is a much more recent development, so we do not have data on how long they last. They are strong enough. Even if you get the zirconia implant for your new one, I would not switch out the old ones.

When you take out old dental implants, bone follows with it. That will mean that you will not just be able to replace old implants with new ones. You will have to have a bone grafting procedure done. That is an unnecessary expense and risk for dental implants that are working just fine.

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

Are Veneer Crowns a Thing?

Posted on July 3, 2021 by writeradmin.

I am frustrated and worried after getting a full smile makeover of veneer crowns. He did twelve teeth on top and ten on the bottom. The temporary veneer crowns felt okay, but after the permanent ones went on, I started having problems. My dentist looked it over and said that on one of the teeth there’s an abscess and also has the nerves dying. He sent me to an endodontist to have the root canal done and that dentist found four more teeth that failed some kind of test and needed root canals too. My dentist told me there were no risks to this smile makeover so I’m really frustrated and confused. I went back and asked him about it and he said I was just unlucky and he’s never seen this happen. He’s offered to cover half the cost of the root canals, but I’m still out of a LOT of money here and I’m worried the rest of the teeth are going to have the same problem one by one. Have you heard of this happening before?

Elaine

Dear Elaine,

I’m a bit concerned by what I am hearing and I want to start by defining some terms. There are porcelain veneers and there are porcelain crowns, but there is not anything called veneer crowns. So, right off the bat, we need to figure out what you received. Based on the need for root canal treatments, I think you received dental crowns and NOT porcelain veneers. If your dentist told you he was giving you porcelain veneers, but gave you crowns, he could be in a lot of trouble. Here’s how to tell which you have.

Porcelain Veneers Versus Porcelain Crowns

Tooth preparation for dental crowns

With dental crowns, your teeth have to be ground down to nubs in order to fit the crown. You will notice it fits completely over your tooth and you’ll be able to feel them on the back of your teeth as well. This is a much more aggressive treatment and should not be used for a smile makeover unless there were extenuating circumstances that necessitated it. You didn’t mention anything that made me think you needed crowns rather than veneers.

Tooth preparation for porcelain veneers

With porcelain veneers, you do not need much tooth structure removed at all. Typically, a dentist will remove a few millimeters, about the depth of a fingernail. These cover the front of your teeth and hug the sides a little but will not be on the back of your teeth. It would be extraordinarily unusual for your teeth to need a root canal with a veneer.

I think your dentist gave you crowns. I also think he was too aggressive in the tooth preparation which is why the nerves are dying. My suspicion is he knows that as well because he offered to pay for a portion of the root canal treatments. I would press your dentist into paying for all the root canal treatments. This should not have happened.

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