Dentalnews (en)

A beautiful smile is not just a matter of luck, using “Smile” geometry can help
you get it!

If a face looks appealing to you, this has a lot to do with the person’s smile and the shape of their teeth.

Sadly, dentures are not always produced with these factors in mind, so that dental crowns often have an unnatural look to them. This video shows what goes towards making a smile attractive.

Of course a good denture costs more, and takes longer to make. Moreover, a dentist cannot simply communicate a color choice to a dental technician …

Does it matter what type of braces I use to fix my teeth?

Yes, because each type has its own pros and cons.

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Removable braces only work when a child is still growing, when it’s still very young.

Aligners do practically nothing to fix teeth which are twisted out of position, especially cuspids.

The lingual technique cannot be used in many cases.
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So which treatment is right for you?

Your orthodontist (a dentist who specializes in braces) can tell you. A „real“ orthodontist is one who has done at least for years of special training and now concentrates on doing „braces“, he or she even gets somebody else to pull teeth.

Although dentist are legally allowed to provide orthodontic treatment, this type of treatment usually lasts a long time (over 2 years) and may cause damage to the teeth or periodont.
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Ask your orthodontist what type of training he or she has done!

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More on the topic of “invisible” braces here!

Lumineers and veneers are ceramic caps which are glued to the outside of the teeth for aesthetic purposes.

Veneers are somewhat thicker than lumineers.

Due to advances in materials, it is now possible to produce super-thin, shatter-proof ceramic caps. Veneers kept getting thinner and thinner, until professionals began to call them lumineers, as the ceramic cups were almost „transparent“.
The problem is that ads for these thin lumineers claim that no drilling is necessary.

This is wrong, as whether it is necessary to drill or not depends not on how thick a ceramic cap is, but on the placement of the teeth.
We would like to illustrate this in the picture on the left. The top picture shows a tooth sector. The first incisor on the left is slightly twisted, so that one corner is outside of the sector and the other corner is inside. In the picture below you can see the area, highlighted in red, where the tooth needs to be sanded down slightly so that the lumineer (in blue) can be applied to get a beautiful smile.
The second tooth on the right is deep inside the tooth sector, and there is no need to drill here, all that is needed is a „thicker“ ceramic cap (in green) – also known as a veneer.

Whether it is necessary to drill depends on the placement of your teeth, their coloring, and what exactly you hope to accomplish!

Click here to watch a video on this procedure!

Plastic fillings – are they worth the cost?

White fillings are in ever greater demand – but they are not always a good idea! People are sick of silvery mercury fillings (amalgamate), people want to look good, and this includes having a perfect set of teeth. Many people are now getting their amalgamate fillings replaced by plastic fillings – called composite fillings.

Composite fillings do not work that well in side teeth, a fact which many people do not know! Even manufacturers warn that these fillings should only be used to correct surface defects, since teeth do not react well to them. The tooth nerve often dies when this type of filling is used, leading to a root canal treatment.

Patients who get their amalgamate fillings replaced by plastic are in for a bumpy ride. The fillings consist of tiny building blocks called monomers. As soon as a dentist shines a lamp on the filling, these little monomers start to connect – like Lego blocks, a process called polymerisation, which results in polymers – larger building blocks. But these plastic structures are not stable enough to hold up under chewing, so little „Lego blocks“ – monomers – start to separate. These free-floating monomers are very toxic, they invade the tooth nerve, and the nerve dies.

You do not feel the pain right away, it may take years for the   „dead“ tooth to start making trouble, so patients do not always attribute this problem to the plastic filling. Some patients experience problems immediately after the plastic is inserted, such as problems when chewing, pressure, excessive sensitivity to heat or cold.

While some dentists specialize in this type of filling and use a coffer dam, special covers and layering methods to prevent complications, but plastic fillings still end up costing about as much as a ceramic inlay. But ceramic inlays are much better for your teeth than composite fillings – assuming the inlay is inserted correctly.

White teeth may be more trouble than they are worth!

Think about what you’re doing. If you invest in your teeth, then be sure to use goods materials – gold, titanium or ceramics! Or develop a better brushing technique, because if you have poor brushing habits then you will need fillings someday.”

Does cleaning matter before bleaching?

Usually, yes!

When bleaching, the gums should not be inflamed, since inflamed gums bleed easily!
Blood may react with bleaching gel, moreover the gel is diluted and starts flowing uncontrollably around the mouth.

If you have a plaque problem on the insides of your teeth, or if you are a heavy smoker you should have your teeth cleaned before you undergo bleaching!

You should also go to a dentist if your gums are dark red instead of pale pink and the papilla are swollen – you may have parodontitis!

Check whether your gums are inflamed or healthy:
If your gums are pale pink and dimpled like an orange then your gums are healthy, and if you have very little or no plaque on the insides of your lower teeth, then you can have bleaching done right away.

How much does it cost to get bleaching done by a dentist?

Professional tooth whitening (bleaching) by a dentist costs between 200€ to 900€ in Central Europe.

Tea, coffee, red wine, tobacco, cola and natural ageing makes teeth darker or spotty. Bleaching can make your natural teeth whiter without complications.

Does bleaching damage the enamel or the teeth?

Professional whitening is performed using active oxygen, which decolorizes the pigments found in the teeth. None of the enamel is removed, ground away or dissolved.

A glass of freshly squeezed orange juice is more liable to damage the enamel than professional bleaching.
Bleaching compared – before and after. If you brush your teeth after eating sour food or fruits, this may rub off some of the enamel, as certain foods can soften up the enamel.

After eating, you should always wait at least half an hour before brushing your teeth – then you’ll always have something to smile about!