Tag Archives: Louisiana Cosmetic Dentist

Cosmetic Dentist

Dentist Wants Me to Mortgage My House to Fix ONE Crown

I’m in a quandary. My entire top arch is made up of crowns. Don’t ask. Long story. They’re about ten years old. I noticed one of the very front crowns is wiggly. I went to see a dentist. He said the crown needs to be replaced, but in order to get the new crown to match, they’d have to all be replaced. Do you realize how many crowns that is? In order to match one crown, I’d have to practically mortgage my house. What the heck? I was never told they’d all have to be replaced if one went bad when I first got them. Is there any other option? I don’t want to go so far in debt, but it’s a front tooth so I do want it to match. Help me.

Kiera E.

Kiera,

This is just a guess, but I can pretty much guarantee it’s a correct one. Your dentist is a decent family dentist, but not one who has excellent cosmetic skills. A good cosmetic dentist can match a single crown to the rest of your teeth. This one can’t, so instead, he wants you to spend a small fortune replacing all of them so he can make them all exactly the same.

You need a different dentist. An expert cosmetic dentist. It’s hard for patients to know which dentists are skilled and artistic with cosmetics and which aren’t. One of the reasons for that is there isn’t actually a recognized specialty from the ADA in cosmetic dentistry, so any general dentist can call themselves a cosmetic dentist no matter how unskilled they are.

Fortunately, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry realized how difficult this is for patients. They started an accreditation program for dentists so there would be some way to distinguish those dentists who put the effort into learning the skills and artistry required to create beautiful smiles.

In your case, instead of mortgaging your house, I’d find an AACD accredited dentist and have them match your single crown to the rest of your teeth. You can still go to your regular dentist for other things if you want, but I’m concerned that he cares more about saving his “reputation” than how much money he costs you.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Mike Malone.

Uncategorized

Can CEREC Crowns Give Me Vampire Teeth?

I just found out I need a crown on my cuspid. I’m kind of excited about it. I’m a huge Goth fan and have always wanted vampire teeth, so I’m thinking about getting both cuspids crowned. My dentist uses a CEREC machine. Will that be able to give me vampire teeth?

Abby S. – Branson, MO

Abby,

There’s another Abby who’s a Goth fan, but she’s a fictional character on NCIS. If you haven’t seen that particular program, I bet you’d enjoy that character. In regards to your request, there are a few things to consider here. First, just in answering your question, yes, CEREC crowns could shape you pointy cuspids. However, that doesn’t mean your dentist will be willing to do it.

Every year, generally around Halloween, dentists get requests for vampire teeth. Most patients are satisfied with some temporary teeth. Every once in a while we get someone who wants them permanent. Dentists are hesitant to do that because they don’t want to be responsible for damage done to another person as a result of their cosmetic work.

Discuss it with your dentist. He or she may be willing or they may only be willing to give you temporary vampire teeth that are easily removable. This way you can use them in appropriate situations like a party or CON, but it won’t interfere with your everyday life. In fact, you might find it difficult to obtain employment with vampire teeth, which is something to consider.

Finally, I’d like you to think about the drawback of putting a crown put on a healthy tooth. Dental crowns, whether they’re CEREC or otherwise, require a large amount of tooth structure to be ground down. Your tooth essentially is reduced to a nub. I wouldn’t recommend doing this to a healthy tooth. If your dentist agrees to permanent vampire teeth, then I’d suggest getting the healthy tooth reshaped using porcelain veneers instead of crowns. You can get the appearance you want with minimal disruption to healthy tooth structure.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Mike Malone.

Cosmetic Dentist

Zoom or Take Home Whitening?

I’m getting my teeth whitened, but am trying to decide between Zoom Whitening and Take-Home Whitening. Will I need a cosmetic dentist or can my family dentist to it?

Lisa R. – Colorado

Lisa,

I’ll answer your second question first. Any dentist can do teeth whitening. It’s a fairly simple procedure. If you were getting something like porcelain veneers, then you would definitely want a dentist with cosmetic training. However, if your family dentist doesn’t have a Zoom Whitening System, then you’re down to one option. Not every dentist invests in one.

As to which procedure, that depends on your goals. If you’re wanting your teeth as white as they can be as quickly as possible, Zoom is your best option.

On the other hand, if you want more control over the level of whiteness or want to do it gradually, then take-home teeth whitening is a better fit for you. Either way, you’ll get beautiful, white teeth.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Mike Malone.

CEREC

Are CEREC Crowns Causing My Gum Problems?

I had a CEREC crown placed a week ago. My gum is still hurting and it’s bleeding. How long until this gets better?

Doug K. – Ohio

Doug,

If there’s any swelling, I’d suspect an infection. Hopefully, your dentist suggested you do saltwater rinses. If not, do them for a couple of days and see if that improves things. If there’s any swelling or if the pain increases, go immediately to your dentist to check for an infection.

It’s most likely your gums are irritated from placing the CEREC crowns, which can happen with any type of crown. It’s common for patients to have a little more difficulty getting between the teeth on restorations. If that’s an issue for you, it could be bacteria flourishing. If that’s the case, it’s an easy fix. Try switching to a floss pic for a bit until you get used to getting between the crown.

It should improve soon if there’s no infection, especially if you keep doing those rinses several times a day.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Mike Malone.

Porcelain Veneers

Having Pain With My Porcelain Veneers

I got porcelain veneers. When my dentist put in the temporaries they felt okay. But, now that the real ones are in they’re giving me some pain. My dentist looked at them and said the bite is off just a bit. He adjusted them a few times, but it’s still hurting when I bite down. Do I keep going back or have them removed?

Sandy – Georgia

Sandy,

I don’t think what you have is porcelain veneers. If you had temporaries, and your dentist has adjusted them, and he’s saying your bite is off, that sounds more like porcelain crowns.

Your dentist needs to fix this or it will cause severe problems, including TMJ. If adjusting them doesn’t improve things, you may have an infection and that is what is causing the pain.  Have the dentist do the x-ray.

I’m a little concerned that you thought you had porcelain veneers. Was that what your dentist told you? Maybe have another dentist look at your bill and the work you had done.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Mike Malone.

Uncategorized

Is It Really Worth It to Go to The Dentist When the Economy is so Bad?

The economy where we live is really bad. My husband’s been out of work for two years now.  We’re trying to save money anywhere we can. In a bad economy, is it really necessary to go to the dentist twice a year?

Laura L. – Miami

Laura,

I completely understand the dilemma you’re in. The economy in Louisiana has been hit hard. We’re watching people lose homes they’ve lived in for years.

You’re asking if it’s OK to cut back to one check-up a year. I’m going to give you a very non-committal answer. It really depends. Before you roll your eyes, I’ll explain further.

Some people have naturally healthy teeth. They go their whole lives without a cavity. Feel free to hate those people as much as I hate people with a high metabolism.  If you’re one of the people with naturally healthy teeth that never has any issue, then temporarily cutting back to once a year, may not do any harm.

But, if you’re one of the people with a normal mouth, it’s a gamble. IF you don’t go in regularly, you risk costing yourself a lot more money. Regular check-ups can prevent cavities. It can also catch them early enough where you might only need a tiny filling. Put it off, you’ll end up paying for a root canal and dental crown.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Mike Malone.

Porcelain Veneers

Why Didn’t My Porcelain Veneers Work?

I was very excited to get porcelain veneers. I was told they could make my smile taller and wider and make my gums look even.  That’s what my dentist and I discussed. Unfortunately, that isn’t what I ended up with. Don’t get me wrong. the veneers look good, but nothing has changed the size of my teeth or my gums, which you can still see when I smile. Why didn’t they work? Were my expectations too high?

Samantha B. – Washington

Samantha,

Your expectations of porcelain veneers weren’t too high. I’d say your expectations for your dentist were.  Porcelain veneers can widen your smile, as well as many other things. However, the solution for your issue would have included gum contouring.  Additionally, it would have had to have been done before the veneers were made, not after.

It’s likely your dentist is a great family dentist who dabbles in cosmetic work. He doesn’t have any real expertise. You could talk to him about re-doing them, but I’m not sure he’d really know what to do. It sounds like you’ll likely have to have them re-done by someone with more artistic and technical training.

If I were in your place, I’d look for someone who is accredited with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.

This blog is brought to  you by Dr. Mike Malone.

Cosmetic Dentist

My Dentist Wants to Put A Metal Crown On My Tooth

I’m not sure if I should go forward with something my dentist wants to do. I need a crown. But, he wants to put a metal based crown on the tooth. My mother had one of those and it was horribly ugly. Would mine be ugly too or have their been more developments since then?

Ally R. – Idaho

Ally,

I haven’t seen your mother’s crown, nor do I know when she had it placed, so it would be hard for me to tell you if there have been advancements. However, I can tell you that cosmetic dentists (who care as much about form as they do function) would not put a metal based crown on a front tooth.

The reason for that is the appearance, as you’ve noted about your mother’s old crown. A metal based crown requires a more opaque layering in order to “cover” the metal. Plus, you will eventually develop a gray line at your gumline, which will be unattractive and distracting.

Instead, I’d recommend an all-porcelain crown. These are perfectly strong enough to be placed on your front teeth, and are much more attractive.

That being said, you’ll need to have a good cosmetic dentist to do it. Even the most beautiful materials need artistic hands to make their beauty shine.  Especially because it is a front teeth you’re talking about, I cannot stress how much the skill of the cosmetic dentist will make a difference on how the crown will look.

The best cosmetic dentists are accredited with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD).

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Mike Malone.

 

CEREC

Why Is My CEREC Crown Getting Stained?

I’m having a problem with my CEREC crown. I’ve only had it about a year and now it’s picking up stains. I don’t know what happened. I just got my teeth cleaned. My teeth, including my crown, looked great when I left. A few weeks later and it started getting dingy.

Corinne – New Mexico

Corinne,

I can’t be certain without examining your crowns, but it sounds like your crown has lost its glazing. I suspect, because it happened just after your check up and cleaning, you likely had an inexperienced hygienist. He or she either didn’t realize you had a CEREC crown or didn’t know how to care for them.

If the hygienist used something like a prophy jet during your  cleaning, it would damage the glazing.

I’d talk to your dentist about it. If he or she doesn’t know how to fix it, they might be willing to replace it.  Other than that you’re stuck either living with it or replacing it yourself.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Mike Malone.

Invisalign

Why would I need to do two procedures to get pretty teeth?

I want to have my teeth much whiter. I also have one front tooth that is a little crooked. Not much. I was told by a friend that porcelain veneers would take care of both of these things, but my dentist wants me to have ortho done and then veneers. Why would I need two procedures?

Jermaine – San Jose, CA

Jermaine,

You question leaves me wondering if there’s something unique about your bite that your dentist is recommending both procedures; because, you’re right, generally you would either do porcelain veneers or invisalign, not both.

Invisalign will straighten your tooth and ensure your other teeth are in proper alignment. You could also whiten them simultaneously. Your invisalign trays can double as whitening trays.

Porcelain veneers are a better option if you want to change more about your smile than just color or crookedness. For instance,  if you wanted to change there shape as well, I’d definitely recommend veneers.

If I were in your place I’d get a second opinion by a highly experienced, artistic cosmetic dentist. Ideally, you’d want someone who is accredited with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). If you don’t have one of those nearby, you can go on the mynewsmile.com website. They recommend expert cosmetic dentists by area.

This blog is brought to you by Dr. Mike Malone.