Archives for August 2021

Will Tooth Mousse Get Rid of My White Spots?

Posted on August 30, 2021 by writeradmin.

I have some white spot lesions. My dentist provided me with some tooth mousse. When it is done, we’ll start teeth whitening. What type of results should I expect from this?

Casey

Dear Casey,

Your dentist is way off here. Tooth Mousse can help some by remineralizing your teeth, but the company that made it has never suggested it be used on its own. There is normally some microabrasion that needs to be used with it.

His suggestion of teeth whitening is even worse. Any type of teeth whitening will whiten your teeth evenly. That means that you will still have the white spots. In fact, they will be even more noticeable.

Your best option to get rid of these spots is to have dental bonding done on the affected teeth. However, this will require an expert cosmetic dentist and I don’t feel your current dentist is up to the task. I am going to suggest that you look for an AACD accredited dentist to advise you on this. They will get a good look at your teeth and give you the best course of action.

The good news is, because they are in the top 3% of cosmetic dentists worldwide, you will get a beautiful result. My recommendation would be to go that route. Have your teeth thoroughly examined by the right dentist. Then let him or her suggest the best course of action for it. You will love the results.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Micahel Weiss.

Daughter’s Dental Bonding Is Yellow

Posted on August 29, 2021 by writeradmin.

I took my twelve year old daughter to the dentist in order to deal with some discoloration on her two front teeth. We’d decided on dental bonding. When the dentist put it on, it was yellow. I thought that was like a step one, but she declared it done. I told her we really can’t accept my daughter having two yellow front teeth. The dentist did it again. Still yellow. Now she is talking about a porcelain veneer. I thought she’d be too young for this. What do we do? She can’t go around with two yellow front teeth.

Miranda

Dear Miranda,

When done right, dental bonding should seamlessly blend in with the rest of your natural teeth. Your dentist is obviously unqualified to do this procedure. These types of cosmetic procedures are not really adequately covered in dental school In order to do them properly, your dentist would have to take significant post-doctoral training. Dental bonding especially is hard because it has to be done freehand along with understanding color theory.

The first thing I would do is ask your dentist for a refund. Even if your daughter were not too young, I doubt this dentist could do porcelain veneers either. What you will need, is an expert cosmetic dentist. The best are accredited with the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD). This is different than just being a member. AACD accredited dentists had to pass stringent exams as well as demonstrate their artistry in a large number of cases to a board of examiners. Those who pass accreditation are in the top 3% of cosmetic dentists in the world.

Schedule an appointment with one of them and he or she will be able to get your daughter’s smile shining beautifully.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.

Gap After Congenitally Missing Tooth

Posted on August 9, 2021 by writeradmin.

My daughter is about to graduate high school. Since childhood, she has only one adult of the teeth next to the front one. I think it is called incisor. Our family dentist told us that once it fell out, her other teeth would shift into that space. It sort of did, but not as much as we were expecting. Now there is a gap there. She just doesn’t like to smile and isn’t even interested in getting senior pictures. I mentioned it to my dentist and he said we could just fill in the gap. I’m hesitant to do that because I’m worried it will make the teeth on one side look bigger than the others. Is there a better way to do this?

Petra

Dear Petra,

I am very glad you wrote. It appears this dentist has given you bad advice on two fronts. First, the original advice was not only bad esthetically but for the health of her bite in the long term. Let’s start with esthetics first. The tooth next to her lateral incisor is her canine tooth. It is thick and pointy. The Incisor is thin with a more rounded bottom. There is no way her smile will look balanced and normal trying to interchange those two. It also appears you have more of an artistic eye and common sense than your dentist for his latest suggestion, so I am with you. No, don’t just fill in the gap with dental bonding.

As for the damage to her bite, the canine tooth is also different in its root. It has a much longer, stronger root and handles all the sideways stresses of our teeth. If you move that out of its place, as he allowed, she will have long-term consequences.

Dealing with Congenitally Missing Teeth

What should have happened in the beginning is he have you get an inexpensive dental flipper for her to hold that spot open once the tooth came out. Then when she is old enough, you can replace it with a dental implant. As it is now, you will have to use orthodontics to get the teeth back into their proper position. I am going to suggest Invisalign. This will work faster than traditional braces and no one will be able to tell she is straightening her teeth.

From there, get the dental flipper and then have a dental implant placed when her jaw is fully developed. It won’t be that much longer, given her age.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.

Number of Porcelain Veneers in a Smile Makeover

Posted on August 8, 2021 by writeradmin.

I want to improve my smile with a smile makeover. Can you tell me how many porcelain veneers I’d need to get to make all my teeth look whiter?

Stacey

Dear Stacey,

First, I want to clarify something. If the only thing you want to change about your smile is the color, you can do that a lot more affordably by just doing teeth whitening. A smile makeover is when you want to change more. In addition to the color, you may want to change their shape, size, or character. From here forward, I am going to go on the assumption that you want a true smile makeover.

The number of porcelain veneers you would get for a smile makeover will depend on the color difference and the size of your smile. If you are only needing a subtle change to the color, then you can get away with six porcelain veneers. However, if you are looking for a more substantial change in color, then you would need between eight and twelve porcelain veneers. How many will depend on the width of your smile. Stand in front of a mirror and smile the way you do when you’re really happy. How many teeth can you see? That is how many veneers you should get.

The most important thing you can do for your smile makeover, however, is to find the right dentist. Smile makeovers are not taught in dental school. In order to become skilled, dentists have to invest in a significant amount of post-doctoral training. To give you a shortcut to finding those types of dentists I would simply do an internet search for an AACD accredited dentist. These are the most skilled and artistic dentists in the world. Any one of them can give you a stunning smile.

This blog is brought to you by Philadelphia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Michael Weiss.