Q1: Do Drs. Griffith and Griffith Just Specialize In Cosmetic Dentistry?
A1: Drs. Griffith and Griffith are general dentists and can take care of all your dental needs, including regular cleanings with our hygienist. Our goal is to provide you with state of the art, natural looking, and long lasting dentistry.
Experienced artists in the field of cosmetic dentistry, Drs. Griffith and Griffith can also provide you with the smile you’ve always wanted.
Q2: Will My Smile Makeover Look Fake?
A2: Crowns may look unnatural when teeth are restored with porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns. The opaque metal does not reflect light the way a tooth does, and creates a visible dark line at the gumline. With new technology, teeth can be restored with full porcelain crowns and veneers, which are very strong, healthy for your gums, and are natural looking.
Full porcelain crowns and veneers can also look unnatural if they have an improper shape or color. Since your cosmetic dentist will determine these parameters for your smile, it is critical that you communicate your concerns with him or her before beginning the smile makeover.
Q3: How Do I Choose A Cosmetic Dentist?
A3: Cosmetic dentistry has become a trendy term, so many dentists promote themselves as cosmetic experts. However, even though it is not recognized as a specialty (such as orthodontics, etc.), it requires a great deal of experience, education, and artistic skill to provide patients with the best possible results.
Experience, years of practice, and education are essential components. Before and after photographs are helpful, as well as a list of patients you can contact who are willing to discuss their experience. Second opinions are also valuable.
Since cosmetic dentistry is truly an art form, every seasoned cosmetic practitioner has developed a particular style, philosophy, and choice in dental laboratory and materials. This results in variations in appearance of smile makeovers. Choose the dentist who shares your philosophy and goals for your smile.
Q4: What Is Bonding?
A4: Bonding is a chemical process of adhering porcelain, composite, or metal to your tooth structure. This method is used to permanently bond porcelain veneers, full porcelain crowns, and tooth colored (composite) fillings. This chemical bond is extremely strong. Its success is responsible for the cosmetic revolution we are now experiencing.
Q5: Can You Straighten My Crooked Teeth Without Braces?
A5: Veneers (Instant Orthodontics) are an ideal solution for adults with crooked, misshapen, discolored, worn teeth, or spaces between their teeth. Improving your smile with veneers can take as few as two appointments, compared to years of orthodontic treatment. In fact, if you had braces in the past and still don´t like the shape, size, or color of your teeth, veneers may be the perfect solution.
There are times when veneers, in combination with minor orthodontics, may give you the best results. This way, the time involved in orthodontic treatment can be considerably shortened. Drs. Griffith and Griffith will present you with your available options so that you can make the decision that is right for you.
Q6: Are Veneers The Same From Office To Office?
A6: Veneers may vary greatly from office to office, depending on your dentist’s artistic ability and experience, the skill of the laboratory technician, and the type of material used for their fabrication. The appearance of veneers depends on communication between the patient and the dentist, the dentist and the laboratory technician, and technology and materials used to fabricate the finished product.
With your input, the cosmetic dentist chooses your future tooth color, shape, line angles, thickness, translucency, and type of porcelain, and communicates the smile design to the laboratory. Veneers are made to custom fit your face, gender, personality, and your requests. When permanently bonded, veneers should look and feel like your own teeth. Your cosmetic dentist will guide you through the complicated selection process.
Drs. Griffith and Griffith have that special blend of artistic ability, extensive training, scientific knowledge, communication skills, office educational aids (such as patient education videos and study models), and experience to provide you with the beautiful, natural looking smile you have always wanted.
Q7: How Long Do Veneers Last?
A7: With proper home care and maintenance, veneers can last indefinitely. Their longevity also depends on the patient’s parafunctional habits such as bruxism (grinding your teeth) or clenching. Slowly, over time, veneers can debond. Wearing a night guard while you sleep should protect your investment. Of course, any other habits that will cause damage to your natural teeth will also damage veneers. Examples of such habits include nail biting, opening bobby pins with your teeth, biting fishing line, and chewing on ice or hard objects.
Porcelain veneers are much stronger than direct (composite) veneers and are more resistant to stains and chipping. Regular hygiene cleanings and exams are very important to ensure their longevity. Veneers should be treated like natural teeth. They are extremely strong and look and feel great.
Q8: Can I Get Back The Smile I Had When I Was Younger?
A8: In the majority of cases, your smile can be restored to better function and youthful appearance. If you have teeth that are short and worn, broken, missing, tilted, rotated, mismatched dentistry, or a combination of these, a full mouth reconstruction may be your optimal choice.
Restoring the entire mouth and correcting the bite not only alleviates the strain on your jaw joint, prevents onset of possible muscle tenderness, and headaches, but also gives you back the smile you lost over time. If your mouth’s appearance makes you look and feel older than you’d like, a full mouth reconstruction can dramatically improve your appearance and subtract years from your actual age.
Q9: What Are My Choices For Replacing A Missing Tooth?
A9: Several choices are available to replace missing teeth:
Implants: A titanium cylinder which replaces the missing root is placed in the bone. Once it has osseointegrated (attached to the bone), a crown is fabricated and attached to the implant. This process can take several weeks to months. Recent advances in implant dentistry may permit the extraction and the implant placement to be accomplished in one appointment, which shortens the healing time. The implant restoration looks and functions like your own tooth.
Bridges: Can replace one or more missing teeth, and require crowning the teeth that are adjacent to the gap that is to be filled with the new tooth replacement. These connected (bridged) crowns are bonded or cemented permanently in place. Bridges are an aesthetically pleasing, permanent, and non-removable alternative to implants. They look and function like your natural teeth and require using floss threaders to maintain properly.
Removable Partial Dentures: These are removable appliances that can replace one or multiple missing teeth. They need to be removed at night time to maintain healthy gums.
Q10: More Dental Information