Exceptional Dentistry LV Blog

Monday, June 7, 2010

Smile Makeovers

Smile Makeovers are a cosmetic procedure that is completely customizable to each individuals needs. There are multiple different reasons people come to our office for smile makeovers, it may be the color of the teeth, broken or missing teeth, or the alignment of the teeth.

The different procedures that can be done to fix these common problems, vary from something as simple as whitening to porcelain veneers to porcelain bridge work and implants.

The most common procedure for smile makeovers is porcelain veneers. If you are interested in having porcelain veneers done the first step is to set up a consultation. At the consultation appointment we take photos, and models of your teeth and we sit down and discuss what you want your smile to look like. The doctor will then discuss what the options are to accomplish your smile goals. The next step is to communicate all the information along with the models and photos to our master ceramist who will then do a customized "wax up" or a mock up of what the new smile will look like.

Now some people have concerns about the look of the final porcelain. A lot of people will say, "I don't want to have Chicklet teeth" or "I have seen people who have done cosmetic work and it looks fake." If you are somebody who has similar concerns, I will tell you, with modern technology and the cosmetic porcelains that are available, your teeth will look completely natural as if you were born with beautiful teeth.

Once the "wax up" is complete you are ready for the work to be done. You then come in for the preparation day. At this appointment we will prepare the teeth and make temporaries to place on the teeth while the porcelain restorations are being made. Your temporaries are made from the "wax up" so you can get a preview of what the porcelain restorations will look like in your mouth. At this point we rely on the patients communication with us, while in the temporaries it is important that if you want anything changed you let us know so we can relay the information to our lab. For example, if you want the teeth a little longer or a little shorter, or more rounded, or lighter in color, we can inform our ceramist so he can place the changes in the porcelain veneers. Once you love your new smile in the temporaries we will give the lab the okay to finish the porcelain.

On the day we place the porcelain veneers, we will remove your temporaries and try in the new restorations. We will have you look at them and make sure you love them before we bond them in. Once you give us he okay we will go forward and bond the porcelain veneers in place. Now that they are in you have your new beautiful smile to enjoy for years to come.

Below is a before and after photo of a patient who had her smile makeover done.