If you're like a number of people, a lifetime of too much sugar and caffeine has impacted the shade of your teeth. Luckily, these sorts of issues can be dealt with through cosmetic dentistry. A healthy and gorgeous set of teeth can give us self-confidence and improve our self-esteem, which is why dental professionals perform cosmetic dental procedures.
Dr. Sachs has the experience and skills necessary to conduct cosmetic procedures that can help deliver the smile you've always dreamed of. Over the course of the following three blog posts, we'll explain several of the possible options, when they are most appropriate, and what they entail.
Crowns
Crowns cover the whole surface of a tooth, enhancing the tooth's shape, stability, and appearance. They can be made from one of the many different kinds of materials, and there are various reasons why someone may need one. Here are a few:
▪ Rebuilding a chipped tooth
▪ Topping a dental implant
▪ Protecting a fragile tooth from tooth decay
▪ Protecting a cracked tooth
You may be wondering how a crown is installed. To start, Dr. Sachs will conduct an X-ray on a tooth she suspects to be at risk for decay or disease. She will then prepare the tooth in order to better fit the crown. Next, she uses a CEREC machine (which uses 3D imaging software to create a representation of the patient's teeth) to sculpt the desired restoration from a ceramic block. The ceramic material will be matched to the color of the patients’ teeth, and it’s permanently sealed to the tooth once it's prepared. The whole process can be completed in one day, however, in some cases (rather than use the CEREC machine), Dr. Sachs will make an impression of the tooth (which serves as a model for the crown) ship it to a dental lab, where the permanent crown will be made. The patient will then receive a temporary crown while waiting for the permanent one to be placed.
With proper attention and care, a crown can last for many years.
Implants
There is evidence that dental implants date back to 600 AD. It's been discovered that the ancient Mayans implanted false teeth by hammering tooth-shaped seashells into the jaw. Thankfully, technology has progressed markedly since then, and current dental implants, made from titanium, are implanted with newer methods. The titanium of the implants allows them to fuse to the bone through osseointegration. Bone-loss usually happens in the case of a missing tooth, but the dental implant hinders this from happening.
Dental implants are an optimal fix for a patient who is missing one or many teeth. The process necessitates some time to finish, as the implants are surgically placed into the jawbone and need a little time to heal before a crown is placed on top. Once finished, the implant/crown combo flawlessly matches the look of a natural tooth.
This series on cosmetic dentistry will be back in the next blog post, so make sure to look for it. While you wait, be sure to follow us on social media, and, if you need to, schedule an appointment with Dr. Sachs by clicking here