Rediscovering a Smile You Can Be Confident In
Your smile is an instinctive way to express your emotions, especially joy, so it holds a special role in all of life’s happiest moments. When you’re self-conscious of your smile, however, it can get in the way of these joyful moments. It can divide your attention as part of your mind begins focusing on what your smile looks like instead of what’s going on around you. You may even try to cover your smile or avoid smiling with your teeth altogether. Your smile shouldn’t have to distract you from the happiest moments of your life—and it doesn’t have to. Whether there’s a feature of your smile you’ve never been in love with or your teeth have suffered damage over the years, cosmetic dentistry has a solution. Its wide range of treatments can give you the smile of your dreams. Here are four ways cosmetic dentistry treatments can restore your smile.
Veneers
Veneers are thin porcelain shells that are cemented to the front surface of your teeth. They’re incredibly versatile, with the ability to restore the appearance—and often the health—of teeth that are chipped, cracked, uneven, worn down, misshapen, or permanently stained. They can also close the gaps between two teeth to erase gap-toothed grins and protect against enamel erosion. Each veneer is custom-made and applied to an individual tooth, so it’s easy to tailor the treatment to your unique needs. You can correct the appearance of one or two teeth or get an entire set to transform your smile’s appearance as part of a smile makeover. You and Dr. Bentz will design your veneers by choosing their size, shape, and shade. This level of customized design ensures that the final result will look completely natural—whether you’re getting a few veneers or an entire set. Porcelain is a modern, aesthetically beautiful, and durable material for tooth restorations because it flawlessly matches the natural color and gloss of real teeth. No one will know you even have veneers!
Porcelain veneers are a permanent procedure, however, because Dr. Bentz has to remove a small layer of enamel in order to place them. This creates a stronger bond between the veneer and your tooth surface and ensures that the veneers don’t make your teeth look too thick. As a result, you’ll want to make sure that you’re ready to commit to a lifetime of veneers before you undergo the procedure. The porcelain material is incredibly durable and even more stain-resistant than your natural teeth, so they’ll last around 15 years with great oral hygiene before they need to be replaced.
Implants
Dental implants consist of a titanium metal rod that is embedded into your jaw to mimic a natural tooth root. The rod is then fitted with a tooth prosthetic like a dental crown or bridge to replace the missing tooth. Dental implants restore the appearance of your teeth because your tooth restoration is carefully made specifically for you. Its size, shape, and shade are designed to ensure that it blends in perfectly with your remaining teeth. They’re so versatile and natural-looking that they can replace any tooth in your mouth, from a back molar to a missing front tooth. Implants perform more than simply a surface-level job of restoring the appearance of your smile, however, as the deeply rooted metal feels just as stable as your natural teeth. You can continue eating all of your favorite foods with dental implants without a second thought.
Implants also protect your long-term oral health by preventing your remaining teeth from shifting into the gap left by your missing teeth. Additionally, dental implants are the only way to prevent the bone loss that occurs naturally when you lose a tooth. In fact, the titanium metal rods actually encourage bone growth, so they can even reverse some bone loss that’s already occurred. Since the implants need to be embedded into your jaw, you do need a certain level of bone density to receive them. If you’ve already lost too much bone mass, you may not be a good fit for the procedure or you may need to get a bone graft before you can receive an implant.
Getting dental implants is a long process because it requires a lot of healing between procedures. It can easily take six months or more to receive your completed implant, but many patients think it’s worth the wait. Despite how amazing the benefits of dental implants sound—or perhaps because of it—you may be wondering, “how much do dental implants cost?” Many variables can impact the cost of your dental implant, so it’s best to schedule a consultation with Dr. Bentz and receive an estimate from our office. They’re certainly more expensive than dental bridges, but dental implants last your entire lifetime. Throughout that lifetime, they’ll provide benefits for your long-term health that no other treatment can—which gives them unmatched value as well.
Crowns
Dental crowns are custom-made, tooth-shaped restorations that are secured on top of your natural tooth to restore its appearance, health, and function. They’re most often placed on teeth that have been worn down over time or have suffered severe decay, a major break, or a deep crack. Misshapen, slightly crooked, or uneven teeth can also be completely transformed using dental crowns. Crowns extend all the way down to the gumline, so they form a protective barrier against future injury or decay. Plus, straightening crooked teeth with dental crowns makes it easier to clean your teeth and gums well, which also helps prevent future decay. Dental crowns are milled from the same durable, natural-looking porcelain as veneers and are just as easy to customize. You can choose their size, shape, and shade to ensure that they blend in with your existing teeth perfectly.
Dental crowns are permanent and generally take two procedures over the course of several weeks to receive. This is because your permanent crown is usually milled in an outside lab, so it takes time for our office to receive it. If you stick to a thorough oral hygiene routine, your durable porcelain crown can last around 15 years before it’ll need to be replaced.
All-on-4 Dentures
All-on-4 is a type of implant-supported denture that allows you to get a full-arch restoration with just four dental implants. While traditional implant-supported dentures take several months to place, All-on-4 allows you to receive your permanent dentures on the same day you get your implants. This decreases the expense and time that’s usually involved when you get implant-supported dentures while still providing many of the same benefits. Additionally, since they require fewer implants, they’re even an option for many patients who have been told that they don’t qualify for implants because of bone loss. Before you choose All-on-4, however, it’s important to be aware that they do have a disadvantage when compared with implants—because they only use four dental implants, they can’t protect your entire jaw from bone loss. As a result, they may be best if you’ve already suffered too much bone loss in your jaw to qualify for traditional implant-supported dentures. Your dentist will help you determine the best option for your unique needs.
If they are right for you, however, All-on-4 dentures can provide you with a lifetime of benefits. They’re more comfortable than traditional dentures and give you the stability to comfortably and securely eat all of your favorite foods. This deep-rooted stability also means that you won’t need to worry about All-on-4 dentures slipping when you’re eating or speaking. You’ll have the confidence to talk and laugh without giving your dentures a second thought. If you’re interested in All-on-4 or traditional implant-supported dentures but aren’t sure which is right for you, feel free to call our office and schedule a consultation with Dr. Bentz at any time.
Your smile should never hold you back from fully enjoying a memorable moment in your life. Thankfully, cosmetic dentistry can give you the confidence to express yourself freely—without any moments of doubt or self-consciousness getting in the way of fully experiencing the joy of the moment.