In my last blog, we talked about some reasons you may not be happy with your front teeth.  When simple fillings or bleaching won't fix the problem, perhaps porcelain veneers or porcelain crowns will give you the smile of your dreams. 

When your teeth are prepared for porcelain veneers, a small amount of enamel is removed from the fronts of your teeth and replaced with porcelain.  The advantage to this is that porcelain does not stain and you have no reason to worry about drinking your coffee or red wine.  They work beautifully when you have minimal staining or teeth that are not quite as straight as you would like.  I know you have all seen bulky veneers that look like "chicklets", but when done by a dentist trained in cosmetic dentistry, they are beautiful and natural looking.  Sometimes, a combination of veneers and crowns will give you the best smile. With severe staining, porcelain crowns will most likely be necessary to adequately hide the staining.

Even if you already have veneers or crowns that you are not happy with, they can be changed to look like lovely natural teeth.  In the case I am going to show you, my patient had bulky porcelain veneers that were the wrong color.  She was very unhappy with them.  First we took records, photos, and impressionsof her teeth, which enabled me to definitively determine the position of her teeth and her true "bite".  Once she left the office, I spent about 4-5 hours working with these records and created the "new" position and shape of her new smile.  She approved of my result and we made her porcelain crowns.  She was delighted with the result

Patient's Old Veneers 

Patient's New Crowns

We get this esthetic result by using "all" porcelain veneers with no gold underneath.  They are just as strong without the unsightly "black line" at the gumline or the "opaque" look.  Call the office at 508-747-5400 if you would like a consult.  - Dr. DeVore

This article from Self magazine is your guide to your best smile! Not only does it give you 5 GREAT reasons to smile, but it tells you which shade of lipstick will make your teeth look their whitest. It also tells you which foods will enhance your smile, and which to stay away from. "Your Prettiest Smile. Ever." gives you several different reasons to smile!

http://www.self.com/beauty/2012/02/healthier-smile-slideshow#slide=1

When was the last time you looked at yourself in the mirror and smiled?  Try it out!  Not only is it good for your self esteem, but it lets you have a peek at what the rest of the world sees when you smile.  Perhaps you have stopped smiling all together, or hold your hand over your mouth when you speak to other people.  It could be for a number of reasons so lets talk about a few.

Sometimes we lose our white smile because older white fillings have darkened over the years.  Coffee, tea, red wine and many other things we eat or drink can cause staining.  Simply replacing these old composites (white fillings) with newer, less porous materials can give you an instant "lift".  And who can't use a little of that?

The enamel itself can also stain over time.  Over the counter bleaching materials can help some, but our office provides stronger "bleaches" that work much faster.  After having a thorough exam to check for cavities or other problems you may have, we take an "impression" of your teeth and within a few days you will have your custom bleaching tray to use at home!  The results can be remarkable.  A white smile is a young smile.

We will discuss more options such as veneers and porcelain crowns in our blog over the next few weeks, but for more ideas you can go to the website for the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry at  www.aacd.com.                          - Dr. Patricia DeVore