Archives for November 2018

3 Ways a Smile Makeover Can Help Your Recovery from an Eating Disorder

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Some estimates show that as many as 30 million Americans have an eating disorder. An eating disorder can affect your overall health and your oral health. If you’re in recovery, a smile makeover can improve your appearance and your journey to better health.

How Does a Smile Makeover Help?

1. Makes an impression

Your smile is an expression of your personality. It’s one of the first things people notice when they meet you. And it can make a lasting impression.

2. Boosts your confidence

An attractive smile can also boost your self-confidence. Your smile will enhance your facial appearance and help you feel better about yourself.

3. Improves your oral health

Throughout an eating disorder, poor nutrition can affect your teeth and gums. Regular exposure of acid on your teeth—whether it’s caused by vomiting from an eating disorder, a medical condition, or acid reflux—can damage your teeth and gums. Teeth can become brittle and erode. Gums can become irritated, inflamed, and infected. A smile makeover restores your teeth, gums, and your oral health.

What Treatment Is Recommended?

If your smile has been damaged by an eating disorder, cosmetic dentistry can help. But the type of cosmetic dentistry needed to restore your teeth depends on the extent of damage to your teeth and the position of the damaged teeth. Your smile makeover can include one or more of the following:

  • Periodontal (gums) treatment
  • Dental implants
  • Porcelain veneers
  • Porcelain crowns
  • Dental bonding
  • Dentures

Periodontal treatment

If you have swollen, irritated, or infected gum tissue, it needs to be treated. If gum disease is significant, you might be referred to a periodontist (gum specialist) for treatment before your smile makeover begins.

Dental Implants

If an eating disorder has damaged your teeth and resulted in tooth loss, replacing missing teeth is a vital part of your smile makeover. A dental implant can be used to replace each missing tooth. An artificial root form will be placed in your jawbone, and after a healing period, a dental crown will be attached on top. Dental implants mimic natural teeth and are healthy for your jawbone and gums. They are the most effective form of tooth replacement, but they are also the most expensive.

Porcelain Veneers

If you have minimal damage that is limited to the fronts or edges of your teeth, porcelain veneers might be a treatment option for your smile makeover. A custom-made veneer is bonded to the front of each affected tooth. Porcelain mimics the color, translucence, and gloss of natural teeth, so the results will look amazing.

Dental Crowns

A dental crown covers an entire tooth. A tooth that is extensively damaged may be weak and require the protection of a crown. A skilled cosmetic dentist can restore your smile with lifelike ceramic crowns. The crowns will conceal the damage to your teeth from an eating disorder and help you smile with confidence. Dental ceramics can be manipulated to look like beautiful natural teeth.

Dental Bonding

In cases of a short-term eating disorder that caused minimal damage to your teeth, chairside dental bonding might be an option for your smile makeover. Dental bonding can conceal discoloration and minor chips in teeth. This treatment can often be completed in a visit or two.

Unlike porcelain veneers or porcelain crowns, dental bonding is not stain resistant. Depending on how well you take care of it, bonding will need to be replaced every five to ten years. A skilled cosmetic dentist can blend shades of dental composite and make the results look natural.

Dentures

If your budget is limited and you’ve experienced extensive damage to your teeth, or if you have lost many teeth, a partial or a full denture might be recommended. A skilled cosmetic dentist can give you a great smile makeover with natural-looking dentures. Implant overdentures will keep your dentures stable and help them look and feel more like natural teeth.

What Can You Expect with Your Smile Makeover?

The results you get from your smile makeover largely depend on the skill of your dentist. We recommend that you schedule consultations with at least two cosmetic dentists. If there is an accredited cosmetic dentist in your area, you can receive amazing results. Otherwise, search for a dentist with extensive post-graduate training in cosmetic dentistry. Check dentists’ websites to learn about them. Ask to see before-and-after smile makeover photos of the dentist’s actual patients.

Cosmetic dentistry is an art. So expect to invest money in your smile makeover. But if it’s completed correctly, a smile makeover will be a worthwhile investment that lasts many years. See the example below.

  • Cosmetic dentistry before close-up photo of a female patient’s gummy smile with worn and teeth chipped with spaces between them – from the office of Baton Rouge dentist Dr. Steven Brooksher.
    BEFORE
  • Cosmetic dentistry after close-up smile of a female patient who received porcelain crowns to restore worn and teeth chipped with spaces between them – from the office of Baton Rouge dentist Dr. Steven Brooksher.
    AFTER

This post is sponsored by Baton Rouge accredited cosmetic dentist Dr. Steven Brooksher.

5 Facts About Porcelain Veneers and Teeth Grinding

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Bruxism (teeth grinding) can wear down and fracture natural teeth. So if you’re thinking about getting porcelain veneers, there is reason for concern because teeth grinding can fracture veneers.

It’s understandable that you’re interested in porcelain veneers. They are the most natural-looking way to restore teeth that are chipped, discolored, or misaligned. Porcelain mimics the characteristics of natural teeth. But porcelain veneers are costly, and you need to protect your investment in them. So before you ask a dentist for them, there are a few facts to know about veneers and teeth grinding.

1. The Stats

A 2017 study published on the U.S. National Library of Medicine – National Institutes of Health website reveals the following about porcelain veneers and patients with bruxism:

  • Fractures – Fractures in porcelain veneers are more common in patients with bruxism.
  • Debonding – There is a higher incidence in the debonding (loosening or falling off) of porcelain veneers for patients who grind their teeth.
  • Splints/mouthguards – Mouthguards increase the success of porcelain veneers for patients with bruxism. If you grind your teeth but do not wear a mouthguard, your veneers will be eight times more likely to fracture.

2. What’s Causing Your Teeth Grinding?

Before you receive porcelain veneers, your cosmetic dentist will try to determine the cause of your teeth grinding. Treatment can include a custom mouthguard to wear at night or relaxation techniques to reduce stress. Some causes of bruxism include:

  • Stress or anxiety
  • Sleep apnea
  • Misalignment (malocclusion)
  • Certain medical conditions or prescription medications

3. The Exam

Before you receive porcelain veneers, an examination is required. Why?

  • Your teeth and gums will first be examined to determine if they are healthy enough for you to receive porcelain veneers.
  • Teeth that are already damaged by bruxism need to be restored.
  • Your dentist will need to determine if you need treatment for TMJ (temporomandibular joint) disorder.
  • Exercises might be needed to help you restore proper TMJ function and relieve pain or discomfort from the disorder.
  • A custom mouthguard will be recommended to protect your investment in porcelain veneers and prevent fractures.

4. High-Strength Materials Can Help

There are different brands and strengths of porcelain veneers. And a highly skilled cosmetic dentist can determine if high-strength porcelain is right for your case and will achieve the results you desire.

5. Alternatives

Depending on the condition of your teeth and the results you want to achieve, your dentist might recommend alternatives, such as ceramic crowns. If you select an experienced cosmetic dentist, he or she will let you know what to expect with each option.

What’s Next?

We suggest that you schedule consultations for porcelain veneers with at least two different cosmetic dentists. Look for accredited cosmetic dentists in your area, or choose dentists with advanced training and experience in cosmetic dentistry. Check each dentist’s website to learn about his or her training.

Although you grind your teeth, your cosmetic dentist will help you determine if porcelain veneers are the right solution for enhancing your smile. If an alternative treatment is needed, a cosmetic dentist will still provide great results.

Below are photos of one of Dr. Brooksher’s patients. They show how porcelain veneers can beautifully transform your smile.

  • Before porcelain veneers photo of a female patient's smile. Teeth are uneven and the center teeth have a triangle between them.
    BEFORE
  • After porcelain veneers photo of a female patient's smile. Her teeth have been whitened, lengthened, and spaces between them were removed.
    AFTER

This post is sponsored by Baton Rouge award-winning cosmetic dentist Dr. Steven Brooksher.