Your teeth play many roles in your mouth. One of these roles in providing you with a beautiful smile. Tooth enamel is naturally bright white in color. However, many factors can lead to discoloration, which can then significantly dull the quality of your smile. Discoloration can also affect your confidence, leaving you feeling incredibly self-conscious. Aesthetic Dentistry of Bend can restore the bright white color to your teeth with teeth whitening.
Tooth enamel is naturally bright white. There are many factors. However, that can contribute to discoloration, dulling the appearance of your smile. Factors that can contribute to discoloration include:
| • | Certain types of foods and beverages. |
| • | Tobacco use. |
| • | Certain types of medications, such as doxycycline and tetracycline. |
| • | Getting older. |
Teeth whitening is a treatment designed to eliminate discoloration from your teeth, restoring the bright, white color to your enamel. In doing so, the quality of your smile is enhanced, and your confidence is boosted.
You may have noticed that there are many whitening products available in the oral care aisle of the pharmacy or grocery store. There are numerous types, including toothpaste, gels, strips, and more. These products promise incredible results in a short time, all for an affordable cost. However, these products contain low levels of bleaching agents. While they may be beneficial for minor surface stains, they often cannot produce the drastic results most people are looking for.
The method we provide for professional teeth whitening is whitening trays. This is a professional whitening method that allows you to eliminate stains from the comfort of your own home. We first create custom trays based on impressions of your mouth. These trays are designed to hold the bleaching agent against your teeth and are made to be worn twice a day for a few hours at a time, or overnight while you sleep. This treatment typically lasts one to two weeks depending upon the amount of discoloration and your specific goals. Results begin to appear in just under a week.
Teeth whitening using whitening trays is a very safe procedure. One of the most significant risks associated with teeth whitening is the risk of tooth sensitivity. Sensitivity is only temporary, however, and disappears when your treatment is complete. A toothpaste formulated for sensitivity can help to alleviate discomfort during your treatment.
While effective, teeth whitening is not permanent. There are, however, ways that you can help to make your results last. These include:
| • | Brushing and flossing daily. |
| • | Limiting foods and beverages that can cause stains, such as coffee, dark berries, and red wine. |
| • | Drink plenty of water. |
| • | Quit tobacco products. |
| • | Have your teeth periodically retouched. |
Are you or a loved one searching for a way to get a stronger, longer lasting, beautiful smile? Have one or more of your teeth been misshapen, misaligned, abnormally spaced, stained, severely discolored, worn down, or chipped? Has this shaken your confidence or made you self-conscious about letting out a happy grin? If your answer to all of the above is “Yes”, then keep reading to learn more about this excellent solution!
For the past few decades now, veneers have been a popular alternative among dental patients to long-term restoration procedures. At Aesthetic Dentistry of Bend, you will be provided numerous options by our team for the most satisfactory result. We will help you regain your confidence and alleviate that fear of showing off your smile around friends, family, or just day-to-day life.
A dental veneer is a thin shell or sliver bonded onto the front of your tooth (the side you and everyone else sees) that acts as a “false front”. Each one is custom-made to fit your unique teeth. As the name states, it is veneering (much like a thin layer covering a substrate).
Veneers are typically made from wafer-thin porcelain or composite resin, which is always crafted to match your natural teeth in much detail as possible to help them fit in. While resin and ceramic veneers are a common choice, you also have options to get one constructed from metal or a combination of metal and porcelain.
The amount of time and effort it takes to complete the procedure depends on multiple factors: How many teeth are you getting a veneer for? How much of the tooth will we have to remove & replace first? What is the extent of its damage, if any? Typically, however, this procedure is an easier, more conservative and less time-consuming process compared to getting a crown, for instance. This is because it usually only requires a small portion of the front of the tooth to be removed, making the veneer no challenge for us to position.
Although veneers are a worthwhile option to consider for improving your teeth’s strength and appearance, it goes without saying that no dental procedure is flawless. There are always potential drawbacks somewhere, which is why we value making sure you know all the facts going into this decision. Below are the pros & cons of having veneers applied:
Pros:
| • | Long lasting. |
| • | Excellent for problems like badly stained teeth, chips or minor cracks in your teeth, small gaps between your teeth, and teeth that are misaligned or suffer from abnormal spacing. |
| • | Restores and improves your smile’s color & symmetry. |
Cons:
| • | With few exceptions, once applied, veneers will always require covering. Once you get one, it is permanent and cannot be reversed. |
| • | Patients occasionally report their veneers looking too large or bulky in proportion to the rest of their teeth, but this can be corrected without issue after application is finished. |
The procedure of bonding is when a tooth-colored composite resin (plastic) is applied to fix a tooth that has suffered from decay, fracture, or discoloring. This helps your tooth appear longer and serves as a cosmetic alternative to amalgam (silver) fillings. If you have a tooth that fits one of these descriptions and are considering making an appointment to discuss bonding options.
Bonding is one of the most effortless and affordable cosmetic dental procedures. The composite resin used for bonding can be modeled and colored to match your natural teeth accurately. Bonding is regularly utilized to improve the look of stained or chipped teeth, in addition to closing gaps between teeth. It can also be a preferable cosmetic alternative to fillings as well as being used to protect a portion of your tooth’s root that has been exposed due to gum recession.
Tea, coffee, tobacco, and cigarette smoke among other substances can stain the resin utilized in dental bonding. To avoid or at least reduce discoloration, talk to Thomas E. Wold, DMD about what to eat or drink during the first 48 hours after the composite procedure is completed. Of course, you should also brush your teeth and visit us for regular cleaning every six months.
After making an appointment to discuss your treatment options, Thomas E. Wold, DMD will help you select the appropriate composite resin color to match the color of your natural teeth as closely as possible (This is commonly done with a shade guide). Once your color is decided, Thomas E. Wold, DMD will carefully etch off a little of your tooth’s surface to roughen it before coating it lightly with a conditioning fluid. This helps the adhesive bonding material to stay attached. Anesthesia is usually not needed unless the procedure’s purpose is to fill a tooth that has been decayed.
After preparations are made, the tooth-colored putty-like resin is applied, molded, and smoothed over time into its proper shape. Thomas E. Wold, DMD will then harden the material with an ultraviolet light or laser. Once hardening is complete, it will be trimmed, shaped, and polished until it matches with the rest of your tooth’s surface. The amount of time to finish the procedure varies from patient to patient, but it typically takes between 30 minutes to an hour. However, if you’re having multiple teeth done, it may take additional visits to complete them all.
Unfortunately, in every dental procedure (even the best of the best), there is always risk involved to some extent. We’ll go over the potential drawbacks below:
| • | The composite resin utilized in dental bonding doesn’t have nearly as much strength as your natural teeth. You should avoid habits like biting or chewing on tougher objects (ice, pens & pencils, nails, etc), as this can chip the material. |
| • | Bonding typically lasts many years before you’ll have to come in for repairs, but exactly how long depends on how thorough the procedure was as well as your dental habits. |
