Crooked Front Tooth

Posted on by .

I have a crooked front tooth. It’s sort of back behind my other tooth. My dentist is suggesting I pull the tooth, but I was wondering if I can just use Invisalign. If not, is there another option to pulling the tooth?

Humphrey

Dear Humphrey,

Whatever you do, don’t pull the tooth, especially if it is healthy! Your smile will never look quite right with an uneven number of teeth. I’m kind of flabbergasted your dentist is suggesting that. Some good news is you have three great options for fixing this crooked front tooth.

Straightening Your Smile with Invisalign

Invisalign aligner

These use clear aligners to straighten your teeth instead of the metal wires and brackets you are stuck with using traditional braces. It used to be that Invisalign could only work on the most ideal of cases. Now, the procedure can handle the more tough, advanced orthodontic procedures.

It has an additional benefit of the aligners being able to double as teeth whitening trays. This will allow you to straighten and whiten your teeth at the same time. It’s like getting a mini smile makeover.

Straightening Your Smile with Porcelain Veneers

A single porcelain Veneer being placed on a tooth

If you are happy with your smile other than the crooked tooth, you may not be interested in this option. It is more designed for a total smile makeover.

Porcelain veneers are the procedure celebrities turn to in order to get their Hollywood smiles. Using a skilled cosmetic dentist you can change the shape, size, and color of your smile simultaneously.

If you’re wondering if porcelain veneers would be a good option for you, ask for a complimentary remote smile consult. Send us a couple of selfies, and we’ll tell you.

Straightening Your Smile with Dental Bonding

If you want to straighten your smile quickly, but don’t want to invest in porcelain veneers, you could look for a dentist who does dental bonding. Like porcelain veneers, it will require an expert cosmetic dentist. This will only work on the crooked tooth and won’t last as long as porcelain veneers, but a skilled dentist can make your tooth look straight.

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

Do I need a dentist to finish my Invisalign treatment?

Posted on by .

I’ve been doing Invisalign treatment and am almost done. Something came up with a family emergency and I had to make a last-minute move to my home state. My dentist provided me with the remainder of my aligners and told me she’d switch my records to whichever dentist I choose. My question is, do I really need another dentist if I am at the end of my treatment and already have the remainder of my aligners?

Candace

Dear Candace,

Invisalign aligner

This is an interesting question. If you don’t have any special things going on, such as buttons which will need to be removed or some shaping of the teeth to make room for the new position, then you could get away with just finishing your treatment without going to another dentist. While dental supervision is always the safest option, at this point in your treatment it may not be necessary.

I will say, you would only have a very nominal fee from any dentist who takes over because the bulk of the work is done and your dentist will transfer all the diagnostics and treatment notes. You could even call around and have some leverage on fees by saying what another dentist is quoting.

The Importance of a Retainer after Invisalign

One thing which will be absolutely necessary is a retainer after Invisalign. There are tragic stories of people who invested a lot of money to get their teeth in the correct position only to neglect their retainer and end up needing re-treatment. You don’t want to be one of them.

It is possible to use your final pair of Invisalign aligners as a retainer if you do it right. Here is how I would do that:

  • Wear them all the time for one month
  • Then wear them only at night for a month or two
  • From there you can try every other night

At this point, it is time for a quick check. If your teeth move during the two days you are not wearing your retainer, your teeth are not ready for you to move on and you will need to go back to every night for a couple of weeks and then check again. So, how do you know if they moved? If it is a little more challenging to put the aligners back in than normal, your teeth have shifted. If they haven’t moved, you can go onto the next phase.

The Final Phase

You can wear them once a week for a month and then go on to not wearing them at all. Just make sure you keep the aligners in a safe place to periodically check the teeth are retaining their correct position.

I hope everything turns out okay with your family.
This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

Dental Flipper for Straight Teeth?

Posted on by .

I have some crooked teeth. One of them sticks out more than the others as well. I don’t want to spend years in painful and ugly braces. I’d be happy if they just looked straight. Would a dental flipper work for me in that case?

Danae

Dear Danae,

In your situation, you have two good options and one so-so option; however, a dental flipper isn’t one of them. This is used as a temporary tooth replacement. It won’t make any of your other teeth look different.

Options for Straight Teeth Without Traditional Braces

Option One: Snap-on Smile

image of snap-on smile

This is the so-so option I mentioned above. It may be what you were thinking of when you said a dental flipper. Snap-on Smile fits over your teeth and will make them look straight. They are not going to be a stunning smile, though. They’ll just be okay. Also, because they fit over your teeth, they can look a bit bulky. This will especially be an issue for you because you have a tooth which you said sticks out.

Option Two: Porcelain Veneers

A single porcelain Veneer being placed on a tooth

Porcelain veneers will also cause your teeth to look straight without actually straightening them. When done by a skilled cosmetic dentist, they can provide you with a stunning smile makeover.

This is the go-to procedure for celebrities who want that Hollywood smile. They’re quite versatile and can change the shape, size, and color of your teeth simultaneously.

Option Three: Invisalign

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

Braces compared to Invisalign

These will actually straighten your teeth. Using a sophisticated software program that carefully plans out your treatment, they can work in about half the time as traditional braces. Another benefit is their comfort. You won’t have to wear any painful metal wires and brackets.

Plus, they use clear aligners which are invisible even at a conversational distance. Because of that, some people call them invisible braces. Unlike porcelain veneers, you won’t need an expert cosmetic dentist. Any dentist who has invested in the technology can provide them for you.

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

Invisalign or Porcelain Veneers?

Posted on by .

I’m ready to fix my smile. I’ve been going back and forth between Invisalign and porcelain veneers. I’ve heard that the Invisalign fixes your teeth without anyone knowing and it’s much less expensive than the porcelain veneers. But the porcelain veneers should be faster. Is there a significant difference in their results? Are the porcelain veneers worth the extra cost?

Amaya

Dear Amaya,

Which procedure you get depends on two things. First, what your needs are for your smile. Second, the skill of the dentist you are working with. Let’s go over what each of them do.

Invisalign

Invisalign Aligner

Invisalign Aligner

Invisalign is specifically orthodontic related. If your teeth need to be straightened, this is the procedure to go with. It will straighten your teeth without anyone even knowing you are doing orthodontics.

It has an additional cosmetic benefit, too. The aligners used to straighten your teeth can also double as teeth whitening trays. This allows you to straighten and whiten your teeth simultaneously, thereby saving you both time and money.

Both of these procedures are fairly simple and will not require your dentist to have done extensive post-doctoral training in cosmetic work.

Porcelain Veneers

single porcelain veneer being held up by a dental tool

A Porcelain Veneer

This is more for those going for a total smile makeover. Porcelain veneers use tiny wafers of porcelain to completely remake your smile. They can change the shape, size, and color of your teeth simultaneously. While they can’t straighten your teeth, a skilled cosmetic dentist can make them appear straight.

This is the go-to procedure for celebrities to get their Hollywood smile. However, this does require some expertise on the part of the dentist. Unfortunately, smile makeovers aren’t taught in dental school. A dentist has to invest their time after they graduate learning the procedures, as well as developing their artistry. Without that, I’m afraid you’ll be sorely disappointed in the results.

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

Solution for a Gigantic Tooth Gap

Posted on by .

I have a rather large tooth gap. My dentist said it is about 9mm. I want to fix it and whiten my teeth at the same time. My dentist said he was just certified in Lumineers and can place those on my teeth to close the gap. Is this a good solution? I want to make sure for two reasons. One, it’s expensive. Two, he is new at it.

Joey

Dear Joey,

Invisalgin Aligner

Inviaslgin Aligner

I want you to run away from the recommendation your dentist gave you as fast as you can. Here are just a few reasons why. First, Lumineers are simply a brand of porcelain veneers. This particular brand is highly marketed to inexperienced cosmetic dentists as being easy to place because there is no prep. In all honesty, there is no such thing as no-prep veneers. Your teeth will have to be etched no matter what brand you use.

Second, certification in Lumineers simply means they have attended a seminar. It does nothing to develop their skill or teach them artistry.

Thirdly, your particular case would require a dentist who has tremendous skill, experience, and artistry in placing porcelain veneers. The size of your gap is enough to fit an entire tooth into. In order to make this look natural, it will take some technical expertise not available to your dentist.

Invisalign is a Much Better Solution

In your place, I would have Invisalign done. These use clear aligners to straighten and align your teeth. You can see a picture of one of the aligners above. These will close the gap without anyone even knowing you are wearing orthodontics. They are invisible even at a conversational distance. Additionally, they are much more comfortable than traditional braces and work in half the time.

Not only will using Invisalign cost significantly less than getting porcelain veneers, but the aligners can double as teeth whitening trays, saving you even more money. Your dentist can just provide you with the whitening gel, which you can wear in your aligners at a convenient time for you. This allows you to straighten and whiten your teeth at the same time.

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

Boss Wants Me to Straighten My Teeth

Posted on by .

My boss called me into his office. He started off by telling me he felt awkward saying this but he thinks I’ll understand in the long run. I was so afraid I was about to be fired. Instead, he said, “I want to give you a big promotion, but you’ll need to straighten and whiten your teeth to get it.” I was puzzled until he explained that I’ll be their Public Relations person as well as a division leader. The PR post would require me doing media interviews, which means I’d need a pretty smile in order to make a positive impression. The money would be super worth any expense. It’s a huge promotion and he was right that I’d completely understand. I want to do this right. What do you suggest?

Madison

Dear Madison,

side by side of a smile with braces and a smile with Invisalign

First, let me say congratulations! What a promotion that is. I’m sure you’re thrilled. You have a couple of great choices to meet your cosmetic goals.

Straighten Your Teeth With Invisalign

Invisalign is a type of invisible orthodontics which is ideal for adults who which to straighten their teeth without a mouth full of metal. They use clear aligners. The image above shows a comparison of someone smiling with both braces and Invisalign. They tend to also work more quickly than braces as well.

If you go this route, the aligners can double as teeth whitening trays allowing you to straighten and whiten your teeth at the same time.

Remake Your Smile with Porcelain Veneers

If you don’t care about straightening your teeth and just want them to look straight, you can get a total smile makeover with porcelain veneers.

These use tiny wafers of porcelain to change the shape, size, and color of your teeth simultaneously. They have two big benefits for you.

  • They will be a faster procedure than Invisalign
  • They can completely change your smile, making it celebrity beautiful almost instantly

Their drawback is they’re much more expensive than the first option I gave you. Either one will give you the smile you need for your promotion.

Best of luck to you and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

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