If you’re due to get braces in the near future, you’re likely afraid of getting some of those dreaded “white spots” or circles on your teeth, as well.
Here’s what you need to know about what causes them, and how to prevent it from happening.
What Are White Spots?
Tooth enamel that loses minerals is considered decalcified. When this happens, the enamel takes on a bright white, chalky appearance.
Decalcification can happen when teeth are exposed to too much fluoride during development. It also occurs as a result of long-term exposure to dental plaque.
Braces can cause enamel decalcification when plaque is allowed to accumulate in places that are hard to reach with a toothbrush or floss. The acids in this biofilm zap minerals out of the enamel, and you’re left with white spots around areas where the brackets and wires used to be.
Decalcified spots on enamel tend to be weaker than other areas on the tooth; they need to be well cared for to avoid developing cavities.
How to Avoid White Spots
Thankfully, white spots are not an inevitable part of getting braces. As long as you maintain a strict oral hygiene routine, you can keep your enamel healthy during orthodontic treatment.
Your daily routine may include:
Minimizing White Spots
Tooth-colored fillings and porcelain veneers are great ways to restore your smile after braces if you have a lot of white spots. A little teeth bleaching may also help even out tooth color. Enamel remineralizing toothpastes can restore weakened areas as well.
Talk with your dentist for more ideas on preventing and treating white spots after orthodontics.
Posted on behalf of:
Soft Touch Dentistry
1214 Paragon Dr
O’Fallon, IL 62269
(618) 622-5050
Dental veneers are perfect for covering up deep stain and rough enamel. They can close up gaps and even out the shape of neighboring teeth.
Before you decide to get dental veneers, just make sure you are aware of their limitations.
Your veneers will be designed to reflect the whiteness level you want at the time they are placed. After that, there’s no changing them. If you bleach your teeth later on, they could end up whiter than the veneers.
New porcelain veneers are tough and they aren’t porous like tooth enamel. While they aren’t as likely to stain, you can still get some unsightly darkening at the margins where they’re bonded. Try to limit dark-colored foods and drinks.
Veneers don’t have the strength of natural teeth or dental crowns. If you bite on them at an angle with enough force, they can pop off. Granted, it takes a lot to do that, but you should stay away from chewing ice or using your teeth as tools to open packages.
A dental veneer may cover the front of a tooth, but it can’t seal up the whole thing. Bacteria and acid can still eat away at the exposed parts and sneaky underneath the veneer. This means that although your veneer itself won’t decay, you still need to carefully brush and floss the tooth it rests on.
If you’re sure that you can take great care of your teeth and veneers after getting this cosmetic procedure, then ask your local dentist for a consultation.
Posted on behalf of:
Pure Smiles Dentistry
2655 Dallas Highway Suite 510
Marietta, GA 30064
770.422.8776
You’ve heard so much about how veneers can makeover a smile in one appointment. Countless celebrities and movie stars have glammed up their grins thanks to the help of veneers.
But what’s this about “Lumineers?”
Lumineers vs. Veneers – The Differences
Dental veneers are .5mm-thick sheets of porcelain crafted to fit over the front of a tooth. They replace an ultra-thin layer of enamel to create a smooth surface.
Lumineers are a brand of “no-prep” veneers. They essentially do the same thing, but they don’t actually replace an outer layer of enamel. Instead, they’re bonded directly over the tooth. They measure in at around .2mm – about the thickness of a contact lens.
Why Choose Lumineers?
Because Lumineers don’t require any tooth alteration, you can get them put on with zero-drilling and no numbing. They’re also reversible. If you ever decide that you want to go back to your original smile, your dentist can pop Lumineers off. This is not the case with traditional veneers which permanently alter your teeth.
There are other brands of no-prep veneers. Lumineers just happen to be well-known.
Are Lumineers Really Better?
Just because no-prep veneers are reversible doesn’t make them the best option. They might be thin, but you may notice the difference in bulk on your teeth. So much so that you could have problems closing your lips, biting into food, and even risk having a plaque-collecting “speed bump” near your gum line where the veneer ends. You need just the right smile to consider this option.
It’s not to say that either regular veneers or Lumineers are better. It simply depends on what your unique smile needs are. Ask a cosmetic dentist in your area which method will help you reach your goal.
Posted on behalf of:
Greencastle Dental
195 Greencastle Road
Tyrone, GA 30290
(770) 486-5585
Celebrities, actors, and many others in the spotlight have gorgeous smiles. It’s not that they were born with teeth any better than ours – they’ve just had a lot of little imperfections covered up.
Often, this is all thanks to dental veneers.
Here’s how porcelain veneers could work wonders for you, as well:
By making the veneers just a little bigger than the teeth, your dentist can span a considerable gap between teeth.
This function of veneers makes them a potential alternative to braces.
Stubborn stain that won’t go away with bleaching can be masked over with a porcelain veneer.
If you’re tired of a chip in your tooth making you look childish or unprofessional, then get it fixed with a veneer (which is less invasive than a crown.)
Can’t shake the feeling that one tooth is just a tiny bit longer than the others?
A veneer can erase even the smallest irregularities and create a uniform smile line.
Rough tooth surfaces tend to trap a lot of stain. It goes without saying that your tongue can’t seem to stay away from the odd texture! You’ll feel a lot better about your smile with a smoother surface created by veneers.
Sick of a patchwork of stained, old, tooth-colored fillings that show on your front teeth? Many times, restoring those teeth with dental crowns is the best option. But you never know; your dentist may find that the fillings are small enough to be covered over by veneers.
Schedule a smile consultation with your local dentist to find out whether veneers are right for you.
Posted on behalf of:
Bayshore Dental Center
810 W Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd #2900
Seffner, FL 33584
(813) 330-2006
Acids attack tooth enamel every time you eat. Carbohydrates that enter your mouth fuel bacteria that produce even more acid. With this steady chemical erosion persisting over time, your tooth enamel can wear out to the point that your teeth get sensitive and/or develop cavities.
How do you counter the effects? Try the following five tips.
It’s impossible to avoid virtually every form of acid in your diet. A lot of acidic foods are healthy for you. These include:
If you accompany these foods with a glass of water, you can rinse away acid so it doesn’t sit on your teeth too long.
Don’t brush right after you eat. You could wind up just spreading all that acid around. Wait about 20-30 minutes after your meal and then brush with a fluoride toothpaste.
Food items that range on the opposite end of the pH spectrum could help strengthen enamel. Eat plenty of:
Chewing gum stimulates the saliva flow that’s crucial to cleansing teeth and re-mineralizing enamel. Choose a brand that contains xylitol, a sugar substitute that helps prevent decay.
Your dentist has the tools necessary for examining your enamel and checking it for weakness. If your teeth could use an extra line of defense, then a fluoride treatment, porcelain veneers, or dental sealants may be in order.
Contact your dentist today to learn more about how to protect your enamel from acids in your diet.
Posted on behalf of:
Embrace Dental Care
8544 US-42, #500
Florence, KY 41042
(859) 371-4000
That front tooth is bothering you, again. Just when you think you’ve forgotten about it, you catch a glimpse of your teeth in the mirror.
Whatever your complaint may be, you are not alone. Many people live in fear of having their photo taken due to having a tooth they’re embarrassed by.
But each year, many people take their dental fate into their own hands.
Dental crowns and veneers have proven to be the perfect options for covering up less-than-perfect teeth. What are the differences between these two restorative techniques? And which is right for you?
Crowns vs. Veneers
Dental crowns are often made from metal, porcelain, or a combination. The cap covers the entire tooth like a snug winter mitten on a hand. Crowns are load-bearing and thus meant to improve the strength of a tooth.
Veneers, on the other hand, could be likened more to a potholder rather than a full mitten. Just as you only need a little fabric to shield your hand from hot elements, a veneer provides only partial coverage for the front of a tooth. Placed over the visible “smile” surface of upper front teeth, veneers are porcelain shells that improve the appearance of enamel.
What Your Tooth Needs
For a front tooth that only needs some cosmetic enhancement, you could go either way. If that tooth has significant structural damage or decay or experiences a lot of bite force, then a crown is the secure option.
But if your tooth doesn’t need total reinforcement, then a conservative and lightweight veneer may be all you need.
To find out which option is most effective for restoring your tooth, contact your local dental office.
Posted on behalf of:
Dentistry of Highland Village
3651 Weslayan St. #208
Houston, TX 77027
(713) 360-7700
Are you happy with the way your smile looks?
Like most other people, you probably would make a few changes, if you could.
Do you want teeth that are:
Dental veneers could be just what you’ve been looking for.
What Dental Veneers Do
Veneers are traditionally made from porcelain, but they also come in a slimmer plastic-like version. They’re made as thin as possible so they can neatly fit over the visible portion of your upper front teeth.
Your dentist will need to remove a little of the enamel from the front of your tooth so that the veneers can easily fit. Once your permanent veneers are in place, it’s not coming off. Gently brush and floss around your veneer as you would for any tooth.
Qualify For Veneers
Are veneers right for your smile?
Your teeth should be fully developed and healthy before you can get veneers. A veneer is not a deep restorative treatment, so if you have decay on your tooth, that should be treated first.
Not all problems can be patched up with veneers. For example, if you have a big gap between your teeth, closing it with large veneers will only weaken them. Not to mention, you’ll probably have a bucktoothed look.
Visit your dentist to find out whether veneers could be effective in improving your smile.
Why Choose Veneers?
Even though dental veneers are cosmetic treatments, they can make a big impact on your quality of life. Smoothing out your smile with these delicate porcelain shells could do wonders for your self-respect and confidence levels! They’re definitely worth a try.
Contact your dentist to find out more about the benefits of this cosmetic treatment.
Posted on behalf of:
Converse Dentistry
6634 Binz-Engleman Rd #109
Converse, TX 78109
(210) 960-8204
To get dental veneers, the very first thing you need is a smile consultation with your dentist.
Your dentist will help you make sure that your teeth are good potential candidates. They should be mature and the jaw fully-developed. Overall, your smile will also have to be free of disease.
Once you’re cleared for treatment, the next step is designing how you want your smile to look. Not all veneers are the same. In fact, they are individually-designed for each tooth. Working with your dentist, you get to pick out the color and shape of the final restoration and basically figure out how you want your smile to ultimately look.
The Treatment Phase
At your first veneer appointment, the dentist trims away a bit of the enamel on the front of the teeth. Otherwise, classic porcelain veneers would feel too bulky. Next, he or she takes a mold of the prepared teeth and sends that along with designs off to a veneers lab.
You won’t go home with altered-looking teeth. Instead, the dentist fits you with temporary (often acrylic) veneers to protect your smile. In a matter of days or a couple weeks later, you’re called back in to get your permanent new veneers bonded in place.
Why Try Veneers?
As a dental veneer covers only the front of a tooth, it’s not meant to provide structural support. But it does benefit your tooth by giving it a smooth and flawless appearance.
You can repair just one tooth or several and hide stain, old fillings, small fractures, and gaps all with the help of veneers. Ask your dentist how.
Posted on behalf of:
Precision Digital Dentistry
674 US-202/206
Suite 7
Bridgewater, NJ 08807
(908) 955-6999
For a long time now you’ve been coveting the smooth, gleaming white smile that all celebrities have.
Why don’t your teeth look like that?
While rough enamel may not be a threat to the health of your teeth, it could be bad enough to make you hide your smile in shame.
Causes Of Rough Enamel
One common reason for worn enamel is acid erosion. If your teeth are in regular contact with sugary and acidic foods or if you suffer from acid-reflux or frequent vomiting, then your enamel will suffer.
Aggressive brushing can also wear away enamel and cause irregularities in texture. Or, ingesting too much fluoride when you were a child may also have affected your tooth development.
Another condition called “enamel hypoplasia” can give your teeth a pitted appearance. This usually happens if you suffered some sort of serious disease when you were young.
Cosmetic Treatment For Rough Enamel
If you’re not happy with the look or texture of your smile, it’s okay to do something about it!
From chips to deep staining to a mottled texture, there are procedures to treat all kinds of enamel imperfections. Some of these include:
Porcelain dental veneers are very common for treating rough surfaces. They’re like false fronts put over your upper teeth that show when you smile. A veneer is a thin shell of porcelain that replaces that outer layer of enamel and gives your tooth a completely smooth surface.
Plan a smile consultation with your local dentist to find out if you qualify for veneers or some other tooth-smoothing procedure.
Posted on behalf of:
Marvin Village Dentistry
8161 Ardrey Kell Road
Suite 101
Charlotte, NC 28277
(704) 579-5513
If the idea of dental veneers is a little vague to you, you’re not alone. But these fantastic cosmetic restorations are a proven, decades-old secret to getting a killer smile.
Better Than Bleaching
Dental veneers are slim shells of porcelain that replace a thin layer of enamel on the front of a tooth. Being that they are so delicate, porcelain veneers are designed to enhance the appearance of a person’s smile; they don’t provide structural support.
A dental veneer can erase major cosmetic problems when bleaching and fillings cannot. These include:
Who is a Candidate for Veneers?
Any adult who wants to give their smile a boost is a potential candidate for veneers. From brightening the color to evening out an uneven edge, this powerful false front can make a big difference. However, they should only be placed on adult teeth.
What to Expect with Veneers
After you get the OK to start treatment, your dentist will help you design your dream smile.
What shade do you want your veneers to be? Do you need just one or several? What shape?
Next, your dentist will prepare your teeth and take an impression. The mold gets sent to a lab where each veneer is carefully crafted by hand. In the meantime, you get to wear a temporary one. When the permanent copies are ready, the dentist will check the fit and then cement them into place.
Keen to give dental veneers a try? Ask your dentist what the process is like. A professional consultation will help you determine whether or not this cosmetic procedure is right for you.
Posted on behalf of:
Ashley Dinh, DDS, PC
107 E Holly Ave #5
Sterling, VA 20164
(703) 430-6655
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