May 3, 2019 | Blog, Cosmetic Dentistry, Dental Topics 1
If you are looking for a beautiful smile and improved self-confidence, cosmetic dentistry may be the answer for you. This specialized area of dentistry offers procedures and techniques to enhance your smile and create a sparkling new you.
Cosmetic dentistry focuses on improving your smile’s appearance through a variety of procedures. Although it doesn’t concentrate on addressing your oral health, there are overlapping benefits to both.
So what are some of the common procedures that cosmetic dentists perform? Here are some to consider:
• Teeth whitening –this popular procedure provides a quick boost to your smile. Stains caused by habits like coffee drinking and smoking can be removed, as well as reducing discolorations from medications like tetracycline. Teeth whitening also improves teeth yellowed from age, making you look younger and healthier.
• Porcelain veneers – these shells for the fronts of your teeth can alter the shape, color, and texture of your teeth. They also provide a natural-looking cover over broken and decayed teeth.
• Dentures – provide a complete or partial replacement of missing teeth due to decay, age, or trauma. Dentures are customized to meet each patient’s needs and comfort.
• Crowns – permanent repair for chipped or worn teeth. Made from porcelain, resin, or ceramic to match the natural tooth color, crowns are adhered over your natural tooth to improve appearance and function.
• Dental bridges – used to replace a missing tooth or gap between teeth, bridges fasten to your natural teeth on each side of the gap. They provide a secure, permanent restoration known to last ten years or more.
Other techniques performed by cosmetic dentists include gum surgery, dental fillings, orthodontic treatment, and dental implants. Consider consulting with a cosmetic dentist to see if any procedures might benefit you and restore your smile.
Contact our office to schedule a Cosmetic Dentistry consultation in our Conyers dental office.
Apr 12, 2019 | Blog, Dental Topics 1, General Dentistry
At one time, metal fillings were the only choice to repair tooth decay. Now, many dentists have switched to composite resin fillings, which match natural-tooth color so they don’t compromise the appearance of your smile. Tooth-colored fillings have gained popularity, and many dentists only offer this option. In recent years, there has been a strong push to eliminate amalgam fillings all together.
Amalgam fillings are made of several metals, with up to a 50 percent composition of mercury. It is widely known that mercury is toxic to the body. Some of the concern about amalgam fillings is the affect mercury has on the body, including:
• Causing damage to the kidneys
• Contributing to infertility
• Impacting the nervous system
• Interfering with the function of the thyroid and pituitary glands
• Posing unknown risk to a fetus
• Weakening the immune system
Because each person is different, you may have no reaction to the amalgam fillings. Over time, though, these restorations may change shape or crack, which can cause them to leak. If the fillings don’t hold up, the area may become susceptible to additional damage or decay.
At your checkup, have the dentist evaluate any old fillings to make sure they are still in good condition. You can also discuss the benefits of replacing amalgams with composite fillings. The newer restorations blend with your natural tooth coloring and require less removal of health tooth structure, which allows for a more conservative repair.
If you need a dentist in Conyers contact us today
Mar 15, 2019 | Blog, Cosmetic Dentistry, Dental Topics 1
Age, bad habits, and food and drink choices can all add up to be hard on our teeth. If you are unhappy with your smile and wish you could improve it, consider cosmetic dental procedures. Cosmetic dentistry offers a variety of options for restoring your smile.
Teeth whitening
One of the most popular cosmetic dental procedures, teeth whitening can either be performed at your dentist’s office or at home. Methods used by your dentist work quickly and can provide dramatic results, but many patients are very pleased with home methods as well. Home treatments may be as simple as using products you purchase at your drugstore, or your dentist can provide customized bleaching trays for home use.
Bonding
Tooth-colored resin can be applied to your teeth to correct chipped, broken, stained, or decayed teeth in a single dental visit. The resin is molded onto the surface of your damaged tooth, shaped, and then polished to match your other teeth.
Veneers
If you’re looking for a long-lasting and stain resistant solution to damaged teeth, porcelain veneers are a good choice. These thin custom shells are adhered to your teeth to cover them so that they provide a beautiful smile.
Composite fillings
A material called composite resin is used to restore decayed teeth or to reshape your teeth to improve their appearance. Composite fillings can correct minor imperfections like a chipped tooth, or it can restore a whole tooth like a molar to a fully functional tooth.
Inlays and onlays
For large cavities or cracks in your back teeth, inlays and onlays may be used instead of fillings. These tooth-colored restorations are created in a laboratory, and then adhered to your teeth so they fit perfectly.
Cosmetic dentist in Conyers
Feb 22, 2019 | Blog, Dental Topics 1, General Dentistry
Did you know that it takes fewer muscles to smile than frown? This powerful tool often gets lost in the busyness of our lives. Not only is smiling easier on your face, but it can significantly improve your mood and give somebody else’s day a lift. The benefits of smiling include:
Connects you with other people
When you share a smile with another person, you form an instant bond. By boosting that individual’s mood, you can reduce stress levels and possibly encourage that person to try on a smile. Actually, you can use a smile as currency to successfully navigate awkward social situations and gather any assistance you need.
Changes your perspective
If you feel anger or stress, smiling can give your attitude a much-needed adjustment. Typically, smiling enables your body to release endorphins, wonderful chemicals that make you feel happy.
It doesn’t cost a thing
Often, we get busy and don’t have the time, energy, or resources to help others. Your smile brightens the lives of anyone who sees it and it only takes a minute or less.
Helps fight illness
People who smile a lot tend to be more optimistic, which can promote a stronger immune system and keep you healthy.
Why not smile?
Try to remember that if you don’t smile, your other options are frowning or wearing a blank expression across your face. Given those choices, smiling seems like the best alternative.
Boosts your confidence
When you smile, you often walk taller and carry yourself in a more self-assured manner.
Smile makeover dentist in Conyers
Feb 8, 2019 | Blog, Dental Topics 1, General Dentistry
Your body is a little bit like a puzzle. It gives you clues to help you figure out what’s going on within your body. Did you know your mouth can give you hints about things that may be happening elsewhere in your body? Here’s a list of some of the signs your mouth can give you to pay attention to certain other aspects of your health.
Worn teeth and headache
If your teeth are showing extensive wear, you may be grinding your teeth. This would be even a stronger possibility if you’re also experiencing regular headaches, which can be caused by the muscle tension related to teeth grinding. This condition also indicates that you are likely under too much stress, and that you are unconsciously coping with it by grinding your teeth.
Gums covering teeth
If your gums begin to grow over your teeth and you are on medication, it may mean that your medication is at fault. Some medicines can cause your gums to overgrow, and the dosage needs to be adjusted.
Mouth sores
An open sore in your mouth that doesn’t go away in a couple of weeks can be an indicator of oral cancer. Numbness and unexplained bleeding in your mouth are other signs. Smokers and people over age 60 are at the most risk, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t affect others too. See your dentist to make sure all is okay.
Cracked teeth
If your teeth begin to crack or wear extensively, you may have gastroesophogeal reflux disease (GERD). It’s a digestive disease that allows stomach acid to flow back into your food pipe and mouth. This acid can cause your teeth to deteriorate. Additional signs of GERD are acid reflux, heartburn, and dry mouth.
Unclean dentures
If you wear dentures, make sure you remove and clean them regularly. Inhaling food debris from your dentures that makes its way to your lungs can lead to pneum
Feb 1, 2019 | Blog, Cosmetic Dentistry, Dental Topics 1
Are you unhappy with the appearance of your smile? Will the improvements you desire need multiple dentistry treatments to achieve the results you are seeking? You may be an ideal candidate for a smile makeover. A smile makeover is a process in which a number of cosmetic dentistry treatments are combined to perfect your smile. Usually, a smile makeover will include options like teeth whitening, dental bonding, porcelain veneers, invisible braces, composite fillings or gum contouring.
Broadly, anyone who has problems with their teeth is a candidate for a smile makeover. However, the best candidate for a smile makeover will be in good general and oral health. You should be free from gum disease and any other ailments or health problems that would preclude undergoing cosmetic dentistry procedures. An ideal candidate will also have grown in all permanent teeth and completed their jaw growth, making a smile makeover inappropriate for young children.
You may be an ideal candidate for a smile makeover if your smile is marred by a number of imperfections including:
- Discolored or stained teeth
- Chipped or cracked teeth
- Crooked, twisted, or incorrectly placed teeth
- Decayed teeth
- Gapped or widely-spaced teeth
- Gummy smile
- Unhealthy gums
- Bite conditions such as overbite or underbite
The appearance and health of your smile are vital to your self-confidence and overall happiness. Smile makeovers are safe and effective for most candidates, with little to no side effects. To determine if a smile makeover is right for you, contact an experienced, qualified cosmetic dentist for a one-on-one consultation.
Our dental office is located in Conyers
