Instant Orthodontics from
Raleigh North Carolina Center for Aesthetic & Cosmetic Dentistry
A Cosmetic Alternative by Raleigh Cosmetic Dentist Dr Harold
We've all been there, or will be: You walk out to the mailbox and
pull out a letter with a return address from someone in your past.
Inside is the information on your high school reunion. You look
yourself over in the mirror to assess the changes. All those workouts
in the gym have paid off. Maybe a little too much sun from
those college spring breaks. A few gray hairs and crows feet...
nothing a trip to the pharmacy can't cover up.
But that beautiful smile you once had has faded into some crowding, some stained old fillings, and an overall dingy yellow look. And you realize, too, that your teeth have gotten a little shorter over the years. Maybe from grinding or waiting up for your teenager to come home with the car intact.
Now, you could bleach your teeth, several shades whiter, in just a week or so. Even get it done faster in the dental office. But what you might be left with is short white crooked teeth with stained fillings. Better but not good enough. How about braces and replacing those old fillings? Sure, but you'll need a couple of years and now you'll have straight white short teeth.
Using a technique that involves placing thin shells of pressed (ceramic) porcelain veneers, bonded directly and permanently to your teeth, it is possible in a couple of weeks to give you perfectly straight, white, and youthfully larger teeth. It's also possible for you to choose the smile you've always wanted from a catalog of photographs of completed cases.
Nothing frames the face better than an attractive smile. It gives you confidence and people are drawn to you without really knowing why. Ever see someone smile and cover up his or her mouth, possibly subconsciously? Ever do it yourself? Confidence soars with a beautiful smile. And it can be achieved easily and in very little time. The procedure for doing a smile lift" involves making models of your teeth along with a series of photographs. The models and photographs are carefully analyzed to determine the final position, length, color, size, and shape of each tooth. A detailed interview completes the preliminary phase to allow the patient a chance to convey his or her wants and desires and to let the doctor know what their expectations of the final results are. This is a very important part of the whole process. Both doctor and patient must be on the same sheet of music.
The patient's models are then sent to a laboratory and waxed to their final shapes and contours and shown to the patient in order for them to critique the results. Changes can easily be made at this point. Often, subtle changes can be made to the final veneers after they are in place that greatly enhance the appearance and function.
The preparation phase differs in each case depending on whether there is crowding, spacing, protruding teeth, missing teeth, misshaped teeth, or whatever exists. In general, a small amount of tooth structure (about half a millimeter) is removed from the teeth and an impression is taken of the preparation. This is sent to the laboratory for the fabrication of the veneers. In the interim, temporary veneers, made from the aforementioned waxed teeth, are meticulously placed over the prepared teeth. They are made of a light-colored acrylic material and look extremely lifelike. A shade for the permanent veneers is selected with the patient and all pertinent information regarding final smile design and color is provided to the laboratory. Plans that have been carefully and thoroughly made to include final size of teeth, position, lip fullness, smile characteristics and shape are closely followed.
At the seating appointment, the veneers are carefully bonded to each tooth, polished, and slightly contoured to maximize their aesthetics. A beautiful smile!
Unlike conventional crowns that are made of metal and porcelain, and cemented, veneers are made of porcelain or pressed ceramic materials that are bonded and lifelike. No black rim around the gums… ever. No dead looking lifeless crowns. Veneers allow the light to pass through them giving them unmatched vitality.
Porcelain veneers can also improve function and reestablish chewing surface lost from years of grinding and bruxing. It should, however, be mentioned that if function is severely compromised that orthodontics should be considered as a phase in the cosmetic treatment.
If you are considering a smile lift, be certain that your dentist has had the necessary training to perform these procedures. Be sure to ask your dentist to see before and after photographs of his or her work and to see photos of cases similar to yours. Like any artistry, this type of work takes years to master and hours of continuing education. Don't be afraid to ask questions. It's your smile and you want it to be perfect. Be certain that your dentist fully understands how you want your smile to look before any preparations are done.
Instant orthodontics can transform smiles that heretofore were dingy, with crooked teeth, stained fillings, dark craze lines and spaces, into straight, white, natural appearing and confidence-boosting dazzlers. Smiles that were at one time hidden by embarrassed half-grins are metamorphosed into broad ear to ear centerpieces. And isn't that what you want that cute guy that you sat next to in history class in high school years ago to see?
Dr. James R. Harold DDS, Aesthetic Dentist - Providing services in Cosmetic and Extreme Makover Dentistry and to the areas of Raleigh, North Carolina.
8817 Six Forks Rd Raleigh, NC 27615
Ph. 919.848.3636, Fx. 919.848.0358
© copyright 2000 - 2008, Dr. James R Harold, all rights reserved
