Fixing old crooked teeth without braces!

Sometimes orthodontics is just not a viable options. Invisalign (clear tray aligners) or full braces (metal brackets) can be a daunting decision for adult patients. But, often orthodontic treatment BEST way to align your natural teeth, fix teeth gaps, level and align your smile and improve the edge position of teeth. At Ivory, we use orthodontics as one of several “tools” to transform your smile - and often we use it as part of an overall cosmetic smile makeover. Sometimes patients that could benefit from orthodontic corrections prior to cosmetic porcelain restorations say “ no way, no how"…They are NOT going to have braces or wear aligners!

If the set up allows - some patients will have the option to correct the overall appearance AND position of their teeth with cosmetic porcelain crowns, veneers and or composite bonding. When the teeth are worn and discolored, the appearance (and position) can be greatly improved by covering the tooth with a porcelain jacket - called a crown. A porcelain veneer is also an option where we only need to cover one surface of the tooth with porcelain in order to improve its overall appearance. See the photos Below…This patient had lived with crooked and worn teeth into her 70’s and finally wanted to improve her smile. Invisalign was ruled out, so we recommended full crowns in order to reposition the teeth (straighten them) and transform the appearance of the tooth with beautiful cosmetic porcelain. The result is a much improved smile and teeth that are no longer worn down, dark, stained and unappealing.

If you look closely at the before image, you can see that the front 4 teeth are crooked and worn to different heights. They are also discolored and full of composite fillings. The first step was to use our amazing Kor teeth whitening system to whiten all the teeth. The goal is to achieve a beautiful whitened tooth color before we begin tooth preparation. Then, by simply preparing the front 4 teeth for a crowns, we are able to cover the teeth and match the whitened color of the adjacent teeth. The edges are even, the surface of the teeth are perfect & life-like…all done without orthodontics!

If time and age have worn and discolored your teeth, it’s never too late to refresh your smile! Check out our cosmetic dentistry page to learn more!

~ Dr Brenny

How replacing old crowns or veneers can transform your smile

Dental materials have changed significantly over the past 2 decades. In the past, the only options we have to create beautiful cosmetic restorations were soft porcelain (feldspathic) or with porcelain to metal crowns (a metal coping with feldspathic porcelain stacked over the top. Both of these options were adequate, but lacked long term durability and great aesthetics. Maybe you’ve seen someone with a front tooth crown that looks “not quite natural”, and has a dark line right next to the gum line? These are usually older “porcelain/metal” crowns that lack translucency and have an exposed metal collar at the gum line. These crowns are often replaced with newer - more aesthetic - porcelain crowns, not because the old crowns are broken or defective, but rather because the old crown no longer look good. See the image below - and notice the dark line at the gum area of the crown and the dull/flat appearance of the front tooth crown when compared to the adjacent natural tooth.

Porcelain technology has improved significantly and we not have material like Lithium Disilicate and Zirconia - which have no metal coping, are super strong and durable as well as aesthetic. The challenge for any cosmetic dentist is to create restorations that mimic real life - meaning using porcelain that allows not only the correct color match; but also the right translucency, opalescence, characterization and surface texture. We want to create veneers and crowns that are truly lifelike and indistinguishable from natural teeth.

So, what do you do when your old crowns catch your eye in your most recent family photos? Maybe the dark line at the gingiva is driving you crazy, you have chips or fractures in your old crown or veneers or the old crowns no longer match your teeth? The first step is bring these concerns up at your next visit or cosmetic dental consult. Often we recommend replacement of the old materials with newer materials AFTER you have a chance to full whiten your smile. I always recommend using this time to get your natural teeth back to the color you always wanted with our take home professional whitening system - then we replace the old veneers or crowns to the new color of your adjacent teeth. Remember, teeth change color but porcelain is forever the same color. If you don’t take the time to first whiten - you’ll be stuck at that shade, unable to whiten your other teeth because it will create a contrast between your crown and natural teeth.

Here is a case where the patient presented with broken (soft porcelain) veneers that were also very gray in appearance. We recommended replacing the restorations with new "lithium disilicate” restorations that were brighter, a bit longer and more aesthetic and durable. The patient loved the result and the case was completed in 2 visits!

So, if your old crowns or veneers are not looking the best - mention it to your cosmetic dentist and learn about what options are out there to reguvinate your smile. It might be easier than you think!

~ Dr B

The BEST way to do teeth whitening!

Teeth whitening is one our most popular treatment options. It is - in my opinion - one of the single BEST ways to make your smile look great. Why…you might ask? Well, because it’s conservative (doesn’t damage the teeth or require any drilling), its cost effective (versus porcelain veneer options) and it’s long lasting and a treatment that you can continue to use for years to come. Take home whitening trays allow you to simply “touch up” your whitening every year…so your teeth remain the amazingly beautiful shade of your initial whitening.

I’ve learned a lot over the years, and some of the most important things I’ve learned with whitening is 1) there are NO shortcuts 2) you need to do it the RIGHT way for it to work predictably. What do I mean by that? I mean the way we do it at Ivory Dental Group - professional teeth whitening with custom take home trays and our world class Kor whitening gel system. After years and years of working with whitening systems - I’ve fallen in love with Kor for its predictability and scientific approach. It’s not a gimmick - promising same day movie star white - it’s a product developed through science and studies - in order to produce predicable, repeatable and profound teeth whitening - with as little teeth sensitivity as possible. For us…it simply works. Our trays are CUSTOM made to fit perfectly to your teeth, and trimmed in a way to guide the excess gel away from your gum tissues (avoiding uncomfortable chemical burns on the tissue). The gel is formulated to work with our trays to penetrate into the stained enamel and break down the stain molecules predictably.

If you want to see what teeth whitening can do for you - check our our COSMETIC DENTISTRY gallery or schedule a consult to see if our Kor teeth whitening system is right for you!

~ Dr B