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Advanced cosmetic and general dentistry

Archives for May 2019

7 Keys to Choosing a Dental Implant or a Bridge

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The root canal that I received this past March didn’t work. My dentist did a second root canal last month, but she could not save the tooth. She extracted it. The tooth is a right lateral incisor, so I have a tooth missing in the front of my mouth. It’s there for everyone to see. I’m debating on whether or not to get a dental implant or a bridge. An implant costs so much, but my dentist said it could last for the rest of my life. And then I’m not sure if my dentist knows how to handle complex cases. She is young, and this is only her fourth year in practice. I’m four hours away from Dr. Szarek’s office. Otherwise, I would come there. Can you give me some things to consider before I say and make a commitment to the wrong dentist? Thanks. Teresa

Teresa – Below are a few things to consider.

Dental Implants

  • Surgery – Minimally invasive surgery is required to place implant fixtures in your jawbone.
  • Healing time – It takes several weeks for the implant to fuse to your jawbone.
  • Effect on adjacent teeth – No work is required on your adjacent teeth.
  • Cost – Dental implants cost more than other forms of tooth replacement, including a dental bridge.
  • Long-term results – Depending on your age, implants can last a lifetime.
  • Effectiveness – They look and feel like your natural teeth.
  • Bone shrinkage – Implant fixtures stimulate the jawbone and prevent shrinkage.
Diagram of dental implant phases, including 1) implant insertion in bone, 2) healing process, 3) abutment attachment, 4) crown attachment.

Dental implant phases

Dental Bridge

  • Surgery – No surgery is required to place a dental bridge.
  • Healing time – There is no healing time, so your dentist can place the implant right away.
  • Effect on adjacent teeth – Your dentist will shave down the tooth on either side of the missing. The adjacent teeth will serve as anchors for the bridge, and a dental crown will be placed over each of them.
  • Cost – A bridge doesn’t cost as much as a dental implant. In some cases, a dental implant can cost twice as much.
  • Long-term results – A dental bridge can last 10 to 20 years.
  • Effectiveness – Dental crowns can be made to look like your natural teeth, but a bridge won’t feel as natural as a dental implant.
  • Bone shrinkage – A dental crown is suspended in the middle of the bridge to replace the missing tooth. But since there is no implant fixture to stimulate the bone, the beneath the crown will gradually shrink.

 

Whether you choose a dental implant or a bridge, find an experienced implant dentist who is also a cosmetic dentist. You will receive a quality dental implant that looks natural.

This blog is sponsored by Michael Szarek, DMD of Lowell, MA. Dr. Szarek is an implant dentist and an accredited cosmetic dentist.

Porcelain veneers have ruined my teeth

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I hate that I got porcelain veneers. My teeth are ruined. They are too everything wrong – too wide, too long, too white, and too thick. There is nothing that I like about them. I keep thinking back about what went wrong. These are not the veneers I tried on and now they are stuck to my teeth. I am miserable about the thousands of dollars that I spent on this disappointment. My dentist kept telling me that I would get used to my veneers and eventually like them. It has been 4 months, and I am still just as disappointed as I was the day they were bonded on. Can this be reversed? – Genesis

Genesis – We are truly sorry to hear about your experience with porcelain veneers. Many general dentists are willing to provide you with a smile makeover although they only complete a few cases a year. That’s not enough experience to provide you with beautiful results.

After your teeth are prepared and the veneers are bonded to them, the process cannot be reversed. Only a minimal amount of your tooth enamel should have been removed in preparation for veneers. But many dentists who are not smile-makeover artists often remove too much enamel. In either case, your tooth enamel cannot be replaced, and it won’t regenerate. Your smaller-than-normal natural teeth are without sufficient enamel and can’t remain exposed without some type of cosmetic dentistry treatment to protect them.

How Can Your Porcelain Veneers Mistake Be Corrected?

We highly recommend that you schedule a consultation with an accredited cosmetic dentist. If there isn’t one in your immediate area, it might be to your advantage to find one within a reasonable distance. An accredited cosmetic dentist has passed written and oral exams and submitted patient cases to demonstrate proficiency in designing beautiful smiles with porcelain veneers and other forms of cosmetic dentistry. What will a cosmetic dentist do?

  • Examine your porcelain veneers.
  • Examine your teeth.
  • Determine how much tooth enamel was removed.
  • Explain your options.

New porcelain veneers

In most cases, the only solution is to receive new porcelain veneers. As the photos below show, a skilled cosmetic dentist can produce lifelike results.

  • Porcelain veneers before photo of a woman's smile is discolored and brown, but was restored by Lowell, MA accredited cosmetic dentist Dr. Szarek.
    PORCELAIN VENEERS BEFORE
  • Porcelain veneers after photo of a woman's smile that was restored by Lowell, MA accredited cosmetic dentist Dr. Szarek.
    PORCELAIN VENEERS AFTER

Composite veneers

If only minimal amounts of tooth enamel were removed from your natural teeth, it is possible that composite veneers can be applied instead of porcelain veneers. But that’s a decision that should be left to your cosmetic dentist. Although composite bonding can be less expensive than porcelain veneers, there are several disadvantages if you want long-lasting results:

  • Composite veneers are not as durable and will need to be replaced every ten years or so. If you take good care of veneers, they can last 20 years or more.
  • Composite will stain, while porcelain veneers are stain resistant.
  • Depending on how much chairside time is required to complete them, composite veneers can be almost as expensive as porcelain veneers.

Although most dentists don’t provide composite veneers, a highly skilled cosmetic dentist like Dr. Szarek can produce beautiful results with bonding.

  • Dental bonding before photo of mottled, yellow, and uneven teeth that were restored by Lowell, MA accredited cosmetic dentist Dr. Szarek.
    DENTAL BONDING BEFORE
  • Dental bonding after photo of a smile that was restored by Lowell, MA accredited cosmetic dentist Dr. Szarek.
    DENTAL BONDING AFTER

This post is sponsored by Lowell, MA accredited cosmetic dentist Dr. Michael Szarek.