Cosmetic Dentist Archives

Snap-on Smile is Not Going to Be What She Wants

Posted on October 26, 2019 by writeradmin.

I have been looking into Snap-on Smile to improve the look of my smile. I decided to do some research and some patients have said it looks fake. I’m thinking that is because it looks too white. If I have the dentist make the color the exact same as my natural teeth, that should take care of the problem, right? Plus, I was thinking if I went to a more expert cosmetic dentist than most that would give it a greater chance of looking better as well. Is there anything else you’d recommend?

Caroline

Dear Caroline,

My suggestion, in all honesty, is that you don’t get Snap-on Smile. It’s not going to turn out the way you want. I see your thought process about the color. However, you can have really white teeth that look completely natural. The problem with it looking fake is when the color is uniform. Our teeth are not uniform. Parts of our teeth are more translucent than others. The color depth varies throughout the tooth.

As for whether or not an expert cosmetic dentist will make a difference, they are limited by the material as well as the lab which Snap-on Smile requires the dentist to use.

Even the most beautifully done Snap-on Smile will result in mediocre smile results. It’s best used for something like a photoshoot where people won’t get too close up a look at your smile.

Instead, a skilled and artistic cosmetic dentist will steer you toward a different procedure to remake your smile. If you’re looking for a gorgeous smile makeover, your best material is to get porcelain veneers.

Getting a Truly Beautiful Smile

Porcelain veneers are the go-to procedure for a smile makeover. In fact, it is what celebrities use to obtain their Hollywood smiles. While Snap-on Smile is made from an acrylic resin, porcelain veneers are (as their name implies) made from porcelain. This more completely mimics your natural tooth structure, reflecting light to give it that beautiful shine.

The other benefit to porcelain veneers is the dentist can choose their own ceramist and lab. With Snap-on Smile, which is produced by the DenMat Company, they require dentists to use their lab. It is not known for its beautiful results.

One tip is to make sure the dentist you use is an artist. One way to do this is to take a peek at their smile gallery. This is a brag book of sorts that shows some of their cases. It gives you an idea of what the smile looked like before and after the dentist did the work.

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

Crown Doesn’t Match

Posted on September 13, 2019 by writeradmin.

I don’t know what to do. I had to get a dental crown on front tooth. My dentist can’t seem to get them to match. The first one was way too dark. The next one was way too white. The third one is close. I thought I could live with it and he bonded it one but now every time I look in the mirror I feel like my smile looks fake. Am I being too picky? My dentist said if I really want to do it again he will.

Candace

Dear Candace,

The tendency for most patients in your situation is to finally just settle for a crown that doesn’t look quite right. If this is a front tooth, however, even a slight variation in the color between the crown and adjacent teeth will be noticeable to others and will make the crown look fake.

Your dentist seems to be very ethical and is doing everything he can to make this right. I just think he is in over his head. Matching a single dental crown to a front tooth is a highly developed skill. Additionally, the dentist has to have a great working relationship with artistic skill. Their relationship needs to be very communicative where they understand one another the way best friends would.

An expert cosmetic dentist will do try-ins to make sure it matches perfectly. I don’t think your dentist has the expertise necessary and didn’t even know about temporary try-in pastes.

Another method being used very effectively to match crowns on front teeth is photography. Using sophisticated camera equipment designed for taking dental photographs, the dentist will start by taking a photograph of a standard shade tab of a shade that is close to the shade of your natural teeth. The shade tab will be put up against your natural teeth and photographed, and this photograph will be sent to the ceramist as a guide in re-creating the natural color of the tooth. Then, if the crown provided by the ceramist doesn’t match perfectly, that crown is tried in on the tooth and a new photograph is taken. The ceramist then will be able to see, in the lab, exactly what color modifications need to be made to get it to match perfectly. Your typical family dentist won’t have this type of photographic equipment.

So what do you do if your dentist doesn’t have the skills necessary? Your dentist is willing to keep trying. If you are willing to let him, you can. However, it’s likely he’ll never get it quite right. You could have a conversation with him and tell him you think it would be better if he transferred your information to a dentist with more expertise and the tools necessary to do it properly.

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

Disastrous Full-Mouth Reconstruction

Posted on June 29, 2019 by writeradmin.

My dentist suggested I get crowns on all my teeth in order to open my bite. While he did that, I now can’t close my lips without putting forth effort. It’s caused massive dry mouth. I talked to my dentist and he said it’s just a matter of time before I get used to the new bite and if I don’t he can grind them down to their normal size which defeats the whole purpose of me spending all that money to begin with. Do you have any suggestions for me?

Ben

Dear Ben,

Your dentist has done you a great disservice. It could even be called malpractice. When your lips don’t close when at rest, it is called lip incompetence. This is one of the chief things to avoid when doing a full-mouth reconstruction.

When opening a bite, it needs to be done first temporarily so you can avoid permanent issues, such as you’re facing. Ideally, a dentist would first build up the back teeth with composite to test how far the bite could open. Some dentists may do this with temporary crowns. The downside to that option is you have now committed to having dental crowns, which may not be ideal. The patient would wear the temporaries to ensure they’re comfortable with the new opening.

The bite should never, never be opened to the point of lip incompetence. Your lips should come together naturally when your mouth is at rest.

The Danger of Dry Mouth

Our saliva was designed to be on the front lines in the battle against decay. It contains powerful bacteria fighting minerals. If you have dry mouth, your saliva isn’t getting an opportunity to do its job. You’ll begin to see a dramatic increase of decay, which can destroy your oral health.

Your dentist has to make this right. I mentioned earlier what he’s done is malpractice. Here’s what I’m going to suggest you do to remedy this. First, go to him and let him know about the lip incompetence. He should be willing to re-do them and it should be free of charge. This time make sure he does temporaries first to ensure the bite isn’t opened too much.

If he’s unwilling, you’re going to have to get tough. First, go to an expert cosmetic dentist to get a second opinion. Don’t tell them who did the work, in case they’re friends. Once the second dentist has said this is a problem, you can go back and tell him what another dentist said. Sometimes the opinion of a peer will sway a dentist because he doesn’t want to look bad. If he’s still unwilling to make this right you’re going to have to take him to court for malpractice. Then, you can take the money from the damages to get this fixed.

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