Northwest Arkansas Dentists » jane

What are the Benefits of Veneers?

admin — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 16:01:54 +0000

In the right situation, veneers are a great answer for discoloration, worn teeth, and chipped teeth to revitalize or rejuvenate your smile. With the new bonding techniques that have been developed over the last several years, veneers are even better than they used to be because we can laminate them to the tooth, where they actually become part of the tooth. These are much stronger than porcelin veneers were in the past. We are also able to change the size length and shape of teeth, and even pull out the lip in some cases so that the lip looks fuller.

Many times people may have been born with teeth that are just a little bit too small for their mouth and, by using veneers you can enlarge their teeth, giving them that fullness to their smile. We want to make sure that we use a great artistic plan when we do veneers so that they look natural. Veneers can look very natural because of translucency and the shading, like a natural tooth instead of making them all one color.

Patients who are good candidates for veneers are people who have a reasonably good bite and have worn or chipped teeth, discolored teeth, or teeth that are not the proper size for their mouth.

Do You Have a Fear of Dentistry?

admin — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:18:02 +0000

A great number of people simply do not go to the dentist because they are afraid. It may be because they had a bad experience when they where a child and some people have no idea why they are afraid. Whatever the reason, we have seen MANY individuals wait until their teeth were almost killing them because of infections before they would come to the dentist.

In the old days we used to send patients to the hospital and give them general anesthesia to do anything. Now we have the capabilities to give general anesthesia in the luxury of our offices.

When I started getting into more comprehensive type dentistry, we needed to find a way to sedate those individuals who had a fear of dentistry to get them through the procedures, because the procedures they needed done could be perceived as “frightening”, not necessarily painful, but frightening. Sedation provides a solution for eliminating that fear.

Oral Sedation

Oral sedation is very popular in dentistry right now but I use it in a limited manner because it is not as predictable or as safe. You can’t predict how it is going to be absorbed or how it is going to affect one person versus another. and you can’t just keep giving them more medications one after another because it takes 30 minutes to an hour for that medication to be taken up in the stomach and to get in the bloodstream. So you could run the risk of over sedation if pills are given to close together.

IV Sedation

The IV is always much safer because once the patient has receive the medication through the IV, within 60 to 90 seconds you know exactly how it is going to affect that person and then you can titrate it (control concentration) so that you get the proper sedation without over sedation, making this sedation method totally safe.

If someone has been avoiding the dentist because of fear, IV sedation is an option because it allows us to do a lot of dentistry in 1 or 2 appointments. and get them back to good health. Fear of the dentist is based upon many things. One of them is lack of trust – so a patient has to come in and learn how they are going to react with that particular dentist to develop trust. We work with our patients on developing trust, especially those who are fearful because that alleviates a good portion of their fear- if they know they are working with someone who cares about them. You can’t get that kind of care in a clinical situation…where there are many patients waiting for that dental chair. For this reason we provide personalized, private, one-patient-at-a-time dental care.

What is the Purpose of Dental Implants?

admin — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 16:42:13 +0000

For over 25 years dental implants have provided a natural looking solution for replacing missing teeth and for stabilizing or anchoring dentures. Before placing the dental implant into the jawbone, an analysis is taken to determine how the upper and lower jaw functions together. In addition, photographs, x-rays, and molds are taken of the teeth, smile, mouth, and jawbones.

Based on the analysis, we develop a plan that is in harmony with the patient’s goals and desired outcome. Most commonly, the patient’s goal is to replace their missing teeth, to use implants in place of their partial dentures, or for use with their dentures to create stability when chewing.

Some implants need time (four to six months) to fuse to the jawbone so that they will be strong enough to hold the crowns, bridges, or dentures. Implants usually require a surgical and restorative phase, but in some cases they can be used almost immediately after placement in the jawbone.

Typically, dental implants replace the roots of the missing teeth in the bone so that whatever attaches to it will be more stable. Individuals who have lost many of their teeth, if they have enough bone, have many options for stabilizing and making their dentures more functional with implants. Implants can also be used to build fixed bridges attached in part of the mouth, which is more like replacing teeth that the patient can really bite with. The advantages of putting in implants underneath the denture is, in addition to support, it stimulates the health of the bone and keeps it from resorbing as it does when it has a denture placed on top of it. One of the problems we have is that when the teeth are taken out, the bone begins to shrink down as it responds to the pressure of the dentures.

Over years of wearing dentures, the bone continues to shrink and eventually the dentures do not fit the mouth. Implants slow down this process dramatically by stimulating the bone to stay healthy and keep it from resorbing. The dentures will last longer because the underlying areas of the bone are healthier.

If you would like to learn more about implant dentistry to see if it is the best option for your goals for oral heath and beauty, please contact our office to schedule an evaluation.

What are Veneers?

admin — Sat, 15 May 2010 11:07:47 +0000

Veneers can help improve the size, shape, and color of the teeth. They are thin layers of porcelain that bond to the outer edges of the teeth. Because they rely on the underlying strength of the tooth structure, veneers are not the right solution for all patients.

Veneers are not always the solution.

When a patient seeks out help for worn teeth, far too often the decision is to simply use veneers to lengthen the teeth back out. The problem with simply adding veneers onto the teeth is that it is important to find out why the teeth were shortened in the first place. Simply lengthening the teeth back to where they were may only treat the effect because it does not solve the underlying cause of why the teeth wore down in the first place. This sets the patient up to potentially wear down or break their veneers, just as they did with the teeth the first time. Often it is necessary to reposition the teeth or deal with another problem the patient may be having, such as grinding their teeth at night. If they have veneers placed, they may want to use a night guard to protect the teeth from damage as a result of grinding.

Addressing the Underlying Problem.

Before deciding to use veneers, we carefully examine the underlying problem. We determine whether the problem is skeletal, just the teeth, or the bone that supports the teeth itself in order to truly solve the problem. We also provide you with the options that are available because veneers are a big investment and they are not really reversible. So if the patient has problems with them, they just have to keep replacing them. We make sure that the patient’s gums are in the proper place and that they are not showing too much gums when they smile because their teeth have worn, erupted down and brought the gums with them. We also ensure that the gums are even to assist with a beautiful smile because putting veneers on them does not solve that problem if the gums are not addressed.

If the front teeth are tilted back and in, that is an abnormal relationship that leads to wear and if veneers are put on those type of teeth, the same wear will happen over again only now they will have to pay for the veneers over and over again.

Far too many times veneers are the answer that is given because the patient requests them or the dentist does not properly assess the entire situation. For example, sometimes veneers are put on when the answer really needed to be repositioning of the teeth prior to restoration. If the teeth are properly positioned, that makes room to ensure that the veneers are the appropriate size for the patient. If the teeth are restored in an abnormal position that has taken place because of wear the teeth, the veneers can not be the right width to length ratio for that patients smile…and may not be in the right place in that patient’s smile.

There are negative effects to getting veneers before restoring teeth. The patient may feel discomfort, such as jaw pain. In most cases, there will simply be a problem of maintenance. The patient may break off, chip, or wear down the veneers just like they did with their natural teeth.

A lasting Solution

If the teeth are restored correctly in the proper place, the patient can look forward to increased longevity, increased comfort, and a very beautiful smile as a result. Simply making teeth bigger with veneers often times does not solve the core problem and does not give the patient the best smile that is possible. Although it may offer improvement, it will not give the final result that could have been accomplished. Far too many people get veneers and feel semi-happy with them because it is an improvement over where they were, but they are so far from where they could have been for the final outcome.

Sometimes finding the right solution requires a comprehensive approach from a group of qualified, dental specialists who work together with the patient’s best interest in mind. The end result is rewarding: optimal esthetics and longevity.

What are Some Symptoms and Solutions for Worn Teeth?

admin — Sat, 01 May 2010 07:33:16 +0000

Some symptoms of worn teeth include chipped teeth, your teeth do not show when you smile, or if you feel that your smile is flat and unattractive.

Veneers are not always the solution.

Addressing the Underlying Problem.

Before deciding to use veneers, your dentist should carefully examine the underlying problem. They should determine whether the problem is skeletal, just the teeth, or the bone that supports the teeth itself in order to truly solve the problem. Your dentist should give you the options that are available because veneers are a big investment and they are not really reversible. So if the patient has problems with them, they just have to keep replacing them. They should look and make sure that the patient’s gums are in the proper place and that they are not showing too much gums when they smile because their teeth have worn and they erupted down and brought the gums with them. They should make sure the gums are even to assist with a beautiful smile because putting veneers on them does not solve that problem if the gums are not addressed.

If their front teeth are tilted back and in, that is an abnormal relationship that leads to wear and if they put veneers on those type of teeth, the same wear will happen over again only now they will have to pay for the veneers over and over again.

A lasting Solution

If the teeth are restored correctly in the proper place, the patient can look forward to increased longevity, increased comfort, and a very beautiful smile as a result. Simply making teeth bigger with veneers often times does not solve the core problem and does not give the patient the best smile that is possible. Although it may offer improvement, it won’t give the final result that could have been accomplished. Far too many people get veneers and feel semi-happy with them because it is an improvement over where they were, but they are so far from where they could have been for the final outcome. Sometimes finding the right solution requires a comprehensive approach from a group of qualified, dental specialists who work together with the patient’s best interest in mind. The end result is rewarding: optimal aesthetics and longevity.

Sinuses and Teeth Positioning – Relationship

admin — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 15:33:23 +0000

If you have an abscess tooth, and its not hurting too bad, it could be draining in to the sinus, causing chronic sinus irritation. When you look at an x-ray of the upper tooth, the roots are visible up there and the sinus comes down – usually following a pattern of that root. In other words, the roots are holding that up and when you take the tooth out, there is constant gentle pressure there inside the sinus. The bone reacts to pressure and the bone in the maxilla is softer bone. So it does what we call numatizes that area.: the sinus starts enlarging, getting bigger because it is gently pushing that bone and the bone is resorbing (losing substance).

We see a many individuals who, when their teeth are out, have paper thin bone between the ridge and the sinus. If it’s a denture, then that can be tender all the time when they have sinus problems, and the bone goes away so we don’t have a place to put the implants. If the teeth have been removed and left our for a long time, you can still get implants, but you have to go through a grafting procedure to raise the sinus floor and grow new bone to put implants in. The other thing that is particularly prominent when you have a tooth on the side but the middle teeth are missing, is the sinus comes down and now you have a low spot where the fluids are always sitting. This makes the individual more prone to get infections.

What are some symptoms that may indicate that the sinus problems you are having may be related to your teeth? If you had a tooth taken out and you want to have it replaced you should do it sooner rather than later so that the sinus doesn’t numatize and you don’t require an extra surgery.