Jenifer C. Back

Tooth contouring is a process in which we use simple rotary tools to reshape the edges of teeth and frequently it's done for cosmetic reasons. When somebody's grinding and their teeth are changing shape it's also important to make sure we're making a plan to stop that grinding. It may be necessary to replace those missing parts of the teeth rather than just shaving them down and contouring them. We want to be sure that we treat the cause of the grinding. We put patients in an NTI or a night guard and we want to make sure we're doing that to protect the teeth from further wear. We find that tooth contouring is actually most beneficial for those people who are not grinding but for example those who are very young and still have little edges and round surfaces on the teeth. If somebody's grinding and they actually have sharp edges we want to make sure there's not some missing part of the tooth that needs to be put back and that we're treating the source of the grinding.

Generally, when someone says they want their smile made over, they're looking for a change in color, in position and a character change to what's happening with their smile. To us it could mean as little as re-contouring the gum and smoothing and contouring the teeth a little or it could be as involved as doing full on veneers or porcelain crowns.

What that means is we need to layer porcelain or layer bonding because natural teeth have layers. To achieve a natural look, the opacity and translucency must be layered. If the teeth are one color from the gum line to the edge of the tooth, you get a very unnatural looking tooth and frequently patients want that but they need to know that it's unnatural looking.

No, that's the beauty of Invisalign. It has clear trays that can be removed and you don't have to wear those braces and have that teenage appearance.

Absolutely. In fact, we frequently find patients who have worn their teeth down and they all appear much shorter. The edges have worn away and the color is stained and faded. When we redo their teeth, we involve them with some custom designs and part of the things we look at are the certain characteristics of teeth that make them look younger. For example, the two front teeth being just slightly longer than the teeth on either side actually create a more youthful appearance that's more of the appearance that we have in our early 20s. And over time those teeth wear down a little and it gives us away as to our age. When we do veneers. we're giving patients the option.

Most definitely. For most adults Invisalign is an option in which they're able to take the tray in and out to eat. It's clear, doesn't interfere with speech and doesn't give the teenage appearance that braces typically do. So we find that Invisalign is the perfect solution for grownups who want to make minor changes or comprehensive treatment.

Usually in a teeth whitening procedure, whether it be the in-office or the take home, most of the mouth is whitened. The eye teeth are typically, in natural teeth, thicker, so they carry a little more density of color and in natural teeth they're typically just a little darker. If people are looking to have the exact same color all the way around it really depends on the intensity of color that you have before you have the whitening. It is possible to whiten just the few teeth but there's no guarantee that you'll match the other teeth. There's usually some kind of gradation. There's a big difference in opaque teeth and opaque parts of teeth and translucent teeth and translucent parts of teeth and dental whitening does not change the opacity of teeth. If a patient comes in with very translucent teeth that we can see through then that isn't affected by whitening. The whitening will take out yellow and brighten the teeth overall but it will not change translucency.

Great question. A gum lift is a procedure in which we remove gum tissue that's covering part of the tooth that should normally be exposed. It's for people who have short looking teeth and a gummy smile. When it's done properly, it may involve removing just gum tissue, or it may involve removing bone and gum tissue. It gives a longer, fuller appearance to the tooth. Sometimes we can do this without even needing to do veneers. Frequently, we find that we uncover the portion of the tooth closest to the gum, and that part is even more opaque and whiter looking because it hasn't been exposed to the mouth it hasn't stained. So many times we find that we're able to work together with a periodontist, a gum specialist, and re-contour those gums and the patient looks as though they've had veneers. It's a really beautiful result.

The average cost for porcelain veneers is typically double that of a bonded veneer. And yes, you get exactly what you pay for.

What I've seen is that when a patient's teeth are too far forward, they're already overcontoured or they're nice and thick on their own. If we add a veneer on top of that, the teeth will appear very thick, and that's why we sometimes hear the word "Chiclet." That's when a tooth is one color top to bottom and very white and very thick. When they get thick, they're not healthy and it doesn't look aesthetically pleasing. And sometimes we have patients with cavities or old crown and bridge work and they're not very good candidates for no-prep veneers.

We look at the shape of the face to determine what kinds of teeth shapes flatter the patient. We also look at the whites of the eyes as the nearest source of white to gauge the level of whiteness the teeth should have. If we go much brighter than the whites of the eyes, the restoration could draw attention to itself, and our goal is to make dental work go undetected.

We work hard to treat our patients the way we want to be treated. Since we would like that level of service, that’s what we provide. We make every effort to be sure that people get what they want from their smile transformations, and offering multiple consultations is just part of it.