Case Presentation: Smile Makeover

What makes a beautiful smile? Is it the size of the teeth? The shape? Color? As this case demonstrates, the answer is all of the above! Careful details help us reconstruct a smile that is not only beautiful but appropriate for the patient's face shape, age and mouth size. The goal is to create natural appearing teeth while avoiding the "chiclet" look that can come from too little color or shape variation

For this patient, we used Emax lithium disilicate crowns to restore the cracked and decayed anterior teeth. Additionally, you can see where a bridge was used to replace the patient's missing canine on the photo right. As you study these pictures, take note of the subtle color gradient from the edges of the teeth to the gum line. This gradual darkening mimics natural teeth and creates a very convincing profile. Overall, we could not be happier with the results!

If you would like to know more about cosmetic dentistry, crowns, veneers or dental implants, please give our office a call. We are always excited to restore the natural beauty and luster to deserving smiles!

Complete Smile Makeover!

What makes a perfect smile "pop?"

Today's patient came to our office wanting a smile that exuded natural beauty. Their existing teeth had a general "flat" appearance with uneven wear on the edges. Younger/cosmetically desirable teeth tend to have more variance in shape between adjacent teeth and more symmetry across the midline. Each tooth has unique anatomic features, and a great smile captures these subtle differences!

To create this transformation, Dr. Kari Ann Hong prepared the patient's anterior teeth (from canine to canine) for dental crowns. Impressions were taken and sent to Opus One Dental Lab where six crowns were fashioned from Emax lithium disilicate material. Emax allows us to make hyper-realistic crowns that capture the translucency and shading of natural enamel while remaining resistant to fracture. The result is absolutely stunning! If you would like to know more about dental crowns, smile esthetics or cosmetic dentistry, please give our office a call!

Perfecting Incisors using Emax Crowns

One of the most common dental anomalies is underdeveloped lateral incisors. Often referred to as peg laterals, this condition typically presents as two lateral incisors that look smaller and mismatched when compared to the central incisors. For today's patient, Dr. Kari Ann Hong chose to correct the cosmetics of this smile using two beautiful Emax lithium disilicate crowns.

Since the incisors were already undersized, only a minimal amount of tooth structure had to be removed in fitting the crown. By working with Opus One Dental Lab a near perfect match was made to the natural central incisors. Notice the delicate translucency near the edges of the teeth and harmonious shape. We even captured the pronounced developmental grooves (called mamelons) on the central incisors. The result is a beautiful smile that looks more natural than the "before" shot!

If you would like to know more about the cosmetic services we offer at Thousand Oaks Family Dentistry and what we can do for your smile, please give our office a call!

Case Presentation: Midline Correction Update!

Here's a final update to our patient who received four Emax crowns to correct their crooked anterior midline. As you can see, the new crowns create a natural and straight smile with extremely esthetic results. In addition to centering and paralleling the patient's midline, the new restorations give the teeth a more rounded and youthful profile. Additionally, we were able to match the shapes of the two lateral incisors, creating a more harmonious appearance all together. 

A case like this highlights the importance of symmetry in cosmetic dentistry. In comparison to the before pictures, our patient's new smile is centered, with the left and right side incisors appearing as mirror images of each other. The result is a smile that exudes "natural beauty." If you would like to know more about the ways we use cosmetic dentistry to improve our patients' smiles, please give our office a call!

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Different Types of Dental Crowns

As technology progresses, the field of dentistry gains new materials, techniques and services. However, we rarely stumble upon a magic "one size fits all" approach. This is particularly true of the advancements in dental crowns. There are nearly hundreds of different crown materials and manufacturers, each with their own specific use. In this article, we will discuss four general types of dental crowns and why we use them. Enjoy!

Porcelain fused to metal- These crowns combine the esthetic properties of porcelain with the adaptability of metal. A metal framework is cast to a stone model of the prepared tooth. Afterwords, layers of porcelain are baked on, creating the look of a natural enamel. These crowns are typically used in the back of the mouth, as they are durable and resist wear to the opposing teeth. However, the metal substructure can make these crowns too opaque to be used in cosmetic applications.  

Gold- Gold crowns are less frequently used in modern dentistry due to the availability of newer, more esthetic materials. However, gold is one of the most adaptable materials available, allowing for a near seamless junction between tooth and crown. It also requires the least amount of tooth structure to be removed, but this becomes irrelevant in instances of severe decay, chips and fractures. 

Lithium Disilicate "Emax": Emax is an extremely durable and esthetic material. It can be used in nearly all areas of the mouth, although we tend to use it in cosmetic areas. Since these crowns are made from a single type of material, they transmit light very well and perfectly match natural enamel. Emax can even be stained or painted to match imperfections in the surrounding teeth!

Zirconia "BruxZir": Like Emax, BruxZir crowns are made from a single type of material (engineered zirconia). However, they trade cosmetic advantages for extreme fracture resistance and durability. BruxZir crowns are best used in patients with strong jaws or grinding problems, where other materials will not last. In fact, these crowns are hard enough to wear enamel, meaning that they need to be used judiciously and only when necessary. 

An important note is that Thousand Oaks Family Dentistry charges the same crown fee regardless of material used. We want our patients to know that we are focused on the best long term outcomes for their dental care- be it from the newest technology or tried and true methods!

Case Presentation: Veneer Transoformation

This case is a great example of the amazing transformations that can be achieved using dental bridges! Today's patient came to us with significant decay on their upper anterior teeth and periodontal disease on their lowers. A thorough examination revealed that the teeth weren't savable and unfortunately needed to be extracted.

While the patient healed, our lab designed upper and lower bridges to replace the missing teeth. In this instance, bridges allowed us to provide permanently fixed and natural appearing restorations. There are no removable parts (as with dentures) and there was no need for surgery (as with implants). Overall, this solution created dramatic and life-changing improvement for this patient's smile!

Dental Questions: What are my options in improving the esthetics of a single tooth?

This new tooth was restored using only bonding and disking. What a change!

Teeth can become cosmetically damaged through a number of different means; from chipping to fractures, staining, decay or even as a result of problems in development. Likewise, our office offers a variety of ways to restore your teeth and make them appear natural in your mouth once again.

As with any procedure, we start the process by making sure the tooth in question is sill alive and healthy. There is no sense in restoring a tooth with serious underlying problems. Secondly, we assess the extent of the damage. For minor chips and blemishes, a combination of bonding and “disking” may be the perfect fix. This process is virtually drill-less and conserves as much tooth structure as possible. You may be surprised to see what we can achieve without a crown or veneer!

For teeth with larger blemishes, or those missing a substantial amount of structure, we will often elect to utilize a crown or veneer. Cosmetic veneers are usually placed on anterior (front) teeth to modify their appearance. Since they are cemented to only one surface, they do not add any additional structural integrity. In other words, the underlying tooth must be in good condition to receive a veneer. In contrast, crowns can be used to improve the cosmetics of a tooth that has lost a significant amount of structure.  Since crowns wrap around the tooth, they can restore shape in every dimension while adding strength and rigidity to the underlying enamel and dentin.

In any instance, the result of your treatment will be a beautiful and natural looking tooth. We pride ourselves in offering high quality cosmetic solutions, no matter what the problem. If you would like to know more about bonding, veneers or crowns, please give us a call!

Dental Questions: What do I do if I lose a temporary crown

Temporary crowns are not as developed or strong as permanent crowns because they are only intended to function for about two weeks. 

Fortunately, losing a temporary crown is not a dental emergency. We primarily use them as space holders until the permanent restorations are ready. Even in the span of 2 weeks, the adjacent teeth can start to shift into the area created during the crown preparation. A temporary crown maintains space for the permanent crown, along with providing some chewing function and protection for the underlying tooth. If you lose a temporary crown, call our office and we will see you as soon as possible (typically the same afternoon/ following day). Remaking or recementing a temporary crown only takes about 20 minutes and usually does not require any anesthetic. Do not try to recement the crown on your own using drug store temporary dental cements. These products come with a number of risks, including permanently lodging the crown to the tooth or irritating the gums and periodontal space. Your teeth will not move significantly in the one to two days between losing your crown and having it replaced at our office. 

The Bottle Opener Implant

Warning: the above video includes footage from a dental surgery. Please be advised. 

Here is a service we WON'T be offering at our office! Salta, an Argentinean beer company, decided to support their local rugby clubs in a unique way. Players who lost teeth due to gameplay injuries were sponsored to receive dental implants. However, these were no normal implants. As you can see in the video above, the players' new teeth incorporated working bottle openers- a truly wild idea! While the procedure is "questionable" at best, it does underline the importance of mouth guards and dental safety in contact sports. Implant or not, we never recommend trying to open a bottle (or anything else) with your teeth! 

Anterior Veneer Case

Take a look at one of our recent smile transformations! This patient came to our office with concerns about the esthetics of their anterior incisors. Wear to the incisal edges (biting surfaces) had created a "flat and sharp" appearance that takes away from the naturally contoured look teeth typically have. By using zirconia veneers, our office restored dimension and shape to the incisal edges and facial profiles of the lateral and central incisors. This allowed us to give the teeth a more youthful look and create a universally lighter shade. If you would like to know more about this process or other esthetic services we offer, please contact our office!