Cosmetic Dentistry FAQ's
in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska and surrounding communities
There are so many things wrong with my teeth. How do I know where to start?
I have some old metal fillings that show when I smile. Can I get them changed?
I've always felt embarrassed about the gap between my front teeth. Can that be fixed?
I have stained, yellow teeth. How can they be made evenly white?
There are so many things wrong with my teeth. How do I know where to start?
Start by setting up a cosmetic dentistry consultation with an LVI-trained cosmetic dentist like Dr. Dodson. When you come to that consultation, bring your list of concerns and questions. It doesn’t matter how many you have, or what order they’re in. A good cosmetic dentist will take the time to answer them, and make sure you feel satisfied with the answers.
He or she will also make suggestions, and explain why certain procedures would be good options for you, and in what order they should be done. For instance, if you were interested in having porcelain veneers, it would make sense to first get your teeth whitened, if they show any signs of yellowing, or have stains or spots. Why? Because porcelain doesn’t respond to tooth whitening agents. So to have a uniformly bright smile, you would first need to whiten your teeth, and then Dr. Dodson could choose a shade of porcelain for the veneers that matches your new white.
I have some old metal fillings that show when I smile. Can I get them changed?
Absolutely! A cosmetic dentist can remove them and insert attractive white fillings. These could be made of either dental porcelain or dental composite. Dental porcelain has the advantage of great similarity to natural tooth enamel. They both absorb and reflect light in the same way, and this gives porcelain the same pearly white sheen that enamel has. The advantages of dental composite are that is quicker and easier to do and costs less. But it’s a little less long-lasting and stronger than porcelain and a little less stain-resistant. Dr. Dodson would explain the pros and cons of each in your particular case.
Whichever procedure you chose to replace the metal fillings, however, you’d come out way ahead with cosmetic dentistry. Nobody would know you had any fillings at all.
I've always felt embarrassed about the gap between my front teeth. Can that be fixed?
Yes. If the gap is fairly small, Dr. Dodson could use porcelain veneers to fill it. He would shape the veneers slightly wider on the teeth each side of the gap. This would cover the gap and give new surfaces to those two teeth, making your smile more even and smooth.
If the gap is too large for this method, you could use Invisalign aligners. This is an alternative to traditional braces. If your entire set of teeth need to be realigned to properly fill that gap, it can be done with these removable Invisalign trays. They come in a customized series, and you would wear each set for two weeks. Then you would discard the current set and wear the next set in the series for two more weeks. Gradually, they would nudge your teeth into better positions, as braces do, but with less discomfort and embarrassment.
I have stained, yellow teeth. How can they be made evenly white?
The everyday staining that we all get from pigmented food and drink like black tea, red wine and coffee can be easily removed by a professional whitening procedure, and also by a take-home kit Dr. Dodson can give you. The yellowing that comes from age can also be removed in these ways.
The type of staining that is more problematic is that caused by Tetracycline or by excessive fluoride when it’s taken in childhood. This causes deeper stains that are resistant to whitening procedures.
Besides all that, we each have a maximum whiteness that we inherited. Predicting how white a person’s teeth will become can’t be done with great accuracy. So how white you teeth can get is something you’ll have to discover by doing either an in-office procedure with Dr. Dodson, or getting a take-home kit from him. Those take-home kits will have a custom-made tray to fit snugly over your teeth, and a professional-strength whitening gel. So they’ll do a lot better job than any store-bought whitening kit.
Why not call us today, or send an email? We can schedule a consultation for you, and our staff here in Lincoln, NE will give you a warm welcome. Dr. Dodson is good at giving clear answers and will take time to explain options to you. With more information about the possibilities, you can start to plan how you want to improve your smile with cosmetic dentistry.
