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There are many procedures to improve the appearance of your mouth -- even if you are missing several teeth. We will discuss the various options and cover the costs involved as well... Orthodontics The general attitude towards braces is usually very negative, thankfully orthodontics have advanced significantly. Granted, patients needing extensive straightening may not benefit from the newer techniques but usually all complaints can be remedied. Not only do orthodontics improve your smile but they improve dental health, in general. Dental problems which are not necessarily cosmetic such as gum disease and tooth decay are more likely to happen in individuals with orthodontic problems. I am personally going to try the Invisalign® brand and cannot wait!! Marc (my partner) had braces for about 3 years and it certainly helped his teeth so very much -- however his teeth have moved back since his braces so instead of a repeat of braces he got Veneers for his his uppers and about 7 crowns. He is planning on Invisalign® for his lowers next year if he is a candidate. He has also had tooth bleaching done (Professional Nite-White® brand). BUT! Ha! Mine are whiter!! and all I have used are Crest Whitestrips and IGIA! Finally White Gel. Common Complaints & Reasons for Orthodontics
Your Options In
Orthodontics
Tooth Bleaching & Whitening
Systems
Reasons Why Teeth May
Appear Stained or Darkened
Over the Counter
Remedies Crest Whitestrips Here are the results after half a box of Crest Strips and believe it or not after a tip from a few online friends of mine, self filing with a metal nail file and Clorox bleach on a Q-tip. Isn't that the craziest thing you have ever heard of? I was desperate because I had a photo shoot in a week and had to rush it. I still can't believe I did it. (8/2003) I do recommend the Crest Strips but not the Clorox, the Crest Strips really whitened my teeth. I am getting my teeth sealed until I finally get my bottoms straightened and my veneers applied. *I should have taken an after pic with my bite in its natural position.*
What you get with a box of Crest White strips:
Review: They work -- although don't expect miracles if you have seriously stained teeth. Interesting information is that although Crest instructs that you do not brush your teeth beforehand, it WAS proven that pre-brushing significantly improved whiteness. The downfall was that it increased tissue sensitivity:
YTF! Tip: Don't let your box of strips get super warm because the gel will stick to the hard plastic backing and not come off on the strips. On a Budget?
There is a lot of left
over product that you could probably get a good 2.5 more weeks of use
out of so don't throw your left over strips away if you're
thrifty. The bottom strips have the most amount of left over.
Use a very
sharp pair of scissors so you don't drag and smear the strip off of the
backing. Pretty ghetto, but it works! Colgate Simply White Clear Whitening Gel
.34 fl oz $14.99 Whitens In 14 Days. The Easy Way to Sparkling White Teeth - Enough product for 14 days of use.
Money Back Guarantee
Review: I think it is a waste of money, just like the commercial shows, as soon as you close your mouth the gel gets washed away. Mentadent Tooth Whitening System
Your Mentadent™ kit includes:
Activator Paste Boosts Whitening by over 40%* Whitening Toothpastes: These are generally called pellicle [(b) : a thin layer of salivary glycoproteins coating the surface of the teeth] removers. Many times the pellicle is stained due to products consumed or smoking. The pellicle is removed and the teeth appear somewhat brighter. The pellicle does return rather quickly so be sure not to eat or drink any staining foods or beverages to retain the whiteness achieved. Also you should not eat or drink and staining foods or beverages soon after the pellicle is removed due to the staining to the actual enamel which can happen without the protective pellicle coating present. Such a product is: SuperSmile® Pellicle Remover
($15. for 4.2 oz, $10. for 1.75 oz) Carbamide Peroxide Gels (trays needed): These products are very common and very popular. They provide simple whitening without exorbitant prices with the use of an ingredient called carbamide peroxide. The gel is placed within the tray and the carbamide peroxide is placed all around the teeth. After the carbamide peroxide begins breaking down it introduces oxygen into the enamel of your teeth - thereby literally bleaching any staining element present. Only natural or enamel can be whitened, veneers, crowns and fillings cannot be lightened. Many of these were generally available only to dentists, the Internet has brought these professional strength formulations to your door without a dentist's prices. Such products are: BriteWhite® Finally White® by IGIA: (I got it for $36.90 (29.95 + shipping/handling); it seems to bounce around from $36.90 to $39.95 to $59.95, If you find it for over $40.00 - NOT WORTH IT! But if you can catch it on sale, go for it! The prices go up and down. I tried it right after the Crest strips and obtained very white teeth with both systems combined and I didn't even have to use all the syringes nor use it for the suggested amount of time. The photo to the left is very misleading because the little syringes do NOT look like this. In the photo it looks like the professional syringes when in fact it looks more like some Cracker Jack toy syringes (like in the photo of the IGIA FinallyWhite PRO kit photo.. The IGIA Finally White Plus kit came with:
Their before and after photo on the website is a joke!! It looks like a lady with a very nice, white smile with a yellow filter over the teeth. I guarantee you my photos below are real and not some touched up computer generated graphic. Remember, I smoked for a very long time (but quit several years ago) and Kahlua coffee liqueur was my cocktail of choice in my twenties. This isn't the best photo, in fact the improvement is much better than what shows in the photo. I will get the new photos up soon as soon as I can locate them on my poor hard drive. The after pic on the right is NOT my natural bite -- I have my teeth apart so you can see them all since I have a slight overbite. I am getting my teeth fixed especially those vampire incisors - eek! My incisors are turned out and back so you can see the backside of the tooth a little from the front.
I did experience tissue sensitivity and tooth sensitivity as well and had to skip a few days and resume after the sensitivity went away, IT HURT! Update: 9/9/01: I checked
tonight and there was
a Pro version -- same as what I bought for
$46.90
but with an extra syringe, a robe, a magnifying mirror, an extra tray and a neutralizing mouth rinse!!
What the?? Actually, I saw the deal and well, I couldn't resist.
I admit
it, I bought it. I needed some more gel anyway -- who was I to pass up
the freebies?
Finally White®
PRO by IGIA: I received my kit with the promised lighted
magnifying mirror, the extra tray, the extra gel and mouth rinse plus
the official IGIA robe
It works though, I'd try it before spending
the big bucks on professional treatments if you don't have the cash to spend.
It
doesn't really taste too nasty and if you place the gel in the tray correctly
you shouldn't have over spilling of the gel on to the gum line.
Makes me salivate like Pavlov's dog though. Other Over The Counter Brands
Carbamide Peroxide Gels (trays needed): These products are inexpensive in comparison to laser whitening but are sufficient in whitening usually all levels of staining. The gel is placed within a custom tray and the carbamide peroxide is placed all around the teeth. Just as with the over the counter brands the carbamide peroxide begins breaking down it introduces oxygen into the enamel of your teeth -- thereby literally bleaching any staining element present. Only natural enamel can be whitened, veneers, crowns and fillings cannot be lightened. Such products are:
Laser Tooth Whitening Systems
How long does whitening last? Well, that depends upon you and your habits. It also depends upon which option you chose. Typically carbamide peroxide gels can last anywhere from 6 - 12 months whereas professional laser whitening can last up to a year and a half. Porcelain (or Composite) Veneers Porcelain (or Composite) Veneers are approximately 0.3mm to 0.5mm in thickness but once bonded to your natural teeth become very strong and instantly change your smile from drab to fabulous. They require removal (usually .5mm/grinding down) of the surface of the natural tooth which is why this procedure is not reversible. Take this into consideration before choosing to undergo cosmetic porcelain (or composite) veneers. You may need anesthetic so request it if you find the grinding intolerable. Although .5mm does not normally necessitate a temporary cap to wear for a week until your veneer is delivered by the dental lab, you can request one if you have sensitive teeth or find that your teeth look "odd". When you return a week later for your veneer insertion you will not usually need any anesthetic -- although you may request it. After your fit is ascertained and your veneer verified for color-match, your teeth are cleaned, the pellicle removed and the veneer laminate is applied to your teeth with a light-activated binding agent. After your veneer is exposed to the white light, your veneer should be permanently adhered. Your veneers should last you many, many years as they are very strong. Just be sure to watch what you eat - opening things with your teeth or eating very chewy candies like cold caramels or toffee is not recommended. Porcelain Crowns
Your initial appointment requires tooth preparation which will involve and removal of decay and grinding down of the tooth. You will then have an impression made of your teeth. A temporary crown will also be made which will somewhat resemble your tooth. Your impression and requirements are sent to the lab where they will construct your porcelain crown. Within 2 weeks or more it is sent back to your dentist's office. When you return your dentist will remove your temporary crown and ascertain your permanent crown fits well. Any adjustments are made to either your teeth or the crown and your crown is then permanently cemented over your natural tooth. Your dentist will then have you bite down on what looks like thick carbon paper to check your bite. If proper contacts are made you will need no further tooth surface adjustment. If contacts are not being made correctly or your bite is uncomfortable your dentists will lightly drill or sand parts of your crown until the correct contacts are made. I have 2 crowns, one which is a porcelain-covered metal crown with a portion of the metal showing through on one corner and the other is a standard cosmetic porcelain-covered metal crown. The metal cornered crown was from a place I call "Western Teefus" which is a ghetto place that reminds me of a dental assembly line. It is really named Western Dental and anyone who has gone there knows what I mean. I kid you not it took me 6.5 hours for a root canal (and many shots later) because the dentist would work on me, then on someone else, then someone else, then yet another patients THEN on me again. This repeated aaaalllll day. That was just the root canal procedure -- I still had to go back for the post placement and then the fitting and final placement of the crown. Thankfully those didn't take too incredibly long. Anyway! I was told that the metal cornered one was the only type of crown there was because the fully porcelain-covered crowns would break if you chewed something hard. Well me not knowing any better, accepted that. When I went in for the fitting (after the post placement), he put my new crown on with petroleum to check the fit and told me to bite down, I did and the bite wasn't right. So he proceeded to drill it down a bit with the electric drill to fix the bite instead of ordering me a knew crown and it cracked! Do you know he had the absolute nerve to write in my file that my biting down cracked it!! Two years later I go to a REAL dentist (with real
exorbitant prices, joy.) and he tells me that the dentist at Western
Teefus lied to me about the metal cornered crown and preceded to show me his on
full porcelain-covered crown! He also pointed out the dark metal under the
porcelain showed through at my gum line, ugh! I knew that already, thanks for
noticing. He then further inspected my crown and said,
"they even have "WD" stamped in the metal!
Look!" Well I turned WHITE and grabbed the mirror to see for myself.
Well, he started laughing so hard! I finally realized he was kidding. That certainly
broke the ice for us. Cosmetic Dental Bonding You may wish to have your teeth whitened before your bonding to color-match the composite to a nicer, whiter shade. After your teeth have been bonded Your teeth must first be marred or abraded to create a surface which the composite can adhere to easily. After a thin coat of color-matched resin is applied, your dentists will cure (harden) it with a special light. You will have several layers applied as needed and then your new teeth will be sculpted into an aesthetically pleasing form. You can significantly build up several layers to sculpt an entirely different-looking tooth. Filling in gaps and enlarging teeth which are too-small is very effective with Cosmetic Dental Bonding. I have this in/on several teeth -- instead of keeping the silver fillings, I had them all removed and had them filled with composite -- more expensive but worth it!! I am thinking of having this done on a few cracks in my front, lower teeth rather than having veneers. The veneers will go on my uppers (canines) but the lowers I want to just straighten and fill in by bonding.
Cosmetic Gum
Surgery & Upper Lip Retraction Upper Lip
Retraction Average Prices of Cosmetic Dental Procedures
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Well that same
"high-priced" dentist gave me a 45 minute root canal (woo hoo!) and I
was gonna get a full porcelain covered crown! Which I did and it is
SO much better looking.