What type of veneers do dentists get for their own teeth?

As a dental patient I think it's important to be well informed about the choices you make for your dental health. Decisions regarding cosmetic dentistry are no less important than decisions affecting your dental health. Often restoring your smile is an irreversible procedure. In the right hands the results are beautiful and predictable. Every patient's smile is unique and there's a hundred different decisions to be made by your dentist from the beginning of the restorative process to the end. One choice that your dentist has to make is what type of veneer to use to bring out the best in your smile.

There is two major categories: composite and porcelain veneers. A veneer is an enamel like tooth colored thin outer layer. Composite is a resin type of material bonded directly to the tooth, shaped, cured to harden with a special light, and polished. Composite tends to dull with time and may pick up stain over the years. Porcelain is essentially glass. It's very natural looking and will not pick up stain over time. There are times where a veneer can be made so thin and be bonded directly over the front of the tooth. Sometimes a small amount of tooth structure needs to be removed in order to make room for a veneer, hide underlying dark tooth structure, or change the shape of a tooth. There are also cases where the teeth need to be moved first to align them better before veneers can be made.

What type of veneer do dentists get for their own teeth? That totally depends on each individual case. The decision should never be made based on marketing hype or a brand name. The fact is there are great ceramists in dental labs all over the world that can produce beautiful natural looking porcelain veneers without having a brand name associated with it. In the end the final result largely depends on the capable hands of your dentist and the lab technician.

If you are interested in a smile makeover and are in the Fresno area, come by our office for a consultation. We'd be happy to help you. Check out our website for before and after pictures of cosmetic dentistry done in our Fresno office at www.tmdds.com/beforeandafterpics.shtml

The solution to loose dentures

When teeth are lost the jaws begin to lose bone. This loss of bone occurs at a high rate the first year then slows down but continues throughout life. Bone loss is accelerated by the pressure from a prosthesis such as a complete or partial denture. An upper complete denture is usually more tolerable than a lower complete denture because it has better retention. A lower denture will just flop around all over the place. There are some patients that choose to not even wear their lower denture and can actually chew better without one. Many patients have to use denture adhesive to keep theire upper and lower complete dentures in.

Most patients report anxiety regarding having their dentures fall out at the wrong time. They tend to avoid certain social settings due to to this. Chewing ability is decreased significanlty in patients with dentures compared to natural teeth. Most denture patients have a deficient diet due to this.

Most patients would benefit greatly from having two lower implants to hold in their lower removable denture. If budget permits 5-7 implants can be used to support a non-removable dental bridge in the lower arch. The upper removable denture can be held in place by 4-6 implants. Alternatively, 7-9 implants can be used to support a non-removable dental bridge in the upper arch.

For more information or to see an implant dentist in Fresno, Ca visit www.thefresnoimplantdentist.com or www.tmmds.com/fresnodentalimplants.shtml