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Cosmetic and
restorative
dentistry

Discolored and Crooked Teeth

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I finally have money to do something about my hideous smile and wanted to find out what my options are. My teeth are both stained and crooked. What are some ways I can approach this?

Mindy

Dear Mindy,

You actually have a couple of good options. The first is porcelain veneers and the second is Invisalign combined with teeth whitening.

Option One: Porcelain Veneers

a porcelain veneer being placed on a tooth

 

A skilled cosmetic dentist can use porcelain veneers to do a total smile makeover. This can make your teeth look straight while making them any shape, size, and color you want. The key to this is the dentist who does the procedure. You need someone who has advanced training in cosmetic dentistry. This would need to be post-doctoral training because it is not adequately taught in dental school. Unfortunately, it is not a recognized specialty. This means any dentist can call themselves a cosmetic dentist regardless of the amount of training they have invested in. So, how is a patient supposed to know whether or not a dentist is truly qualified to give them a smile makeover?

The simplest way is to look for a dentist who is AACD accredited. This is different than just being a member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. To receive accreditation, they not only have to pass difficult exams on the procedures and technique but also have to demonstrate their artistry in a demanding number of cases with visual evidence of their results. These are among the top 1% of cosmetic dentists in the country.

Option Two: Invisalign and Teeth Whitening

teeth whitening trays being put on teeth

 

Invisalign uses clear aligners to straighten your teeth. They are a huge improvement on braces. No one will even know you are straightening your teeth because they are even invisible at a conversational distance. Additionally, the aligners can double as teeth whitening trays, which means you can do them simultaneously instead of one at a time.

This is something I would recommend if you can’t afford (or don’t want) porcelain veneers. They don’t need someone with special cosmetic training. You simply have to find a dentist that offers Invisalign.

Enjoy your new beautiful smile whichever procedure you decide on.

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

 

Thoughts on Premium Home Teeth Whitening

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I’ve been wanting to do a smile makeover for a while. Recently, I received an offer in the mail for Premium Home Whitening. Then, I received a Groupon offer for the same thing. It is less than what my dentist charges. I was wondering if it will really work or if I will be wasting my money.

Katherine

Dear Katherine,

teeth whitening trays

I looked into this. There are some good and bad things about this. First the good. The whitening ingredient they use is 35% carbamide peroxide. This is a valid whitening ingredient and will whiten your teeth. That is great. Now for the less than good news. The light they advertise seems bogus. This makes me uncomfortable with the company. If they are willing to lie to patients to draw them in, how do we know their ingredients are what they say they are? I don’t like deception.

A second thing to consider is the whitening tray. When you get teeth whitening done with your dentist, he or she will prepare custom fitted trays. This both protects your gums for being irritated by the whitening gel as well as keeps the gel concentrated on your teeth by not leaking or by letting saliva in to dilute it.

The tray you get with this will not be not be custom fit. Instead, it will sort of fit. However, your saliva will weaken the gel meaning you won’t get as much whitening out of each kit as you would with your dentist.

You mentioned the price was more than your dentist, but did not say how much more. One thing I would do is tell your dentist how much the kit is and ask him if he can come close to that so you will be able to do the procedure with him under a professional’s care. My guess is if he is not willing to, some dentist will be.

If you are thinking about improving your smile, teeth whitening will make you and your teeth look younger. If you are looking for a complete smile makeover, the way to do that is with porcelain veneers. However, while teeth whitening can be done with any dentist, porcelain veneers require an expert cosmetic dentist. If you decide to go that route, my suggestion is you only do that with a dentist who is AACD accredited.

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