Share/Bookmark

Share/Bookmark

When I was a kid, I needed braces.   Back then the only option was “train tracks”.  These are the braces with the silver wires and bands.  I remember how ugly they looked and how difficult they were to clean.  They used to dig into my cheeks, and heaven forbid if you got elbowed in the mouth playing sports.  Ouch.

Technology has come a long way since then.  We can actually make invisible braces now!  I know it seems impossible, but by using thin, clear plastic aligners that snap over the teeth, we can straighten teeth with excellent predictability.  Here’s how they work:  We make putty models of the upper and lower teeth, then make a  series of aligners that the patient changes every 2 weeks.  Each new set of aligners is a slightly different shape from the previous set, which moves the teeth very slightly every day.  And presto….straight teeth with NO BRACES!

Share/Bookmark

If you are involved in television or the film industry, it’s extremely important that your dental work looks naturally beautiful under all types of light. Whether shooting under natural light, tungsten, halogen-quartz, HMI, HPS, MH, fluorescent, LED or any other type of light source, your veneers or crowns need to match your own teeth perfectly.  The most important factor is the type of porcelain used by the dental technician in creating your new smile.

Today, we have the ability to use porcelains with the same optical properties as real tooth enamel.  But not all porcelains look natural under every light source.  By choosing a porcelain suited to your needs, your dental work will be “invisible”.  This means that teeth will look real and natural under all light sources, avoiding the unsightly “dark tooth” scenario illustrated above.  See Blacklights.

Share/Bookmark

Why does one of my teeth look a different colour at a Nightclub?

If you or someone you know looks like they are missing a front tooth at a night club, there is a simple explanation.  Natural teeth can absorb and reflect light differently than certain types of crowns or veneers.  Someone’s smile may look completely normal under natural daylight, or fluorescent light but look terrible when under “black lights”.  Most night clubs are darkly lit and have numerous different types of lighting effects.  Black lights or ultra violet lights can be found in nearly all night clubs.  These are the dark purple lights that make everything white or fluorescent look very bright while other colours appear black.

Share/Bookmark

1. Tooth Shape: Teeth come in all shapes and sizes.  They can be round, rectangular, oval or triangular.  When teeth are too triangular, they touch each other at the chewing edges but not near the gums.  This leaves a larger than normal triangular space between the teeth.
2. Receding Gums: The roots of upper front teeth are conical, like upside-down ice cream cones.  If the gums surrounding the front teeth recede from gum disease or bite problems (see Malocclusion), a small triangular space can appear between the front teeth.  These black triangular spaces can develop where there used to be no spaces at all.  If gum disease or bite-related problems go untreated, the black triangles get larger and more unsightly over time.

The solution for black triangles:

Black triangles can be permanently eliminated simply and comfortably by correcting the shape of the teeth.  This can be done with bonding, veneers or crowns with excellent results.  Since a black triangle is really a space where 2 teeth contact one another, 2 teeth require treatment in order to close one black triangle.  This is accomplished by making the teeth very slightly wider in the triangle area.  Closing black triangles can dramatically improve your smile.

Share/Bookmark

The Problem:

The Solution:

Black lines can be very unsightly and give a tooth an artificial appearance.  There are 4 reasons why this happens:

1. Receding Gums: If the gums around a cap or crown recede, the root part of the tooth starts to show.  On a natural tooth this is not usually as big a problem because the root of a tooth is only a few shades darker than the tooth itself.  When a dentist places a crown on a tooth to improve its structure or appearance, the edge of the crown ends at or slightly below the gumline.  When gums start to recede, a dark line can appear where the white tooth meets the root.
2. What the crown is made of: In the past, the most esthetic crowns available were called “porcelain fused to metal” (PFM) crowns.  These were made of a thin layer of metal (usually silver in colour) covered by a thin layer of white porcelain.  Metal was used to strengthen the tooth and an appropriate porcelain shade was chosen to match the color of the surrounding natural teeth.  When the crown is first inserted, the dentist usually tucks the edge of the crown slightly below the gum line in order to hide the seam between the crown and the root.  If the gums recede over time, this seam often appears as a dark line.
3. A crown can cast a shadow: Natural teeth are never solidly opaque in color.  They are transleucent like a piece of coloured glass.  In fact, teeth act very much like a fiber optic cable.  When light shines on a natural tooth, some of the light is reflected, but a lot of light travels into the tooth and root, much like a fiber optic cable.  The light bounces around inside the tooth, brightening both the tooth and the gums.  When a metal-containing porcelain crown (PFM) is placed over a tooth, the metal acts as a barrier blocking the light from entering the tooth.  The result is that the tooth and gums look darker because there is no light “dancing” around inside the tooth.  The metal-containing crown casts a shadow over the gums and root making them darker.  This shadow often creates a “black line” along the gumline!
4. Teeth with root canals: If a tooth has been treated with a root canal (root filling), the root becomes darker over time due to filling material used.  This can create a black line as well.

The Solution for black lines…

Today, crowns can be made to look prettier and more natural than ever before.  There are numerous crown materials that are extremely strong and esthetically beautiful which contain no metal.  No metal means no shadow on the root and gums.  These all-porcelain crowns act just like natural teeth allowing light to travel into the tooth and root, brightening them.  No more black lines!

Share/Bookmark

Share/Bookmark

Share/Bookmark

A veneer is a thin shell of enamel-like porcelain that is bonded to the front-facing side of a tooth.  It can be as thin as an eggshell, but once bonded it becomes extremely strong.

Veneers are the most beautiful restorations available in dentistry today.  They are custom-made to fit your smile perfectly.  They are also strong, durable and long-lasting.

Share/Bookmark