Tag Archives: Teeth Whitening

Zoom Whitening

Can Teeth Be Bleached to Match Something Specific?

I want to get my teeth very white. In fact, I have a white sweater I love that I want them to match. Is that possible or am I asking too much?

Carol

Dear Carol,

Zoom Whitening

What an interesting question. I can tell you that we haven’t found an upper bound to how white teeth can get. So, it is possible. That being said, the results of teeth whitening can be a bit unpredictable. Zoom Whitening can get them really white fast, but there is not a definitive ending color result.

My suggestion if you have a very specific color you want, would be to go with porcelain veneers. These are custom designed and the color you want can be made to order.

You do need to go to an office that employs an expert cosmetic dentist, though. We have an AACD accredited dentist who comes to our office. Smile makeovers are his art form of choice.

Whoever you end up with, make sure they use a temporary try-in paste so you can see the veneers in place and determine whether you like them or not. If you’re not thrilled, they should be sent back to the lab to make the changes you request.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

Zoom Whitening

Solution for White Spots

I had braces in my mid-twenties. Yes, that is late, but my parents were quite poor and I needed to wait until I had the money to do it myself. After they were off, I noticed these white spots on my two front teeth. I asked my dentist if there was anything we could do about that and her response was, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” While that might be fine for her to say, they aren’t her teeth. I just spent a small fortune getting my teeth straight, I would like to be proud of them when I smile and not have people staring at my white spots. So, do you think something strong like Zoom Whitening would help? I’d have to go to a different dentist for that because my dentist doesn’t offer teeth whitening, but I’d really like to fix their appearance.

Kelly

Dear Kelly,

Patient under a Zoom Whitening light.

I’m glad you wrote. It sounds like your dentist has what we call an engineering mindset. They got into dentistry because they like to fix things. As a result, they are not as interested in the cosmetic side of things.

I am glad to hear you are willing to go to another dentist to get this fixed because that is what it will require. Unfortunately, Zoom Whitening will not be the solution though. No matter what type of teeth whitening you use, it will whiten your teeth evenly. That means the white spots will get whiter along with the rest of your tooth structure.

You have two possible solutions here. Both of them will require that you see an expert cosmetic dentist. This is important because you want a beautiful result. Check out their smile galleries to see if you like their results.

Your first option is to have dental bonding done. Whatever dentist you go to will need to carefully remove the white spots (which are actually areas of decalcification) and then place composite dental bonding on top.

If your spots are very large, I suggest you have two porcelain veneers placed on your front teeth instead of the bonding. Especially for large areas, this will give a more aesthetic, longer-lasting result.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

Invisalign

Required Visits with Invisalign

I have been saving up to get Invisalign for a couple of years now. I’m finally ready, but six months ago my family moved out to the middle of nowhere. It takes me three hours to get to town. I don’t think I can get there every two weeks. I have three kids and I’ll either need to take them with me or find someone to come up the mountain every time to watch them. Is there any way to do it in fewer appointments?

Kate

Dear Kate,

Invisalign aligners

A lot of it will depend on the dentist, but I don’t see any reason that you couldn’t go once a month instead of twice. Generally, with Invisalign, your dentist will provide you with new aligners every two weeks after an exam to make sure everything with your case is on target.

As long as you don’t have any unusual circumstances which require more careful observation, it would not be an issue to provide you with two sets of your aligners at each visit.

One other thing you should be aware of. Invisalign has a hidden benefit of being able to double as teeth whitening trays. This will allow you to straighten and whiten your teeth at the same time. It is the equivalent of a mini smile makeover for a fraction of the cost. If teeth whitening is something you’ve considered, this will allow you to double up your treatment saving you additional time of going back and forth to a dentist at a later date.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

Invisalign

What to do About a Huge Tooth GAp

I have a gap in my two front teeth. It is substantially large enough for another tooth to fit there. Would getting Lumineers help? They could make each of the teeth a little wider. One dentist recommended that. Another recommended orthodontics. I really don’t want braces though.

Angie

Dear Angie,

Invisalign Dental Aligner

I am trying to imagine that dentist thinking that extending your teeth out that far will look in any way normal if that gap is as large as I’m picturing. I wish I had a picture.

I will say that dentists who suggest Lumineers are not usually in the top tier of cosmetic dentists. That particular brand of porcelain veneers is often marketed to inexperienced cosmetic dentists as being easy to place. The type of cosmetic case you are describing is very advanced and would take the best of the best in cosmetic dentists. I wouldn’t let anyone except an AACD accredited dentist touch that.

However, that doesn’t mean you’ll have to have traditional metal and wire brackets. Orthodontics have come a LONG way. These days, you can get Invisalign. Instead of wires and brackets, they use clear aligners. These are invisible even at a conversational distance.

This will allow you to straighten your teeth without anyone noticing. If you want, the aligners can even double as teeth whitening trays which allows you to straighten and whiten your teeth at the same time.

It looks to me like you need to seek out a third dentist if the one who suggested orthodontics didn’t offer Invisalign, unless there is something else about your bite that wasn’t mentioned. If it is a simple matter of a gap then it is the perfect solution.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Thimmesch and Foreman.

Dental Implants

Diabetes and Dental Implants

I have type 1 diabetes and need to replace a tooth. I was hoping to get a dental implant. Is that possible for me or is my condiation a contra-indication?

Aubrey

Dear Aubrey,

Diabetes is not a contraindication for dental implants, but you do need to be aware that it is a risk factor. A significant one. You will need careful diagnostics ahead of time. Don’t skimp on them. Make sure you get a CT scan.

You will also want a dentist who has done a LOT of dental implants successfully. Ask how many dental implant procedures they’ve done and what their percentage of successful cases is. It shouldn’t be less than 98%.

Ideally, the dentist will do the surgery and the placement. However, if they refer you to an oral surgeon, make certain your dentist makes the decisions about the placement and there is close coordination between the two of them.

Cosmetic Considerations

You did not mention where the implant was being placed. If it is on a visible part of your smile, you will want to think long term. If you are considering teeth whitening, you will want to do it before you get the porcelain crown that will go on the implant.

This is because, while the color of the crown can be made any color, the color is permanent. If you whiten later, your natural teeth will brighten, but the crown will remain the same color. If you want it to match your teeth, you will have to replace it. Getting the whitening done ahead of time means you will save money.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

Invisalign

A Serious Problem with smile care club

During a YouTube binge, an acquaintance come across this video by a young woman called Rosie Posie. She’s been documenting her experience and treatment with Smile Care Club. In one of her videos, posted directly below, you see her struggling to get her aligners in. It takes quite a while.

Eventually, after twenty mintues of trying to put them in, she gives up. In a follow-up video, the problem was discovered and resolved. Smile Direct Club inadvertantly mixed up her aligners giving her ones that were a month ahead of where she really was in her treatment.

To give you an idea of how serious this is from a medical standpoint, it would be like a surgeon accidentally doing surgery on the wrong body part.

The stress put on her teeth from being a month ahead and then going back to an earlier treatment often leads to root resorption. This can lead to premature tooth loss. It would be interesting to look at before and after x-rays of her teeth roots as a result of this mistake.

Patient Floundering

Here lies one of the big problems with services such as Smile Direct Club. Patients are left to flounder. If it weren’t for the fact that she’d been documenting her treatment on YouTube and it caught the attention of Smile Direct Club, she likely would have been left trying to shove these on every day, causing serious ireparable damage.

Many people are attracted to these mail order services because of their discounted prices. What makes their prices so low is you do not have a dentist you see regularly that check on your treatment. Bodies are unique. Because of that, even when someone is given the correct aligners, the treatment may not respond as it was supposed to. That is one of the important ways being under the care of a dentist is important. Early intervention in these cases can save the treatment and the patient’s teeth.

Affording Invisalign

If you want to safely straighten your teeth, I recommend Invisalign. It has one of the highest patient satisfaction rates of any treatment. If the cost makes you feel you could more quickly get your teeth straightened with a mail order service, consider talking to your dentist.

Most dentists are willing to work with patients under financial strain. Some have in-house payment plans that will allow you to pay things out as you go. Almost all dentists work through Care Credit. This is a medical payment service that pays for your procedure, and allows you to pay them back with extraordinarily reasonable interest rates.

A Hidden Benefit with Invisalign

There is a way to “double-up” your treatment in a way that saves you a lot of money while giving you a mini smile makeover. Because your aligners are custom fit and you are under the care of a dentist, your dentist is able to provide you with the professional teeth whitening gel that you can wear in your aligners as you straighten your teeth. This enables you to whiten while you straighten.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette Dentist Dr. Emily Foreman.

CEREC

CEREC Crown Disaster

I’d been hearing how wonderful CEREC crowns were. You could get them done in one appointment and they’d fit perfectly, designed to your tooth. I have experienced something quite different.

First, she said my tooth was in such bad shape that she had to take a generic image off the database. Then, it didn’t fit . She spent three hours grinding down on the sides and top of the crown so much that the top of the crown is flat and shorter than the rest of the teeth. Additionally, the gums are super sore where the crown is. It’s been over a week.

Is this normal?

Katelyn

Dear Katelyn,

porcelain block for CEREC crown

No , this is not normal. I’m a bit thrown off by her saying she had to get a generic image from the database because your tooth was in bad shape. Of course it was in bad shape. That’s why you needed a crown.

The CEREC Crown software is designed to build up a tooth. Your dentist starts by telling it which tooth needs to be crowned. In turn, it builds up what that tooth should look like. Then, your dentist adds the information for the remainder of your bite and the software designs the perfect dimensions.

It sounds to me that one of two things is going on: either your dentist didn’t know what she was doing with the software or there is information she didn’t pass on about your case, such your gums bleeding so much she wasn’t able to get a clear image.

Either way, her decisions after that give me some doubts about her skill with dental crowns as a whole. I’m going to suggest you get a second opinion from another dentist. If it is as bad I think, it will need replacing. In that case, don’t ask for a refund. Instead, have your current dentist pay for the repairs. It will likely cost more to get it re-done than you were originally charged.

Tips for Getting a Second Opinion

When you go to get your second opinion, don’t tell them who the original dentist is. The dental world is a small one. Often dentists are friends with one another. He or she may have a bit of difficulty saying something negative about a friend’s work.

Instead, just tell him you want his opinion, without any previous information, as to what he thinks about the CEREC crown.

Thinking Ahead

Normally, your dentist would have already relayed the information I’m about to give you, but I don’t have the highest confidence in your dentist at the moment.

You didn’t say where they CEREC crown was being placed. If it is in a place that is visible when you smile, you will want to make sure your teeth are the color you want in the long term.

While the CEREC crown can be made any color you want, the color will be permanent. If you’re not completely happy with the color of your teeth, you may want to get your teeth whitened before the crown is made. This way you will be sure to have the color you want for the long term.

Otherwise, if you don’t and decide later to whiten, the crown will have to be replaced again in order to get it to match the new color.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.

Invisalign

Smile direct Club Safety

I’ve been wanting to straighten my teeth for years, but wasn’t able to invest the amount of money into it required. I’d run across Smile Direct Club on Facebook. They are significantly cheaper than Invisalign.I did wonder in the back of my mind whether they were too good to be true. Is it okay to use this? I was especially interested because we can’t go in to see a dentist at the moment for routine care because of COVID-19. This seems like a quick, easy way to get my teeth straightened while still social distancing.

Mercy

Dear Mercy,

Invisalign aligner
Invisalign aligner

Smile Direct Club advertises as a more affordable way to invisibly straightening people’s teeth by comparing themselves to Invisalign. While there are some similarities, the differences are the most striking. First, how they’re similar:

  • They use clear aligners
  • You switch your aligners out as your treatment progresses.

That’s about it.

The Shortcomings of Smile Direct Club

It’s the ways in which Invisalign is different that create my biggest concerns.

The Pre-Exam

With orthodontics under the care of a dentist, you get a thorough pre-exam. This is important. You need a dentist to look for things like decay, failing fillings, gum disease, and signs of TMJ Disorder. Ignoring these can have serious consequences. For instance, if you do orthotdontics with untreated gum diease, you could end up with you teeth coming loose.

With Smile Direct, there is no real exam, putting you and your teeth at risk.

The Impression

An accurate impression of your bite is essential for a proper treatment plan. It’s so imperative it’s done right that many dentists won’t even let their hygienists do it.

What you’ll get with Smile Direct is a do it yourself kit. If that impression isn’t free of imperfections, it will throw off your treatment.

The Treatment

Though many cases go as planned, not all of them do. Sometimes teeth don’t turn the way they should or you need more space opened up than originally planned. In that case, a dentist will need to carefully shave some of the sides to your teeth.

I honestly think you are safer waiting for COVID-19 to calm down. This will be the safest way to straighten your teeth.

An Added Benefit with Invisalign

In addition to being able to safely straighten your teeth, the Invisalign aligners can double as teeth whitening trays enabling you to straighten and whiten your teeth simultaneously. It’s like getting a mini smile makeover.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentist Dr. Mike Malone.

CEREC

Is a CEREC Crown falling Off an Essential treatment?

I had a CEREC crown placed right before the lockdown for COVID-19.. Today, it just fell out. Our governor said you can only go to the dentist for essential treatment. How do I know if this is essential? Do I go in or wait until the quarantine is over?

Mark

Dear Mark,

porcelain block for CEREC crown
Block of porcelain for a CEREC crown

In most cases, because of COVID-19 and how easily it transmits, the CDC and Governors of many states are asking us to forego routine treatments until we have a handle on the virus. That would mostly include things like cleanings, checkups, and elective cosmetic procedures such as teeth whitening and smile makeovers.

Essential appointments are things like emergency dental care, such as you’d have with a tooth infection or other types of repairs. Your case is one of those. If a dental crown falls off, which by itself should be unusal, it is important it gets re-bonded.

If you wait until the quarantine is over, the adjacent teeth will begin to shift into the space left open. This will mean by the time you are able to contact the dentist for the re-bonding, your CEREC crown will no longer fit and you’ll have to get an entirely new one.

Don’t wait. Call your dentist.

One other thing, as I said earlier, it is highly unusual for a dental crown to fall out, especially a CEREC crown. They are milled by a computer so they are usually a tighter, more accurate fit. If your dentist rebonds this and it falls out again, I’d recommend you see a different dentist.

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

CEREC

cerec crowns on front teeth

I was in a car accident and damaged both my front teeth. I need to get crowns on them. I am trying to decide between regular crowns and CEREC crowns. Is one better than the other?

Benjamin

Dear Benjamin,

porcelain block for CEREC crown

CEREC crowns are made out of single block of porcelain. This will give it a very uniform look. This works fine on most teeth. However, our front teeth are much more visible and exposed to light.

Natural teeth aren’t uniform. Look at this image of a tooth directly below. There are varying levels of translucency and opaqueness depending on where you are on the tooth.

image of a tooth

When a dentist does a traditional crown, it is built in layers with varying shades of porcelain. This can make a crown look more natural. However, even then, you’d need an expert cosmetic dentist because this takes a high level of skill.

If you really want a CEREC crown, then having an expert cosmetic dentist is even more important. They need to have a high level of skill in color theory so they can use various stains to give it that variated look while keeping that natural translucency.

Cosmetic Considerations with Dental Crowns

The dental crown can be made to match your teeth exactly. However, the color is permanent. If you are happy with the color of your teeth, then you do not need to take any further steps. However, if you want your teeth any whiter, the time to take care of that is before having the crowns designed.

In that case, your first step is to have your teeth whitened. You can do that in one appointment if you see a dentist who does Zoom Whitening.

Then, give it a couple of weeks for the color to calm down. That’s when your dentist can match the permanent color for you.

When you’re talking about front teeth, whether you get a traditional or CEREC crown, you will need a dentist capable of the skills required. I suggest you see an AACD accredited dentist.

This blog is brought to you by Louisiana Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Mike Malone.