by sdadmin | Sep 28, 2017 | Dental Implants, Dental Topics
If you’re looking to make some improvements to your smile, you’ll want to visit a skilled cosmetic dentist. A cosmetic dental procedure is any treatment that improves the positive appearance of a patient’s smile, including teeth, gums or bite alignment. While cosmetic dentistry doesn’t always improve how your teeth function, it will improve the way they look and the way your smile appears to others.
Cosmetic dental therapies are extremely popular and widely used. Many are virtually risk-free. You may turn to a cosmetic dentist to correct one or more of the following:
- Discolored teeth can be corrected by teeth whitening or dental veneers. Veneers are thin shells of composite resin or porcelain material that are adhered directly to your natural tooth’s surface.
- Missing or severely gapped teeth can be replaced with dental bridges or dental implants.
- Chipped or cracked teeth can be corrected by bonding, using dental composite material formed carefully into a pleasing shape and hardened and polished. Veneers can also correct this issue.
- A gummy smile can be corrected with a gingivectomy, or the removal of gum tissue through a gum lift, giving the illusion of longer natural teeth.
- Dark or blotchy gum tissue can be corrected with gum depigmentation.
- Restorative work necessary to complete root canal therapy may include a dental crown designed to protect your natural tooth.
- A misshapen tooth can be corrected with enameloplasty, or the removal of tooth structure to reshape a tooth to be more attractive. It can correct small chips or can alter the length of an over-long tooth.
If you have any of these concerns regarding your smile, talk to Morehead City cosmetic dentist Dr. Winchester today. You can make a plan together to meet your smile goals so that you can have the even, bright smile you’ve always desired.
If you need a dentist in Morehead City, contact us today
by sdadmin | Sep 21, 2017 | Dental Implants, Dental Topics
If you’re missing some teeth, you can’t get any better as far as replacing them as you can with dental implants. Bridges and partial dentures can fill many tooth gaps, but dental implants are simply the better choice.
Benefits of dental implants include:
- Dental implants are made of titanium and are extremely strong. They are placed in the jaw and stimulate the jawbone the way your natural tooth would. This keeps the bone alive and staves off bone shrinkage. Dental implants are durable and are made to last a lifetime.
- Dental implants are the most convenient choice for tooth replacement, because you can clean them quickly and easily. Dental implants are flossed and brushed exactly as you would your natural teeth, unlike dentures which must be removed and dental bridges that are complicated to clean around.
- Dental implants look better. They are specifically meant to look, feel and function like your own teeth would.
- Dental implants are extremely secure. Bridges and dentures can slip in your mouth, leading to speech difficulties or problems eating. Dental implants cannot slip as they are permanently fused to your jawbone.
- Dental implants are better for your overall oral health. Dental bridges require the reduction of anchor teeth to support the dental bridge, and neither bridges nor dentures stimulate the jawbone. Healthy, preserved teeth and healthy bones are essential to good oral health.
Talk to Morehead City implant dentist Dr. Winchester to see what benefits dental implants can give to you as you’re reaching for your smile goals. Don’t wait to start enjoying all of the advantages dental implants bring to your oral care.
Our dental office is located in Morehead City
by sdadmin | Sep 14, 2017 | Dental Implants, Dental Topics
Your cosmetic dentist will tell you how important the bones in your jaw and face are, and there are treatments that preserve bone rather than cause them to shrink through a process known as resorption.
The bones in your jaw and face are constantly stimulated by the roots of your teeth. If you lose a tooth, that bone is no longer energized and can begin to shrink away. Dental implant posts, typically made of titanium, mimic the role of the tooth’s natural roots, and continually vitalize the bone, preserving it. As part of the dental implant healing process, the implant post fuses directly to the bone. This fusion is called osseointegration.
Osseointegration is dependent largely upon the quantity and the quality of the bone around the implant site. It takes between three and nine months to achieve osseointegration following dental implant therapy. Patient behaviors like smoking or drinking to excess can slow this process and cause complications. Osseointegration provides a very stable anchor point for the replacement tooth and is often the best choice for replacing a missing tooth.
Dental implants preserve bone and prevent resorption. This allows your facial structure to remain the same, ensuring that your facial structure won’t collapse. Missing teeth that are treated with dental implant therapy stave off problems commonly associated with tooth loss, such as surrounding teeth shifting into the open space or other problems with bite alignment and jaw joints.
Resorption begins immediately following tooth extraction, and this shrinkage will continue over the coming year, horizontally as well as vertically in the mouth. The bulk of the shrinkage happens within the first few months following tooth loss. Replacing this missing tooth with a dental implant can reduce resorption significantly.
The only restorative treatment that preserves bone is dental implant therapy. Talk to Morehead City cosmetic dentist Dr. Winchester to see if dental implants are the solution to your dental needs.
We look forward to seeing you in our Morehead City dental office
by sdadmin | Sep 7, 2017 | Dental Topics
Did your class reunion sneak up on you? Did you mean to visit your dentist and makeover your smile before your wedding or other special occasion, but now you think you’ve run out of time? Don’t worry! You can do many things to improve your smile that don’t take long. If you are healthy and your teeth are in good general shape, there are several easy and fast options available to you to makeover your smile right now.
The fastest thing you can do is to whiten your teeth. Also known as teeth bleaching, this technique is extremely popular and very safe. Teeth stain and discolor with age. Many common foods people consume leave their mark on teeth. Liquids are equally damaging, if not more, especially coffee, tea and red wine. Whitening your teeth professionally as part of a smile makeover can take a single office visit, and can lighten your teeth by as many as ten shades in one treatment.
Cracked, chipped, or misshapen teeth can be reshaped with tooth-colored composite resin. Bonding is an artistic process done completely by hand. The dentist works carefully to match your existing tooth color and to provide an optimal shape.
Your teeth might need a little more attention than whitening or bonding can provide. In this case, you might think about a “snap-on smile”. A snap-on is a very thin appliance that is attached on your teeth and held in place by nothing but your natural teeth. No reduction of your tooth surface is necessary and no adhesive is required. Snap-on smiles can be in place all day and can allow you a perfect, Hollywood smile.
Talk to Morehead City cosmetic dentist Dr. Winchester to see what therapies can be achieved in only one or two visits. You’ll be surprised at what options are available to makeover your smile quickly and easily.
If you live in the Morehead City, contact us today
