So that was a bad looking tooth.  This looks better.  The crown that was placed on this tooth has an all-porcelain margin (that’s the area where the tooth and crown meet).  There’s no metal in this area to give the gray appearance you can see so often around crowns.  Ask your dentist what esthetic alternatives you have when you are getting a crown.  Tell him or her you want it to look as good as this tooth!!

Remember how the front teeth were originally so thin when we started? (see here) Well now look at them.

They look great!

The front teeth have worn so much that they don’t even touch the lower teeth. See here:

Notice how you are able to see through the very thin edges of these teeth. And very little tooth actually shows when her lips are relaxed and at rest. This is something usually seen in someone much older. As we age, the edge of our teeth often will wear, and we show less and less of the tooth. When this happens prematurely it gives us an ‘older’ looking smile.

As I’ve stated before, the best plan when restoring teeth is to start with the end result in mind. This pretty smile is where we finished. Stay tuned to see where we started.

Take a closer look at the final results, and where we started before the appointment. The teeth look SO much better and we really gave this patient something to smile about!!

This patient was busy having a child and wasn’t able to get some much-needed dental work taken care of. Since her child is a little older she was ready to get started. We decided to get started here in the front. These two teeth had obvious cavities around old fillings that were a real detriment to her smile.

These teeth have looked like this for at LEAST the past 7 years (since 2001). The patient has been informed that ‘doing nothing’ will probably lead to more expensive and potentially painful treatment. No worries! It doesn’t hurt, so the patient wants to leave it!

A few days ago we got a call and….you guessed it…the patient was in CONSIDERABLE pain. He was sent to the endodontist where he needed an immediate root canal. To make matters worse, he had just needed some costly repairs on his house, so finances will be REALLY tight.

Moral of the story: FIX teeth before there’s an EMERGENCY. It will save you time, money, and pain.

Same song, different tooth!  Take a look at this situation.  I had mentioned to this patient (since 2001!!) that his tooth was beginning to fracture and he should think about fixing it. “Nah…it’s not bothering me.  I’m gonna let it go for now”.

Ok.  Fair enough.  A big part of my job is to inform and educate. So we waited……and each time I saw him, I mentioned the crack hadn’t gotten any better.  If it was left untreated it could lead to more problems later.  “Ah well.  It’s still good for now”.

Ok!  We’ll wait….it’s the patient’s decision.  What do you think will happen next?

Here’s 5 things you can do with Google…and I didn’t know any of them.  Do you?  Look here.