Archives for May 2023

Will Switching to Dental Implants Give Me a Better Smile?

Posted on May 31, 2023 by writeradmin.

I’ve been in dentures for about a year and I hate them. Hate isn’t even a strong enough word. They move. It’s impossible to eat the things I love. What I can eat gets stuck in them. It’s humiliating. I think I might have been able to put up with this if my smile looked attractive. In all honesty, my one consolation to myself about needing dentures was that I could finally have a pretty smile…except I don’t. The dentures look fake. I feel like George Washington and his wooden teeth. I’m hoping if I switch to dental implants that I can at least have a beautiful smile. However, I don’t want to spend that fortune if it won’t make a difference. Any advice?

Kelly

Dear Kelly,

I have some great news for you with a “but” attached. Getting dental implants can solve all the problems you mentioned above, plus some, BUT, you will probably need to do it with a different dentist. The reason I say that is because your smile could be beautiful even with dentures, though you would still have those other problems. The reason it isn’t beautiful now has to do with the cosmetic skills of your dentist.

My recommendation is you look for a qualified implant dentist who is also a skilled cosmetic dentist. The top cosmetic dentists in the country are AACD accredited, so I’d look for one of those first.

What Can Dental Implants Do for You?

Because your dentures will be anchored to dental implants they will be completely secure. No moving around. Plus, you’ll be able to eat anything you want again.

However, the most important reason to get dental implants instead of removable dentures is the prevention of facial collapse. Once your teeth were removed, your body immediately began resorbing the minerals in your jawbone. This is to use your body’s resources as efficiently as possible. However, the unpleasant result from that is the shrinking of your jawbone. In about ten years or so, you will not only no longer have enough jawbone left to retain your denture, but will look decades older. Dental implants prevent this by signaling to your body that you still have teeth roots that need to be retained. As a result, your body leaves the minerals alone.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.

I Hate the Way My Implants Look

Posted on May 29, 2023 by writeradmin.

Can you help me? I had dental implant overdentures done and when the bridges came in I was very disappointed in them. While they were very bright and white, they looked monochromatic, which in my opinion makes them look fake. They’re also bulkier than I would have expected and the surfaces of the teeth are very round and protruding. My dentist insists that they are up to the highest professional standards and I will get used to them. Is there anything I can do?

Andrea

Dear Andrea,

Woman covering her mouth

I am sorry this happened to you. It sounds like you went to a general dentist who does not understand the foundation of cosmetic work. Her saying it is up to the highest professional standards only refers to functionality. It has nothing to do with beauty of the results. When you are talking about your smile, beauty is an important factor.

The monochromatic look is very telling of your dentist’s cosmetic skill (or lack thereof). Our natural teeth are not uniform. The middle is more opaque than the remainder of the tooth. Plus there are grooves and other texture. All of this requires a high level of technical knowledge on the part of the dentist in order to properly convey instructions to the lab.

What you need is a true cosmetic dentist to re-do this dental bridge for your implant overdentures. At least the upper bridge. Look for someone who is AACD accredited. These are the top cosmetic dentists in the country. I don’t know that you will be able to get a refund from your current dentist on the upper bridge but you can certainly ask.

I hate it when a dentist says, “You just need to get used to it.” That’s dental speak for “I don’t know how to fix this so I’m just going to semi blame you for being too picky and whiny.”

It is unfortunate that your dentist did not care about how you felt about the smile she created you. Fortunately, a better cosmetic dentist can give you something stunning, that you will be proud to show for the remainder of your life.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.

Why Do I Need Root Canals after Porcealin Veneers?

Posted on May 15, 2023 by writeradmin.

My dentist gave me a complete smile makeover with veneer crowns. When the permanent ones were placed in, two of them had sharp pains. The dentist adjusted them about 3 times and eventually the pain went away. However, not long after those same teeth developed abscesses on the top of them. He did some x-rays and said that the nerves died and those teeth need a root canal treatment. I was a bit shocked because he never mentioned nerve damage as a possibility. He said he didn’t know why it happened and I’m just unlucky when it comes to this. Since then, three more teeth have needed root canal treatments and two more teeth are starting to hurt. I feel like each of these teeth are going to “fail” at some time. I also feel like I’ve been taken advantage of. Is there anything I can do about this?

Miranda

Dear Miranda,

Comparison of tooth preparation between dental crowns and porcelain veneers

I am going to start by clarifying some terms because there is something that has me concerned you were misled. You mentioned you received a smile makeover with veneer crowns. That is not a thing. There are porcelain crowns and there are porcelain veneers. The two of these are very different procedures. You can see that even from the type of tooth preparation necessary.

Notice in the image above, on the left side there is a LOT of tooth preparation. This is what happens when your teeth are given dental crowns. On the right, is the preparation for porcelain veneers. I believe you were given crowns for a couple of reasons. First, it is pretty much unheard of for someone to need a root canal treatment as a result of porcelain veneers. Second, you said something about the permanent ones. It is dental crowns which start with temporaries and then go to permanent. However, there are times you’re given a mock up of your porcelain veneers and allowed to try them in to see if that is what you were wanting for your smile makeover.

A smile makeover does not require the aggressive grinding down of the teeth. That is why porcelain veneers are the standard. With dental crowns, if there is too aggressive a tooth preparation the dentist risks exposing the pulp. This is what I think your dentist did. Many dentists who did not invest in post-doctoral training will do porcelain crowns instead of veneers because it is what they are more familiar with. If your dentist lied to you and hinted you were getting veneers, then you need to demand a refund as well as for him to cover the cost of the root canal treatments. If he didn’t say you were getting porcelain veneers and you just assumed that, you can still ask him to cover the root canal treatments because he is the one who ground down your teeth too aggressively.

I’m sorry you are dealing with this. For those reading this considering a smile makeover, it is always better to have a smile makeover done by someone with the right training. I would recommend you use a dentist who is AACD accredited.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.