Before you say a word, your smile speaks to everyone you meet. Getting a better and brighter smile can be simple and even affordable. Dr. Cedric Chenet explains several ways to improve your smile.
Whitening
Teeth get yellow and lose brightness as you age. “Whitening is the easiest thing you can do to improve your smile,” says Dr. Chenet. “It is easy, effective and it is not going to break the bank.”
The most cost effective way to whiten is with custom-made trays and take-home treatments. Results take between 10 to 14 days. You’ll see excellent results if you’re disciplined to use it as recommended by a professional.
In-house whitening like “Zoom” takes about an hour and produces immediate results. Dr. Chenet still encourages patients to use take-home treatments as well to maintain the results. Teeth can be up to eight shades whiter in one office visit.
KöR Whitening or Deep Bleaching — whitens teeth dramatically, often lightening them 16 shades or more. Though this option is not for most patients, it is successful for those who have extremely dark stains. It is even effective on tetracycline-stained (dark) teeth. The results are permanent.
The most common concern is temporary teeth sensitivity, but lots of advances have been made in recent years to help combat this.
Crowns and Implants
If you have a damaged tooth, porcelain crowns are an excellent choice when recreating the form and function, because a crown basically replaces the entire external portion of the tooth down to the gum level. But crowns are not limited to simply replacing the original tooth, they can be designed to create an even better esthetic appearance too. Dental porcelain can be sculpted to closely replicate the look of natural tooth enamel, thanks to improvements of materials.
Dr. Chenet has complete control of restoration. Rather than having to wait weeks for a dental lab to ship a crown, veneer, inlay or outlay, Dr. Chenet’s team can custom-make one right in his office.
An implant connects directly to the jaw bone. Newer techniques for managing the soft tissue around implants can also create a natural look. Implants can look so natural that it’s hard to tell the difference.
Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain veneers are thin pieces of porcelain used to make slight position alterations, or to change tooth shape, size, and/or color. Veneers can now be made as thick as a contact lens and require little to no removal of tooth material.
If you’re unhappy with your smile, it is important to communicate what you want corrected for a successful result.
