6 Common Cosmetic Dental Procedures

Cosmetic dentistry helps many people obtain a confident smile and also corrects many dental anomalies. Six of the most common cosmetic dental procedures are described below:

Dental bonding

This is carried out to fill gaps in the teeth and cover stains and chips. The process involves the application of a composite resin material to the tooth. The material, which is available in several shades, is sculpted to cover the desired area. It is then dried using a high-intensity light or a chemical. The process does not cause any discomfort to the patient except when a minor tooth roughening is done. Dental bonding does not require more than one visit to the dentist and is relatively inexpensive as compared to other dental restoration techniques.

Tooth contouring and reshaping

This quick and non-invasive procedure is used to fix dental issues such as overlaps, shallow pits and grooves in the enamel, worn edges, and chipped teeth. The dentist uses a polishing instrument for the removal of a tiny amount of enamel and the tooth is reformed. The enamel removal procedure is carried out only after dentists confirm through x-rays that the teeth requiring reshaping are strong enough to withstand some enamel loss. The process is completed with the smoothing and polishing of the edges of the newly contoured tooth. The process usually requires a follow-up visit after the first visit.

Mouth guards and night guard

These are plastic appliances that offer protection to the mouth during sports and also while sleeping. Mouth guards disperse shock caused by violent contact and thus protect the head and neck. They are prepared using a cast of the teeth. The mouth guards can be stock, mouth-formed, or custom-made. Night guards prevent bruxing between teeth during sleep. They are ideal for people with worn teeth, those who suffer aches in the jaws, and people with teeth that are sensitive to cold.

Halitosis or bad breath

The breakdown of food particles by the bacteria present under plaque, in the crevices on the tongue, and between teeth leads to the generation of volatile sulfur compounds (VSC) that cause bad breath. Periodontal disease is also a cause of halitosis. Dentists determine the amount of VSC being generated by using a halimeter. Treatment usually involves following a prescribed oral hygiene routine that may include the use of irrigators, artificial saliva, tongue scrapers, etc.

Tooth whitening

This treatment is useful for removing stains that appear due to the consumption to tea, coffee, cigarettes, and wine. Whitening is carried out using bleaching gel, which is usually hydrogen or carbamide peroxide. The gel breaks down releasing oxygen molecules that penetrate the enamel and dentin and disintegrate the stains. The time required for results to appear depends upon the source of the stain and varies from a few hours to a few weeks.

Crowns and bridges

Teeth that need repair after an accident or excessive decay can be treated by using a crown, which is an artificial replacement for the upper portion of the tooth. A bridge involves placing an alternate tooth that is held in place using two crowns that are bonded on adjacent teeth.

Call your South Tampa Dentist, Marnie Bauer DMD, to schedule your cosmetic dental appointment – 813.839.2273 – or schedule an appointment online!

Cosmetic Dentistry and TMJ Disorder

About 5% to 15% of Americans experience temporomandibular joint or TMJ disorder, according to research conducted by the US National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. The study also noted that the disease afflicts more women than men, a trend that is still to be further explored for more accurate explanation. Women aged 30 to 50 years old are at most risk. TMJ disorder is a common condition affecting the jaw area. It is characterized by improper alignment of the jaw.

The condition occurs when the temporomandibular joint is misaligned. TMJ is basically the connecting joint between the lower jaw and the skull. Its main function is to facilitate proper functioning of the jaw. Thus, it is most important when talking and eating, activities when the jaw are working the most. When the TMJ is strain or stressed, TMJ disorder may occur. Aside from over-opening of the jaws, there are several other factors that cause the disorder.

These include:

  • jaw thrusting due to speech habits
  • excessive jaw movements
  • excessive chewing
  • nail biting
  • massive sizes of food eaten
  • clenching of teeth
  • tooth grinding while asleep
  • jaw, shoulder and neck tension
  • arthritis

Everyone could possibly contract or experience TMJ disorder. It is important to take note of the main symptoms of the condition, which include the following:

  • inability to open the mouth wide
  • pain when biting or opening the mouth
  • tension in the lower jaw muscles
  • pain in the jaw area when yawning or chewing
  • painful gritting
  • popping and clicking of the jaw joint
  • locked jaw
  • adjoining headache
  • facial pain and neck pain

If you are suffering from TMJ disorder, based on the above-mentioned symptoms, there is a need to consult a dentist at once.  Expect the dentist to initially gather information about your medical history. Prepare to undergo tests and observation to identify problems and symptoms. Some cosmetic dentists are generally trained to perform dental surgeries as well. They are easier to find because demand for their services are more common.

There are several treatment options to choose from if you are diagnosed with TMJ disorder. Administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs of NSAIDs is on top of the list as they provide complete relief from pain. The dentist could also prescribe tricyclic antidepressants, Cortico steroids, and muscle relaxants, which should be taken in moderation and in care as they could be highly addicting.

There are also some types of devices that are designed to correct improper TMJ conditions. For instance, a bite guard will have to be worn at night when sleeping to effectively curtail unnecessary grinding of the teeth. In some cases, orthotics have been proven to be effective in gradually treating TMJ disorder.

It is worn over the teeth to correct alignment when biting. Many cosmetic dentistry solutions could also be useful in relieving and resolving the condition.

Call your South Tampa Dentist, Marnie Bauer DMD, for your smile makeover – 813.839.2273

Cosmetic Dentistry Smile Makeovers

The Art Of Smile Design In Smile Makeovers

In cosmetic dentistry, a smile makeover is the process of improving the appearance of the smile by way of one or more cosmetic dentistry procedures. These can include such processes as dental veneers, composite bonding, dental implants, teeth whitening and more.

From an aesthetic point of view, a good cosmetic dentist is someone who is way different from a general dentist. He is someone with a passion for aesthetics and creating beautiful smiles through the practice of his science-based profession.

Considerations For Smile Makeovers

A cosmetic dentist about to embark on a smile makeover on a patient takes into consideration several factors that constitute a person’s total smile: facial appearance, skin tone, hair color, teeth (color, width, length, and shape), gum tissue, and lips.

Your dentist would also ask you some questions – example “What is it you like or dislike in your smile or teeth?” There is also a list of things your dentist will discuss with you in regard with your smile makeover.

Tooth color

It is an important consideration because bright, white teeth framed in a well-shaped smile give off a youthful appearance. Dark or discolored teeth suggest an aged mouth.

Color is the top consideration when evaluating procedures and materials including porcelain veneers, crowns, bridges, implants and composite bonding. Your cosmetic dentist recommends the right shades in tandem with your facial skin tones and hair shadings.

Shapes, spaces, alignments

Crooked teeth, overlapping teeth, gaps in-between teeth and other imperfections are carefully evaluated for corrective procedures. In extreme cases, they are corrected through orthodontics or Invisalign, and improved with veneers.

Missing teeth, uneven or cracked teeth are noted. Missing teeth are replaced with implants, bridges or partial dentures. Cracked and uneven teeth are bonded.

An unshapely or aging face can be improved and rejuvenated with certain procedures in smile makeovers. This can include, in extreme cases, such processes as orthodontics and maybe oral maxillofacial surgery.

A long face might need an accent to make it appear more oval. Someone with an attractive feature in the center of the face might need bold central incisors to draw attention to that center.

Length, proportions, textures

The length of the teeth affects the overall facial appearance. Shapely, long square teeth on a round face can provide a slimming effect.

A pleasing smile is one where the two central front teeth are dominant and have a width-to-length ratio of 4:5. This proportion is the yardstick of the length and width of all the other teeth.

Your cosmetic dentist can characterize your crowns and veneers to create a more feminine or a more masculine appearance, matching the look and feel of the other natural teeth.

Teeth life

Cosmetic dentistry procedures need regular oral hygiene care and require maintenance over time. Teeth whitening must be repeated on occasion to maintain brightness. Crowns and veneers may break off and need replacements.

The ceramist, lab technician and the materials chosen by your dentist also affect the longevity of your smile makeover.

As one dentist-writer puts it, cosmetic dentistry is a “self-esteem service”. If the results fail to impress the patient, the treatment is a failure. So you if you want to be pleased, you need to have input too regarding the artistic planning of your smile.

Call your South Tampa Cosmetic  & General Dentist, Marnie Bauer DMD, to schedule your cosmetic dentistry smile makeover. – 813.839.2273 – Or schedule online!

Things to Look for When Selecting a General Dentistry Practice

Are you currently looking for a good general dentistry practice to give your business to? Regular dental check-ups are absolutely essential for your overall oral health. In fact, you need to visit a dentist at least once every 6 months in order to ensure that your teeth are looked after properly. Your dentist will be able to identify problems in their initial stages and this will reduce the length and cost of dental treatment.

You need to select your dentist with a great deal of care because you need to ideally have a long term association with this person. Be sure to look for the following features when selecting one:

  1. The dentist offers the entire range of dental dentistry procedures including cleaning, fillings, crowns and implants. You should be able to get important treatments necessary to keep your teeth healthy.
  2. The dentist should also offer be able to offer basic cosmetic dentistry procedures. Most dentists these days offer the latest teeth whitening procedures and also high quality dental veneers, either or porcelain or resin.
  3. The dental practice should have the necessary infrastructure. This includes the qualified and experienced dentists. In addition, the practice should have the latest equipment. It should also maintain all necessary safety standards.
  4. You should be able to rely on the dentist for personalized attention. The dentist should have a very gentle manner that puts you at ease.
  5. The fee structure should be right for the area. Dental treatment can be quite expensive but this is also an unavoidable expense. Besides, some treatments might not be covered under your insurance plan.
  6. The practice should be flexible with offering appointments, especially in special circumstances. You need to know for sure that you will receive emergency treatment should you or a family member require it.

If you select your dentist after considering these important factors then you should not experience many problems later on. As a matter of fact, you will be able to keep your teeth very healthy and attractive since you won’t make any excuses to avoid going to the dentist.

Call your South Tampa Dentist, Marnie Bauer DMD, for all of your dental needs – 813.839.2273 – General Dentistry Practice

Inlays And Onlays In Cosmetic Dentistry

Inlays And Onlays In Cosmetic Dentistry

In cosmetic dentistry dental inlays and onlays are restorative procedures used to repair teeth that suffer from mild to moderate levels of decay. They are also used in restoring cracked or fractured teeth in case where the damage is not that severe requiring a dental crown restorative procedure.

Inlays and onlays today are usually made from porcelain, composite resin and sometimes gold. Like other cosmetic dental procedures today, fillings for inlays and onlays can be made from tooth-colored materials and are often used to replace metal fillings.

Onlays 

Where the inlays treat decays within the tooth cusps (top projections) dental onlays are used to treat decays that extend to one or more cusps. Onlays are also placed in much the same way as inlays.

The treatment works much like those done with dental inlays (two sessions, impression-making in the first and permanent placement in the second).

They are also created from tooth-colored materials that make them almost undetectable to the naked eye. Onlays help conserve more tooth structure because they require minimal removal of tooth surface during the bonding process.

Inlays

Dental inlays are used to treat decayed or damaged teeth within their indented top surfaces (aside from replacing old metal fillings).

The procedure is simple and is done in two sessions. On the first visit a dental impression is made and a temporary inlay is put in place. Your dentist sends your impression to a dental lab to make an inlay to match your personal dental specifications.

The second visit is for removal of the temporary inlay and the placement of the permanent one on your teeth. Except for some mild tenderness, you can go to work or return to your other activities right after the process.

Benefits

The biggest benefit for both inlays and onlays is avoiding the need for more extensive treatments using expensive dental crowns, dental bridges or dental implants.

Unlike old metal fillings, inlays and onlays do not expand or contract in contact with hot or cold foods. (Constant changes in size, however minuscule, weakens and eventually fractures the affected tooth.)

Strength and beauty

Because of the way they are made (custom-fitted), they help strengthen teeth by up to 75% their original strength. The durable material used in them helps them last up to 30 years, much longer than the lifespan of regular fillings.

Moreover, dental inlays and onlays can be made from durable, tooth-colored porcelain and offer much more enduring and natural-looking finish than metal fillings.

Also, their customized manufacture allows dentists to securely bond them to the tooth surface. The bond adds structural strength to the tooth and prevents bacteria from entering and forming cavities all over again.

Call your South Tampa Dentist, Marnie Bauer DMD, for all of your dental needs – 813.839.2273

Dental Implants as Part of Cosmetic Dentistry

Dental implants are one of the most popular services and products in cosmetic dentistry. They are teeth-like materials that are attached permanently to the gums to act as replacement for missing teeth. They are like dentures but are different since they are permanently fixed into gums and are not removable unless under the assistance of a dentist. Oral implants are usually made of titanium, one of the rare metals that are appropriately tolerated by the human body.

Who is a great candidate?

The procedure is available for people who have lost teeth due to an injury, a disease, or some other reasons. Implants are ideal options if you want to have natural-looking and natural-feeling false teeth, something that could not be possible by just merely using dentures. In other cases, people who are not content with how their teeth are aligned opt for dental implants. Natural teeth will have to be removed first before implants are put into place.

What are the types?

There are two general types of dental implants available today. First, the Endosteal uses cylinders, screws, or blades in surgically placing prosthetic teeth into the jawbone. An implant is holding one or more false teeth. Endosteal is the most prevalent type of dental implants and is used as an effective alternative for people with existing bridges and removable dentures.

Subperiosteal dental implants are surgically placed on top of the patient’s jaw. They are metal framework that protrudes through the gum, facilitating or holding the false teeth. This second type of dental implants is recommended more often to patients who are found to have minimum bone height. People who are not able to wear any kind of removable dentures are qualified to have subperiosteal dental implants instead.

Dental implant procedures can be a little complicated and can require the use anesthesia. It is important that only qualified and well-trained cosmetic dentists or other qualified dentists conduct the procedures. Dental implants have been around for more than three decades. The number of qualified dentists performing the activity is low but more dentists are undergoing training so they could very well conduct the procedure.

Dental implants are also regarded as an effective strategy in orthodontics. In many cases, the implant are used to simplify or streamline any orthodontic therapy, decreasing treatment frequency and eliminating dependence on patients’ compliance in wearing orthodontic appliances and making adjustments.

If you are not confident in your own smiles because of missing teeth, or if your dentures do not allow you to chew, speak or smile comfortably, it is time you seek South Tampa cosmetic dentist for the implants.

Call your South Tampa Dentist, Marnie Bauer DMD, for all of your dental needs – 813.839.2273 – Tampa Dental Implants or Implant Dentures

Cosmetic Dentistry and Dental Bonding

In cosmetic dentistry, dental bonding is also known as composite or tooth bonding. This is a process that fixes cosmetic and structural imperfections in the teeth. Some dentists call them direct composite veneers, many simply refer to them generically as “dental bonding.”

Dental bonding is used to repair cracked, chipped, and discolored teeth including the replacement of silver fillings. It can also repair misaligned teeth, thereby giving the patient a straighter and more uniform smile.

The material can also be directly applied and sculpted to the surfaces of teeth that are prominently displayed during a smile. (This is termed as a minimally invasive smile makeover.)

Procedure

The first part is the material selection process. This is where the Tampa cosmetic dentist chooses the right tone of the composite resin (white or natural-looking dental bonding materials) to match the patient’s own natural shade of teeth.

The start of the bonding process is when the dentist uses a rubber dam to isolate the tooth (or teeth). This is to prevent moisture interference on the tooth. Depending on the extent of the treatment, there might be a need for anesthetic injections.

Next, the dentist roughens the existing tooth for the resin to adhere properly. He will then apply a gentle phosphoric acid solution on the tooth’s surface (which does not hurt) and removes it after 15 seconds.

The resin is then carefully applied to the tooth, is shaped and smoothed to achieve the desired look.

The formed resin material is then hardened with the aid of a high intensity light. Once it is of correct hardness, the bonded tooth is then buffed and polished to match the appearance and shaped of the surrounding teeth.

Since a dental plan had already been prepared by the dentist after the initial visit, the direct composite bonding procedure usually is completed in one dental visit.

Benefits

There are several benefits for patients in the tooth bonding process. It is quick, affordable, virtually painless, and the result can last a long time.

Dental bonding is a good alternative to the more extensive (and expensive) treatment with porcelain veneers, bridges and crowns.

The composite resin used in the cosmetic bonding process is very flexible. It expands and contracts with the natural tooth, thereby preventing cracks and tooth loss.

Costs

Cosmetic dentistry financing has always been a primary concern with many patients. For tooth bonding, the cost varies according to the number of teeth repaired. Sometimes, the cost varies depending on the areas where the dental procedure is preformed.

Insurance carriers usually cover tooth bonding, especially if it is done for structural reasons. Likewise, many Tampa cosmetic dentists have financing plans available for their patients.

Nowadays, dental procedures like tooth bonding are already affordable to patients of all financial backgrounds. The way that dental bonding work wonders on your teeth (alignment, whitening, and overall improvement of appearance) is a good enough reason to pay for the cost.

Call your South Tampa Dentist, Marnie Bauer DMD, for all of your dental needs – 813.839.2273