Archives for November 2021

Will Medical Insurance Pay for Dental Implants?

Posted on November 20, 2021 by writeradmin.

I have been trying dentures. Really trying. The problem is the denture plate makes me gag every single time I try to wear it. I haven’t been able to eat solid food for weeks. I had a little weight to lose, but not as much as I am losing. Will medical insurance cover the cost of me getting dental implants because of the impact it is having on my health?

Madeline

Dear Madeline,

Implant Overdentures

The good news is that getting dental implants to support your dentures will solve the gagging problem you have been having. There is no apparatus to cause gagging. The dental implants serve as teeth roots and the dentures will attach directly to them. Not only will you be able to eat, but you will be able to eat absolutely anything you want to.

The bad news is that medical insurance will not cover them, even if not having teeth is having a negative impact on your health. Medical insurance always has a dental exclusion clause.

If you have dental insurance, that will pay for some of it. Probably not as much as you are hoping, but some. Most dentists have you pay in two parts, so that helps some as well. You’ll pay the first portion when the dental implants are placed. Then, after a period of healing and time for osseointegration to take place, you get your dentures and pay for the second part.

If you are in difficult financial circumstances, you may find a dentist who offers a further break down of payments.

I will tell you, in the long run, it will be much better and less expensive for you to get the implant overdentures now. The longer you are wearing dentures, the more jaw bone structure you will lose. In about ten years or so, there won’t be enough bone structure left for you to retain your dentures at all. This is known as facial collapse. Getting implants prevents this because it signals to your body that you still have teeth and it leaves your jawbone intact.

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

Solution for a Tooth Turning Dark

Posted on November 18, 2021 by writeradmin.

I’ve had a tooth that has gradually been turning dark over the last five years. My dentist said a root canal treatment may be needed. While there is no infection there is a possible fracture. I don’t know if I should go ahead and have the root canal treatment or just do cosmetic work to repair the graying tooth and only worry about the root canal treatment if it becomes absolutely necessary or if I should just bite the bullet and do the root canal and get it over with. One thing my dentist mentioned is that I would need bonding on several teeth in order to make them look uniform. In that case, would it be better to get porcelain veneers?

Laura

Dear Laura,

I am going to be quite blunt here and say that you are not in the hands of the best dentist. Let’s start with the root canal treatment. Either the tooth is infected and you need one or it isn’t and you don’t. You said there was no infection, just a possible fracture. With a fracture, you would not want to do a root canal treatment, which could lead to leaking.

Bear in mind that I haven’t examined you, but given your description of the darkening happening over a period of years, I think you’re dealing with the aftermath of trauma that happened to the tooth several years ago. Over time, your body builds up defenses in the tooth which creates a secondary layer of dentin making the tooth look darker.

The solution to this is cosmetic. You can either do dental bonding or a porcelain veneer. The veneer will be more expensive but has the benefit of lasting longer. With either one you will need an expert cosmetic dentist and I will be honest that your dentist is not going to fit that bill. I know that because of his comment that you’d have to do several teeth to get them to look uniform. That is not the case when you have an expert cosmetic dentist. And with someone who is not an expert, just because they are uniform does not mean they are beautiful. My recommendation is you look for an AACD accredited dentist to do this work for you.

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

Cosmetic Dentistry Disappointment

Posted on November 10, 2021 by writeradmin.

I am in my 50’s with 5 grown children. I’d always put their dental health and appearance before my own. Now that they’ve all left the nest, I felt it was finally my turn to get a pretty smile. I have tetracycline stains so smiling was always embarrassing for me. My dentist gave me 8 Lumineers. First, they are way too white and bulky. It looks more like I have chicklets in my mouth than teeth. I did tell him I wanted a white smile, so that may be my fault. However, the other problems I can’t figure out. My mouth hurts all the time in an achy way because my upper teeth feel too long so I can’t really relax my mouth. I have to hold the arches apart a bit. Is there any way to change this?

LeeAnne

Dear LeeAnne,

After all these years, you deserve to have the smile of your dreams. It sounds to me like you went to your normal family dentist for this smile makeover. Unfortunately, most family dentists do not have the skills necessary to do beautiful smile makeovers. This is especially true when the patient has tetracycline stains, which makes your case one of the more advanced ones.

The big problem you have is your dentist is in over his head. I cringed a little when I heard he gave you Lumineers because I felt I knew what was coming. This is a particular brand of porcelain veneers that is highly marketed to inexperienced cosmetic dentists as being easy to place. However, smile makeovers are not taught in dental school and take a great deal of training. Without that, the results will be disappointing, at best, as you’ve experienced. Lumineers especially are known for making teeth too bulky when done by a dentist without the right training. There are other, better brands.

Only about 2% of cosmetic dentists in the country are skilled enough to create stunning smiles when dealing with tetracycline stains. Those who aren’t, generally make one of two common mistakes. The first is that they make the teeth too opaque in an attempt to cover the stains. This can make them flat-looking, which is what is probably giving them that chicklet look. On the other end of the spectrum are dentists who don’t do enough to cover the stains and they show through the veneers.

My suggestion is you ask your dentist for a refund. Your teeth aren’t functional if you are in pain so your case will need to be redone. Once you secure your refund, I want to you find a dentist who is AACD accredited. This is different than just being a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. AACD accredited dentists have passed stringent exams and had their artistry closely judged by a board of examiners. They are the 2% of dentists I mentioned earlier. Find one and let them give you a smile you will be proud to share for the rest of your life.

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

Is It Possible to Save Some Money on a Nice Smile Makeover?

Posted on November 1, 2021 by writeradmin.

When I was younger I wore braces, but didn’t wear the retainer afterward like I was supposed to. Now my teeth are shifted and not centered. I also have chips and dings and some teeth are worn down from grinding. I know you have to go to an expert cosmetic dentist for this. My neighbor recently had a smile makeover and his dentist did a fantastic job, but the cost was $35,000. I can’t afford that. Is there a way to get an attractive smile makeover without it costing quite so much?

Aaron

Dear Aaron,

A smile makeover is generally done with porcelain veneers, though because of your teeth grinding you may need some porcelain crowns as well. The most important aspect of any smile makeover is the skill and artistry of the dentist who does it. Each dentist’s prices vary depending on a great deal of factors including property and salary costs in their area.

There are two resources I can give you where you can safely price shop. Do NOT just call around to random cosmetic dentists looking for a cheap price. You will end up with a cosmetic dentistry horror story. Just use the dentists on these two lists I’m going to provide. The reason I say that is each of these cosmetic dentists have been screened for their training, technical knowledge and skill, as well as their artistry. Any one of them can provide you with a beautiful smile makeover. In these cases, you can go with the most affordable.

The first resource has a list of AACD accredited dentists. You will go to AACD.com and click on “find a cosmetic dentist”. Make certain you check the box for AACD accredited. Accreditation is completely different from membership, so that is vital. These are the top cosmetic dentists in the country.

The second resource is mynewsmile.com. The dentist that runs this website is a retired accredited dentist. He prescreens dentists who want to be listed. They can’t get on there without massive skills. While many are accredited on his list, some are still in the process of accreditation, which takes years, but have the skills necessary now.

I hope this helps!

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