Category: Cosmetic
Blog post and articles about cosmetic dentistry by Dr Nishan Dixit
Practice Update
Have your teeth become crooked again after having braces when you were younger?
One of the most common reasons for patients visiting the dentist for teeth straightening is relapse after having orthodontics when they were younger. Patients often find that once they stop wearing their retainers that their teeth can begin to move back to where they were before. Coupled with the fact that as we get older our teeth have a tendency to drift forwards and become more overcrowded.So if you find that your teeth are becoming more crooked again, after having orthodontics as a child, then you are not alone.
So what is the solution?
The European Society of Aesthetic Orthodontics (ESAO) recognises the need for a variety of orthodontic treatments of this nature and ensures that its members provide a qualified, informed choice for patients when considering this type of treatment, Dr Nishan Dixit is pleased to be a member of the ESAO and can offer you a wide range of orthodontic options from his dental practice in Harrow.
Teeth-straightening can be a relatively simple, speedy and painless option if you have crooked teeth, so let’s look at what those options are:
Rapid Tooth Straightening
Within this category of orthodontics fall 3 particular treatments:
- Six Month Smiles
- Inman Aligner
- CFast
Six Month Smiles
As the name suggests Six Month Smiles offers orthodontics which take, on average, six months to achieve the new look. The system is fixed using tooth coloured wires and brackets to ensure that no one else knows that you have braces fitted. As with most of these aesthetic orthodontic options Six Month Smiles is only used to straighten the front six teeth, often known as the social six.Inman Aligner
This is a removable appliance, which utilises a revolutionary spring design which both pushes and pulls at the same time depending on where we want teeth to move. The brace can only move your front six teeth by gently de-rotating them and then realigning them. Unlike six month smiles you can take out an Inman Aligner, you need to resist this temptation as much as possible and ensure that you wear your aligner for around 20 hours per day, simply removing it to eat, drink and clean your teeth.
One of the big advantages with the Inman Aligner is due to the revolutionary technology in the springs which enable it to move your teeth very quickly, often in around 12 weeks. If you have a short period of time to have your teeth straightened then the Inman Aligner could be your ideal option.
Cfast
This technique is similar to 6 month smiles in that it utilises fixed orthodontics to move your teeth into their new positions. The system also utilises almost invisible orthodontics with clear braces in some instances. This makes Cfast one of the most versatile orthodontic systems around meaning you get the best teeth, straightening result with the minimum amount of hassle.
Almost Invisible Tooth Straightening
Clear Aligners
Clear Aligners are exactly that, completely clear. They work by moving your teeth a small amount at a time. You will be provided with a series of aligners which you will typically wear for about two weeks each. Each aligner puts a small amount of pressure on your teeth to move them or rotate them to their new position. Once your teeth have moved a tiny amount you will replace the aligner with the next one in the series.The art with using clear aligners is for your dentist to choose exactly the right amount aligners for your particular case to ensure that your teeth move gently into their new positions.
Many people like clear aligners as they are virtually invisible to the naked eye, this means that if you have a high profile job or are in the public eye you can have straighter teeth with no one else knowing!
In Summary
Adult Orthodontics are one of the most popular cosmetic treatments requested by patients in many dental practices around the UK, and certainly, this is the case at our practice in Harrow, Middlesex. By offering you a range of treatments and being members of the ESAO you can be sure that you are offered something which fits not only your budget but your exact dental requirements.
We strongly recommend that you keep an open mind with regards to treatment, the descriptions listed above are relatively simple and there are additional requirements for each of them to be used. It may be that your dental situation is more suited to one system than another. So going to your dentist with an open mind allows you to be free to choose the best option to you.
Blue Court Dental Centre offer a free consultation, with our treatment co-ordinator, for anyone wishing to find out more about aesthetic orthodontics for teeth that have moved after having braces as children. Simply complete the download here to request your appointment.
Dr Nishan Dixit is the founder and principal dentist of Blue Court Dental. Patients enjoy his relaxed, friendly and gentle approach while experiencing his meticulous attention to detail. He has a special interest in providing smile makeovers, natural-looking white fillings and cosmetic braces, but also provides a range of treatments from preventative and general dental care to complex dental rehabilitation.
Latest posts by Dr Nishan Dixit (see all)
- Dr Dixit is the new President of British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry - 28 May 2020
- Does Invisalign hurt? - 9 March 2020
- How Long Does Invisalign Take? - 27 February 2020
Teeth Whitening – An Honest Review
With more and more people looking for cosmetic dentistry, particularly teeth whitening in the Harrow area we thought we would write an article which outlines some of the problems faced by the general public when looking to have whiter teeth.
Driving down the cost of teeth whitening
Teeth whitening is often viewed as a quick fix and many people are looking for the cheapest option. This has driven many patients to the idea of whitening their teeth at home – just doing a search for teeth whiteners on Amazon brings up a whole host of options including home whitening kits, elastic gel whitening strips, advanced teeth whitening programs, toothpastes, laser lights and whitening pens.
Amazingly some of these products start from as low as 30p for the plasma whitening light and £3.17 for the whitening pens so it is easy to understand why the temptation is there. Here’s more detailed information on that search on Amazon.
Also reported in the Harrow Times a couple of years ago was a trading standards report which carried out tests on some DIY whitening products and found some of them contained 7.3% hydrogen peroxide which is way over 0.1% legal limit.
We’re aren’t suggesting that any of these products shown here contain these unacceptable levels of hydrogen peroxide, but it’s worth noting that when you purchase things on the Internet you don’t always know exactly what you’re getting as everything is unregulated.
Going to a Beauty Salon for Teeth Whitening
Whilst whitening clearly falls within the realms of helping one’s self look and feel better it is worth noting that the General Dental Council (GDC) say:
“We believe that teeth whitening is part of the practice of dentistry and dentistry must only been carried out by the professionals that are registered with us…”
This means that if you have your teeth whitened by anyone other than a dental professional it could be considered illegal and prosecution could follow. The process of whitening teeth uses hydrogen peroxide to bleach them, whilst this is in a very low concentration it needs to be carefully controlled around your delicate gum area. The way this is controlled is by manufacturing a highly customised and bespoke ‘tray’ which fits over your own teeth, this tray is designed in such a way to prevent leaking of the bleaching gel into the gum area.
The manufacture of these trays is something which needs to be undertaken by professional that knows exactly how to design them to prevent damage to your delicate gum.
Teeth whitening is also not suitable for everyone, you need to have good oral hygiene and be free of certain dental diseases. Only a trained dental professional will be able to tell if your oral health care routine is good enough to have whitening, we have even seen cases where patients have had teeth whitening by non-dental professionals and that patient’s teeth was covered in plaque. The results of this was that it wasn’t the teeth which were whitened, but the plaque, and this will pick up staying again very quickly.
A dental professional would recognise this problem early on and recommend a course of oral hygiene education/treatment before the teeth whitening is carried out.
In rare circumstances we have also seen teeth whitening performed by non-dental professionals to cause burning of the gums. This can happen if the customised whitening tray does not fit well enough, once again it takes a fully trained dental professional to recognise this problem at an early stage.
The problem of non-dental professionals undertaking teeth whitening has become so great that a new organisation has come into formation.
The teeth whitening information group (TWIG) is a group of dental professionals and manufacturers who are concerned about the problem of harmful, illegal products and unqualified people carrying out teeth whitening. They offer a useful information leaflet and a facility to report any illegal teeth whitening happening around Harrow area and beyond.
If you notice any non-dental professional offering teeth whitening please do contact TWIG
So, what do you do if you want safe teeth whitening?
The only way to know for sure that you will be safe during teeth whitening is to visit a dentist. This dental professional will have a detailed understanding of your oral health and be able to advise if teeth whitening is suitable for you. Unfortunately it’s not always that simple this article in the mail online talks about how one patient spent £600 on teeth whitening and saw no result at all, and that was with a dentist. Results can vary and can never be 100% guaranteed so we recommend asking any dentist that you go to see for before and after photographs of happy patients.
You also need to feel that you can trust your dentist, so ask them about the risks, discuss with them the possibility that the whitening may not work and what would happen then. Being open and honest with your dentist before any treatment is the best way to ensure that you get the excellent teeth whitening result that you will be looking for.
Summary
Having said all of that teeth whitening remains one of the easiest ways to look and feel more confident with your smile. It is generally available to anyone with a healthy dentition and with all of their own teeth (if you have crowns, veneers or white fillings then these will not whiten so you will need to discuss with your dentist the possibility of having them replaced after your natural teeth have been bleached).
When carried out by dental professional it is also one of the most predictable and safe techniques available in modern dentistry, you will find that many dentists have had their own teeth whitening in their own practice, and that says a lot in itself about how good the procedure can be when carried out by a dental professional…
Can my crooked front teeth be straightened ?
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
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.
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
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
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
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 Braces.
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 “
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.