Archive for the ‘Cosmetic’ Category

Can my crooked front teeth be straightened ?

Tuesday, 19th March , 2013

   

This lady from Harrow wanted to improve the appearance of her crooked teeth by having them straightened quickly and effectively.  She had braces when she was young, but as time went on, her teeth started to shift causing her front teeth to become crooked.  She did not want to have fixed braces again or to be treated by a specialist. She preferred the convenience and speed of the Inman Aligner appliance.

The Inman Aligner is a removable brace which applies gentle pressure to the front teeth that need to be moved.  This gentle process is provided by the spring action of the appliance.

 

Within nine weeks, the teeth were gently guided to an ideal position that the patient was happy with.  To maintain the teeth in place, a permanent bonded retainer was glued to the inside surface of the upper teeth.

  

The patient was delighted with the results.  It allowed her to achieve great results using just one appliance, in a short space of time.

Changing old fillings

Friday, 22nd February , 2013

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This lady had decay under an old silver filling,  causing the edge to appear very grey in colour.  The decay was so extensive,  that it had extended towards the middle of the tooth.  Before removing the silver filling and surrounding decay, the tooth and mouth was protected by placing a green rubber dam around it.  Once the tooth was free from decay, it was filled with the latest  tooth coloured (composite)  filling material. The material that we used was chosen because it has high aesthetic results through excellent colour adaptation and polishability.

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The patient was delighted with the result.  The greyness around the edge had gone and there was no more unsightly black filling.

I want to change the colour of my teeth

Monday, 14th January , 2013

This patient wanted to improve his smile by changing his discoloured teeth to a brighter natural white.  To achieve this result, the teeth were bleached using the home whitening system. This is  a highly effective way of lightening the natural colour of the teeth without removing any of the ttoth surface.

The treatment took approximately 2 weeks, leaving the patient delighted with the end result.

 

 

 

 

Composite Bonding to change a funny shaped tooth

Friday, 11th January , 2013

 

This young lady did not like the shape and appearance of her peg  tooth, as it was very visible when she smiled .  She  was going away and wanted something done as quickly as possible.

We decided to do some composite bonding, as this was the quickest and least destructive option to achieve the desired effect.

A tooth coloured composite material was used to change  the shape and appearance of her tooth and the colour was matched to make her new tooth look as natural as possible. She is now able to smile with confidence.

 

The patient was very happy with her new tooth.

 

 

X-Factor Winner James Arthur’s Teeth

Wednesday, 12th December , 2012

X factor winner James Arthur's teeth

As the X-Factor competition comes to a close once more the interest in each of the contestants rises, and with that comes the pressure for them to look like a superstar.

And this year James Arthur is no different!

When Cheryl Cole one the talent show a few years ago when she joined girls aloud she also had dentistry to enhance her smile, and many people are aware that Tulisa, one of the judges on X factor also had cosmetic dentistry.

Of course it is down to James Arthur’s dentist to decide exactly what type of treatment is suitable for him, and it is not for us to make that decision however we can make some suggestions based on the photographs.

The purpose of doing this is so that you can see the similarities between your own situation and James’ situation so that you can decide which type of treatment might be right for you.

Overlapping teeth.

As you can see James is teeth overlap quite considerably, especially the front tooth (known as the central) to the left of the photograph. This has the effect of making the next tooth along (known as the lateral) to look darker. This effect is simply caused by the shadowing of the rotated central. When this happens it is sometimes possible to use orthodontics to straighten the teeth out, and the systems commonly used are as follows.

Clear step.

These are almost invisible braces and are typically worn for around 12 months. Every two weeks or so you will wear a new clear aligner to align your teeth to the new position. You will be prescribed a series of aligners, each of which move your teeth a small amount towards their final position. From what we know this was the type of brace that Cheryl Cole had to move her teeth.

Inman aligner.

The Inman aligner is a new form of rapid orthodontics. The appliance is removable and works on the principle of pushing and pulling your teeth at the same time in the direction required. Sometimes the final result can be achieved in around 12 weeks, which is much faster than any of the other orthodontic systems around.

More information on the Inman aligner

Six month smiles.

This is one of the most modern systems and involves the use of fixed ceramic brackets. Because Six Month Smiles is a fixed orthodontic the results can often be achieved faster than with removable orthodontics, typically within six months. This type of orthodontic brace has also been worn by many celebrities including Tom Cruise and Faith Hill.

More information on six month smiles

Instant veneers.

Moving crooked teeth to the new position is generally the preferred option as you maintain your natural teeth. In some instances this may not be possible, or indeed the client may require a more rapid alternative. If you look at James Arthurs lateral on the left-hand side of the photograph (his right hand side) this tooth is set back. It might be possible in this instance to add some instant veneer bonding material to the lateral to to build it out somewhat.

The disadvantage with this technique is that there will always be this bonding material on the outside of your tooth, this does have a tendency overtime to discolour so regular appointments at the dentist will be required to ensure the tooth stays nice and white.

Ceramic dental veneers.

These are used in exactly the same way as instant veneers, however the results are not as instant (typically taking three weeks) however the advantage is that ceramic veneers will not stain the same way that instant veneers may. The this advantage with ceramic veneers is the slight possibility that they could chip, so you need to be aware if you are wearing veneers that chipping is a possibility – although highly unlikely with modern materials.

More information on ceramic dental veneers.

As James Arthur increases in popularity and his photographs are used more around the Internet it will be interesting to see which type of treatment he opts for. Which ever treatment James decides is best Blue Court Dental Centre in Harrow, Middlesex sincerely wish him all the very best with his new smile and new career.

“I wish I’d changed my smile earlier “

Monday, 5th November , 2012

  

This lady has had dentistry in the past but was unhappy with the appearance of her smile.  She disliked the colour of her front teeth, none of them matched and wanted to improve the appearance by changing the shape and colour of them to give her a more natural looking smile.  To achieve this result, the teeth were first whitened and then the front four teeth were prepared for emax all porcelain crowns.  The new natural looking crowns were made to match her whiter teeth and the shape was changed to give her the smile she wanted.

 

The patient was delighted with her new improved smile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who wants a B1 Tooth Shade?

Saturday, 22nd September , 2012

We’ve seen many patients asking for the lightest teeth possible when they come to our practice in Harrow for teeth whitening, so we thought we write a blog post explaining more about the tooth shading system that we use, and how light is a B1  shade compared to an A3?

Many teeth whitening products on the market suggest that they can lighten teeth by 20 or 30 shades, however it all depends how you wish to grade those shades and how close together one decides to make them. Many times, all these companies do is add extra shades as half shades thereby increasing the number of shades they can lighten your teeth!

B1 tooth shade

Comparing a B1 tooth shade to a standard A3.5 colour

The professional way to monitor teeth whitening and how light your teeth are is by using an industry standard guide, rather than by making one up.

The normal tooth  shade  guide has four main categories – A, B, C, D. These range from yellowish, reddish tooth shades, through to greyer teeth.

Then within these categories there are up to 4 lightness shades – 1, 2, 3 & 4 with number 1 being the lightest.

There are a few variances of this, however to keep things simple this is the basic principle of how we measure tooth colour.

The average shade for a tooth is A3, this is considered a normal colour and around 70% of the population have natural teeth which are within this range.

A B1 shade is considerably lighter than A3 and is generally considered the lightest naturally occurring shade. However, with the advent of tooth whitening patient driven shades are now getting considerably lighter than this, and are often called Hollywood white shades. About 10 years ago if you asked the dentist to whiten your teeth to a B1 shade then this would have been considered very bright, however with more and more celebrities having their teeth whitening or even having veneers to an ultra-white colour this has driven popular public conception to consider that B1 is no longer white enough.

 

Our Harrow-based cosmetic dental practice is happy to discuss with you your current tooth colour shade and how light your teeth could possibly go with teeth whitening. We can look at a B1 shade compared to your current shade to see if this is too light for your skin tone and overall complexion. The practice in Harrow is easy to find and there is normally plenty of parking on the street outside.

“I have a wedding to go to and I can’t smile “

Thursday, 20th September , 2012

 

This lady was soon to attend a close family wedding but she was unhappy and embarassed about her smile. She didn’t like her heavily discoloured, grey teeth and wanted to make then whiter so that she could smile in the photos.

We decided to use the teeth whitening system to give her the dazzling smile that she desired. We managed to change her teeth from a grey C2 shade to a shade near to B1. She was absolutely delighted with the immediate and instant result that we achieved.

 

To improve the smile further,  the patient has decides to undergo further cosmetic treatment.

Harrow dentist introduces free information pack for dental veneers

Monday, 3rd September , 2012

Are you concerned about the look of your teeth?

Have you considered dental veneers in the past?

Are you looking for more information on dental veneers?

More and more people in the Harrow area have had dental veneers, and are now smiling with confidence. These veneers are a modern way to have whiter or straighter teeth, or to disguise chipped or broken down teeth.

What are dental veneers?

Dental veneers are  thin shells  of specially made dental ceramic made by a skilled dental technician to a precise prescription written by the dentist. These thin shells fit precisely over your existing teeth, with the outer layer of the dental veneers being the perfect colour and shape. The dental veneer is then the part that other people see and will look exactly like natural, brighter and whiter straight teeth.

How our dental veneers made?

Your dentist will decide on the number of dental veneers that I write to help you achieve the smile that you desire. It is generally considered best practice to opt for the minimum number of veneers, in order to achieve your ideal smile. The dentist then takes a mould of your teeth, which is sent to a dental laboratory. This dental laboratory then pour some high strength dental plaster into this mould to create an exact replica of your current teeth.

The dental technician will then craft your new dental veneers over the top of this mould to the exact prescription of the dentist, taking into account the final position, colour and shape that you would like your new dental veneers to be.

How long do dental veneers last?

This is a very difficult question to answer. The most common reason that dental veneers are replaced is either due to the patient getting older (which unfortunately we all do) or the veneer chipping.

Replacing dental veneers due to age.

When a dental veneer is made for the first time, it will fit precisely the gum margin. However, as we age this gum margin moves and the tooth appears to get longer, hence the expression longer in the tooth. If the dental veneer is a different colour from the underlying two, this margin, or junction, will now be exposed. In order to disguise this a new dental veneer can be made which extends down to the new gum margin of the older patient.

Replacing dental veneers due to chipping.

If the veneers are carefully looked after, they should last for many many years. The most common reason that veneers chip is if they are hit with a glass or mug whilst the patient is drinking. The only way to prevent dental veneers chipping in this way, is to be more careful! And remember that natural teeth can chip this same way to.

What to do if you want dental veneers.

If you are unhappy about your smile, then the best thing to do  is to either request a cosmetic consultation at our Harrow-based dental practice or download our free guide to a confident, whiter and straighter smile with dental veneers. This free information pack for dental veneers has been specially written to include all of the options for cosmetic dentistry, and will give you an insight into whether veneers are right for of cosmetic dental option for you.

How does this Harrow dentist do gum contouring?

Wednesday, 22nd August , 2012

If you have a gummy smile or teeth that appeared different lengths, then often some form of gum contouring can be useful.

But how do we know what length of tooth is correct?

Whenever an artist does a painting he needs to conform to what is known as the Golden proportion, this is a proportion or ratio of length to width. Artists use this all the time to ensure that their paintings look aesthetically pleasing to the human eye. A dentist is able to use this same principle to decide on whether your teeth are the correct proportion or not.

generally speaking, looking along the gum margin of each to the front to teeth should be the same, and these to teeth should match the same gum margin as your eye teeth (canines). If you’re gum line or margin does not match this then some gum re-contouring would help to restore the golden proportion of length two width ratio of each tooth, plus balance the eye when looking at your gum line.

Think of your gums as a frame for your teeth, this frame needs to be perfectly balanced in order to set off and display in a pleasing way the picture, or to, within.

the gum re-contouring technique we use in our Harrow dental practice is always done with a local anaesthetic, so is painless and quick. There may be some mild discomfort afterwards, although your mouth and guns will always feel very quickly due to the high quality blood supply.

Patients report that after gum recontouring that they feel more confident when out and about in the local Harrow area.

If you are at all concerned about the length or height of your gum line and wish to discuss this with our dentist, then please call our practice for a brief discussion. We can then undertake a detailed clinical examination of your gums and teeth and let you know if any gum recontouring technique would help the athletics of your smile.