Let’s change subjects. Often people have older silver fillings that are still serviceable. They are conservative, meaning the filling is small and the tooth remaining to hold the filling is still adequate. But over time, the filling can act like a wedge inside the tooth and cause it to split or break. This often occurs from the INSIDE of the tooth first.
Look at the difference in Cleo’s smile before and after her dental treatment. And here’s the pretty portrait photo we took when all her work was finished. It looks great!
Here’s another view of the before and after:
With the bonding added to the centrals it becomes obvious that the laterals are too small. After the orthodontist is finished I’ll show the veneer portion of Suzanne’s case.
Here are Suzanne’s teeth before and after the bonding.
The space is significantly closed by simply making the teeth their ideal width. Because of this the orthodontist will have an easier time moving the teeth….less guesswork and less movement. Suzanne is happy about that, too!
The central incisors can then be moved together predictably by the orthodontist because the bonding that has been placed on these teeth has made their width ideal. Once they touch, he’s done! Also, he can then make additional room for the laterals, allowing for a more conservative preparation of these teeth, too. As we talked about before (See text here), one of the BIG advantages of involving the orthodontist is the ultimate outcome. The teeth are ideally positioned, the preparations can be more conservative, and the case will look better and be more stable.
The gum specialist asked about the size/proportion of Suzanne’s teeth. After examining her I thought the best solution was a combination of bonding and orthodontics. Since her front teeth were too small width-wise (from left to right) they appeared skinny and thin. These teeth will ultimately need veneers to correct this discrepancy. But until then, bonding is the solution. We decided to make her central incisors (her middle two front teeth) the CORRECT size with bonding. The orthodontist could then pull them together until the bonding touches. This way we know these teeth will be in the correct position to allow for very conservative veneer preparations.
Now came the fun stuff. We saw Robert one last time to fine-tune his bite and check for any other minor adjustments. Afterwards Robert was kind enough to let me take a few portrait photos. I was really proud of the final results and so was he!
Here’s a ‘before’ portrait:
and ‘after’… what a change!
Since we agreed on ‘natural’ and not ‘Hollywood’ for the shade of his teeth, Robert decided to proceed. We placed 6 beautiful all-ceramic crowns on his upper front teeth. The gaps were closed, the color was brighter (but not TOO bright!), and the teeth were the right size because the orthodontics were a success. Also, the edges and corners were restored to their ideal position allowing Robert’s new teeth to function better. He was ecstatic! Take a look: 
So Robert had his teeth positioned correctly, and now wanted a cosmetic enhancement. Our conversation revolved around a few things. First, he wanted ‘whiter’ teeth, but not ‘too’ white. He used the term ‘natural’. I was in agreement. Too often people get their teeth fixed with white ‘Chicklette’-looking crowns or veneers. They’re SO white that any characterization is lost. Since Robert is fairly fair-skinned, that would have looked horrible.
The many spaces that existed between his teeth could be filled in with correctly-sized teeth since the orthodontist had moved the teeth into the right general areas. My only other area of concern was the different levels of his gum line around these teeth. They were uneven and could be dramatically improved with a bit of recontouring. After careful consideration, Robert decided to leave them at their current level. He reasoned that he never smiled large enough to see them anyway!
What makes this process even easier is the development of a new way to move teeth. In the past the orthodontist would have to place brackets and wires to change the alignment of teeth. This is the ‘common’ version of orthodontics. But now he has a new, high tech tool that often can be used. It’s called Invisalign. I won’t go into the details, but I will tell you that it’s by far easier and FASTER than conventional braces. And without all the added ‘hardware’ that comes with traditional braces, there’s less trauma and complications for the patient. I can’t tell you how may times I’ve had people tell me what a breeze their Invisalign treatment has been!
So if you need to have teeth realigned in order to make your dental work ideal, you’ve got a great new way to do it! Ask us about Invisalign and we can get you some more information.
