Cosmetic Dentistry

One of the first things people notice is your smile. If chipped, stained, or crooked teeth are “hiding” the real you, it’s time for a smile makeover. A beautiful smile can play a significant role in self image and can brighten your life every day, professionally and socially. Unlike plastic surgery, cosmetic dentistry isn’t a major operation. Advances in modern dentistry make it possible for our staff at Fort Loramie Dental Center to restore your smile and your confidence. We provide treatment with the patient’s long term interest as our primary guide. Imagine yourself with a beautiful new white smile. Whether we create this for your with whitenings, veneers, bondings, crowns, bridges or implants, you will love and be proud of the results! Below you can read more on the varies techniques to improve your smile.

Whitening

Overview

As a person ages, mineral exposure causes the teeth to gradually darken. Over time, some food, drink, or tobacco products also create unattractive yellowish brown stains. Less commonly, you may experience discoloration due to some medications or bacterial agents.

Dental professionals have developed several techniques for eliminating discoloration to give their patients brighter, more attractive smiles. These techniques include; chemical whitening (bleaching), microabrasion (mild acid whitening), abrasive tooth brightening and the latest technique, laser tooth whitening.

Whitening procedures are not a solution for all discoloration (e.g. darkening caused by cavities or infection). Similarly, whitening does not work on all stains. To obtain the best results, consult with your dentist to choose the best course of treatment for your situation. Some cases that are not appropriate for whitening procedures can be effectively treated with restorative options that your dentist can discuss with you.

Take home whitening procedures can whiten your teeth about 4 to 6 shades on a standard scale showing the range of teeth color. Laser whitening can whiten the teeth up to 8 shades, depending on the level of initial discoloration and your desired results.

Dentures

Overview

If teeth are lost or must be extracted, dentures provide an easily removable replacement that can be fashioned to look very much like natural teeth. Dental implants are the fixed alternative to full dentures.

New advancements in dentistry have led dentures to become more comfortable and fitted to your gum. Your dental specialist will carefully position the denture, and construct it so that it fits properly on your gum and against your other teeth when you bite down. “Neuromuscularly” fitted dentures provide the most comfort.

Dentures are made of resins and porcelain and typically last ten to fifteen years, occasionally requiring a reline of the denture base.

Implants

Overview

Dental implants are a permanent and comfortable replacement for one or more missing teeth that are often used in place of a fixed bridge.

Traditionally, several missing teeth would be replaced with a partial or full denture. Dentures may cause discomfort, and do not stimulate the jaw bone as regular teeth do. Without stimulation, the jawbone degrades, causing a “caved-in” appearance that is often associated with age.

Dental implants replace the function and appearance of your natural teeth in a more complete manner. Titanium posts are surgically installed in the jaw bone, taking the place of the roots of your lost teeth. These posts stimulate the jawbone and strongly secure your teeth in the same way your natural tooth roots would. The surfaces of the posts are provided with one or more treatments, prior to placement in the jaw, that helps them to integrate into the bone.

A crown is fitted onto the top of the titanium post that looks and feels like a natural tooth. Crowns are made in dental laboratories by trained technicians, and are custom-designed to fit the natural shape and color of your teeth. You are able to better regain your appearance than with full dentures that are at times overly white or artificial-seeming.

Life Span of Dental Implants

The titanium implant itself is amazingly sturdy and should last a lifetime. The crown covering it lasts on average 10 years, but with conscientious care can last up to 30 years.

Neuromuscular Dentistry

Many individuals do not realize that muscles play an important role in dentistry. The science of Neuromuscular Dentistry evaluates and treats your pain and discomfort by considering how your muscles, teeth and joints all work together. At Fort Loramie Dental Center, we strive to provide our patients with better oral health and alleviate discomforts such as headaches, neck and shoulder pain, jaw pain, facial pain, clicking or popping in the jaw, sensitive and sore teeth, ear congestion, and tinnitus (ringing in the ears). Dentistry is about more than just your teeth!

What is Neuromuscular Dentistry?
To understand Neuromuscular Dentistry (NMD) it helps to first know a few things about your occlusion or “bite.” Your occlusion is the way that your upper and lower teeth fit together. The muscles of your head and neck posture your jaw and hold the lower teeth close to the upper ones. NMD is a term applied to techniques that expand upon the more traditional approach to dentistry that is more mechanically oriented. Traditional Dentists concern themselves with only the hard tissues - teeth and joints. Neuromuscular dentistry goes beyond not only the hard tissues but also the soft tissues - muscles and nerves.

What is the first step?
A Neuromuscular dentist determines the jaw position that is associated with relaxed posturing muscles and adjusts or alters your bite to that position. Because the muscles controlling the jaw are subconsciously “programmed” by the brain, most individuals have difficulty consciously reaching a truly relaxed state. To help your muscles reach that relaxed state, a device called a Myomonitor is used to deliver gentle electrical stimulation to your muscles.The Myomonitor is a battery operated electrical muscle stimulator that delivers mild electrical stimulation through adhesive patch electrodes attached over nerves that control specific facial muscle groups. The virtually painless stimulus delivered by the Myomonitor will cause your facial and jaw muscles to twitch or pulse once every one and one half seconds. After about 40-60 minutes, this electrically induced “exercise” will allow your muscles to overcome their programming and go to a relaxed state.

Getting the Bite Right
Now that your muscles are relaxed, the dentist will confirm and record the relaxed position of your jaw by placing a fast setting putty-like material between your teeth. The doctor can now compare your usual bite with the relaxed jaw position to evaluate if your jaw is presently in a near optimal position and determine whether the bite should be adjusted.

Is Neuromuscular Dentistry for You?
After initially evaluating your situation, your dentist or treatment counselor will discuss those options with you. NMD becomes one of your options when/if you are contemplating aesthetic or cosmetic, reconstructive, or orthodontic dental procedures. Discuss these options further with your dental professional.

Veneers

Overview

Veneers are most often applied over the front-most teeth to correct discoloration or severely cracked, chipped, or crooked teeth. They are a desirable alternative to crowns that allow the patient to maintain more tooth structure. Smaller, more localized structural problems can often be treated using dental bonding procedures.

Veneers are made of porcelain, ceramic, or composite resins. Composite resins are applied directly to the teeth, and then shaped appropriately. Porcelain veneers are thin shells that must be constructed in a lab before being bonded over the teeth.

Composite veneers are typically less expensive than their porcelain counter-parts, but they have a slightly shorter life span. Composite resin restorations last between five and seven years, whereas porcelain veneers typically last well over 15 years.

Unlike bonding procedures used for small problems, most veneers require a tooth reduction prior to placement. This means that the thickness of your teeth must be slightly reduced to provide enough room for the veneer.

Bonding and Composite Fillings

Overview

Bonding of composite resins is ideal for smaller corrections, in which most of the tooth is healthy and stable. It can be used to correct a wide variety of problems, including minor decay, chips, cracks, gaps between teeth, discoloration and crooked teeth. Composite resins are a more esthetically-pleasing alternative to metal fillings or restorations.

Composite resins are materials that have similar characteristics to a tooth’s natural enamel, and their color can be adjusted to match the particular color of your teeth.

Bonding is a non-invasive procedure that can provide astounding improvements in the appearance of your teeth.

Life Span of Applied Resins

Unlike some veneers, composite resins do not protect against future discolorations. As with your natural teeth, regular cleanings are important. On average, composite resin restorations last between 7 and 11 years.

Procedure

Dental bonding procedures can usually be completed in one or two office visits. For minor alterations, the resin can be matched to your teeth while you are in the office. For more extensive alterations, an impression of the area needs to be taken and sent to a lab, where the final restoration will be constructed. Larger, custom-designed restorations are usually composed of porcelain, rather than composite resin. Your custom restoration is bonded to the teeth on a second visit.

During the bonding procedure, a mild etching solution is first applied to the area of natural tooth enamel to receive the restoration. This solution roughens the surface which allows for a stronger bond between the tooth and resin.

Next, the resin is placed on the tooth and treated with bright light that activates bonding. Your dentist then sculpts the resin to the desired shape, and finally polishes the area. Several coats of resin may be applied.

Crowns

Overview

Most people will experience damage to the surface (enamel) of their teeth at some point. Teeth become cracked, chipped or discolored due to a large range of causes, from severe trauma to the natural effects of aging.

When decay or damage to the surface of a tooth becomes significant, the tooth can be reduced and a custom-made tooth bonded to its surface. This artificial tooth is called a crown. Crowns are also often used to anchor bridges, which are structures that replace missing teeth.

When damage to the tooth extends to the foundation (root) of the tooth, a bridge or dental implant may be a better solution. Your dental professional can discuss your options for restorations with you after an initial examination.

Crowns are most commonly made of porcelain or porcelain bonded to metal (usually gold). Different practitioners may prefer different materials and will take into account your desired results and any allergies or sensitivities when choosing a material for your crown. Crowns are fashioned in a dental laboratory by trained technicians to provide the same strength and appearance as a healthy tooth.

Life Span of a Crown

The average life span of a crown is 10 years, but with proper care they may last as long as 30 years.

Procedure

First, the dental practitioner will remove any decay and shape your tooth to receive a crown. The crown must be thick enough to withstand chewing, which means that the natural tooth below the crown must be reduced.

He or she will then take an impression of your tooth and note how you teeth fit together. You will then be fitted with a temporary crown while the permanent one is constructed in a dental lab.

Certified dental technicians are able to make crowns that fit perfectly with your bite, and that look like natural teeth. They match the color of the restoration to your own natural tooth color.

On a second visit, your temporary crown will be taken off and the fit of the new crown carefully checked. The final crown is then cemented in place, restoring the tooth to its natural strength, appearance and function.

Bridges

Overview

Adult teeth are sometimes lost due to a variety of reasons. These include advanced periodontal disease, trauma or decay.

If missing teeth are not replaced, your other teeth can drift out of position. The area also becomes more susceptible to gum disease and decay of surrounding teeth.

A bridge is a restorative structure that is used to replace missing teeth. Bridges consist of one or more false teeth (pontics) that are held in place by fixtures that attach to the surrounding teeth. Bridges fall under two main categories, fixed and removable. Fixed bridges are cemented in place and cannot be taken out. Removable bridges are not permanently attached and can be removed at night or for cleaning purposes.

Bridges can dramatically improve the appearance of your teeth by replacing missing teeth, or teeth that had to be extracted. The materials used to create the bridge are made to match the color of your natural teeth, while providing comparable structural support. Most commonly, bridges are made from ceramics.

Procedure

The teeth next to the empty space will be reduced in order to receive the crown portion of the bridge. Then an impression will be taken of the whole area (the missing area and the two teeth next to it).

This impression is sent to a lab, and a bridge custom-designed to fit the area. Just as with the placement of a crown, a temporary bridge will be put in place to protect your teeth and gum while the restoration is being constructed.

Some dentists may provide you with a “flipper” in place of a temporary bridge. A flipper is a temporary false tooth that latches onto a metal wire on the adjacent teeth.

20 South Main Street, PO Box 318
Fort Loramie, OH 45845
Phone (937) 295-3400
Fax: (937) 295-3370