Call Us: 267-763-1500

261 Old York Rd, Ste 517, Jenkintown, PA 19046

Banner image on site front page
Cosmetic and
restorative
dentistry

Archives for January 2024

Are 3N Veneers Better Than Lumineers?

Posted on by .

I have read some of your information about Lumineers, and other expert cosmetic dentists seem in alignment with your thoughts. My question is about 3N Veneers. I live in Europe and quite a few cosmetic dentists here say that 3N is better than Lumineers. What are your thoughts on them?

Marie

Dear Marie,

An image of a porcelain veneer being held up to a tooth.

I’m glad you wrote. I want to redirect your line of thinking. While great that you are trying to do research before investing in your smile makeover, I think you are looking at the wrong thing. Let’s look at it from an art point of view, and cosmetic dentistry is definitely an art. If you were trying to commission a sculpture to be done, would you look into the brands of clay or marble the sculptors use or the artistry of the sculptor? My guess is the artistry of the sculptor. That is how you need to approach this.

Why? Because while 3N porcelain veneers could be better than Lumineers, that would completely depend on the skill and artistry of the dentist placing them. An expert cosmetic dentist could provide you with a stunning smile no matter what brand they used. An average cosmetic dentist will give you an average smile no matter how great the brand. Plus, each brand has different strengths and qualities. A dentist who does a lot of smile makeovers will know the pros and cons of each brand.

I would focus your attention in finding the best cosmetic dentist you can. I am going to recommend that you look for a dentist accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). Accreditation with the AACD is different than just membership. These dentists have passed stringent exams and demonstrated their artistry before an examination board. They’re in the top 1-3% of cosmetic dentists in the country.

One thing you can do to protect yourself is to make sure the dentist is willing to do a provisional try-in for your porcelain veneers. That means he or she will put them on with a temporary try-in paste. Then, you get to look at them in several different type of lightings. If you don’t absolutely love them, then your dentist should be willing to send them back to the lab as many times as is necessary to give you the beautiful result YOU want. They should not get permanently bonded until you are thrilled with them.

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

Maryland Bridge on Dental Work

Posted on by .

I am getting some dental work done. First, I need a tooth extracted that is between two teeth that already have dental implants. In addition, I’ve got a chipped front tooth. I am going to have dental bonding done to fix that and feel comfortable with that choice. What is worrying me is the missing tooth. Would a Maryland Bridge be able to bond to dental work?

Catherine

Dear Catherine,

Applying a Maryland Bridge

While the short answer is yes, there are complications in trying this. First, most dentists don’t understand the proper procedure for bonding a Maryland Bridge. They think it is simply a matter of grinding the adjacent teeth and bonding on the metal wings of the bridge to the teeth. This is not enough and will cause the bridge to dislodge too easily. Little grooves need to be added to the teeth to help secure the wings, as pictured above.

A second issue is that the wings of the bridge do not bond to porcelain as securely as they do to natural tooth structure. Bonding to porcelain is completely different than bonding to natural teeth and not many dentists understand this difference. This is an additional risk for your bridge.

The best thing would have been for your dentist, knowing that you’ve already lost the two adjacent teeth, to do some forward planning. Hopefully, your dentist thought ahead and placed your dental implants in a way that would make the abutments parallel and used screw retained crowns. This way when the tooth in the center is lost, he or she could just unscrew the crowns and attach a bridge to it.

If your dentist did not do that and you have enough room, a good solution would be to place a third dental implant between the other two.

The Most Important Decision Regarding Dental Bonding

before and after dental bonding

As for the repair to your front tooth. Dental bonding is a fantastic way to repair a chipped or gapped tooth. One thing to bear in mind is that this is an advanced dental procedure that has to be done freehand. If you want to make certain that you have a beautiful, natural looking result you will want to check that your dentist has advanced cosmetic dentistry training. This is especially important because it is a front tooth.

These are more exposed to the light and all the variations of your teeth are exposed. In your place, I would look for a dentist accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). This is different from a simple membership. AACD accredited dentists passed stringent exams and have proven artistry. They will give you a result that blends both naturally and beautifully.

This blog is brought to you by Jenkinstown, PA Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.