Cosmetic Dentistry

Did you know that there is a dental technology that offers a fast and long-lasting solution to such issues as deeply stained, chipped, misaligned or damaged teeth? Even more appealing is that this solution can be accomplished in two visits to a dental office and even work as an alternative to braces. What is this solution? The answer is porcelain veneers, and at Provo Family Dentistry in Provo, Utah we provide the skilled services of a cosmetic dentist who can help you decide if this is the right solution for you.

Dental veneers are just as they sound; thin shells of porcelain that are then bonded to a tooth in need of cosmetic dentistry or even a bit of support. Though they are not considered restorations, they can offer ongoing strength to a tooth that is damaged and weakened by such issues as cracks or chips.

They are made to your specific bite and require just two simple visits to our dentist office. During your first visit our cosmetic dentist will prepare your teeth, take molds and then give you temporary veneers to use while a specialized lab makes your unique veneers. These are going to be colored to match your natural teeth and offer you a rapid-fire way to an enhanced smile.

Once they are back from the lab, we have you return and a strong bonding agent is used to affix your perfect porcelain veneers to your prepared teeth. You will be able to leave our office and begin using your new veneers right away.

Of course, the veneers are a great fix for esthetically flawed teeth, but they still need to be taken care of in the same ways as natural teeth. You will need to brush and floss, like always, and visit our office at least once per year for a cleaning and exam. In fact, we suggest twice annual exams and cleanings as this ensures your veneers remain in the best condition and allows our team to determine if you have any issues that can be addressed, halted and corrected long before they cause pain or other problems.

We also recommend you consider habits that can lead to natural teeth becoming discolored. Why? Because veneers are impervious to stains, they will always remain the original shade they were when first bonded to your teeth. However, if you drink staining beverages like coffee or tea, smoke or eat a diet with lots of sugars, it can cause the natural teeth to stain and your smile is then an uneven blend of hues. Getting twice annual cleanings and exams can ensure your smile remains esthetically appealing for many years to come.

If you have healthy teeth and gums, and yet you still hide your smile, it may be time to consider some teeth whitening. At Provo Family Dentistry in Provo, Utah we offer our patients a good array of cosmetic dentistry solutions in our dental office, and whitening treatments are among the most popular.

Taking only a short time to complete, whitening is a painless and remarkably effective way to boost the appearance of your smile, give you a whole new level of confidence and create a radiant glow that says you are the picture of good health. We provide both in-office and take home options, and are glad to discuss the best solution for your needs.

When is it the right time for teeth whitening? That really depends on your state of oral health and wellness. When you visit our dental office to discuss your wish for whitening, we are going to ensure that your teeth and gums are in top shape. If you are not in need of restorative or general treatment (such as a cleaning and exam or a filling or root canal, for instance), we are glad to offer you two approaches to whitening:

- In office laser whitening - At home whitening with custom trays

Laser whitening is truly remarkable and takes less than an hour to complete. It will lighten the teeth by several shades, and the results can last for many months. It uses a special whitening compound that is applied to the teeth by our cosmetic dentist. A special laser light activates the compound and in a short time, the treatment is complete.

The at home options use a similar compound, but rely simply on time rather than the laser to get the whitening done. This may mean wearing your custom guard for several hours or overnight, and for one to two weeks to get a similar level of teeth whitening. Both are effective, safe and reliable.

If all of this sounds appealing to you, and you are ready to enjoy the cosmetic dentistry benefits of whitening, you can pay a visit to our office. Whether you use the faster, in-office laser whitening or the take home trays, you will need to know that some patients experience a bit of sensitivity in the days after using the treatment. We can recommend desensitizing toothpastes to help with that issue.

You will also want to make a point of avoiding the materials that might have led you to need whitening in the first place. Staining beverages like tea or coffee, tobacco use, sugary foods and certain medications can diminish the outcome of whitening treatments. Remember too that whitening does not work on dental appliances like veneers or dental crowns, so discuss this with our team as you begin to plan any cosmetic dentistry treatments.

Never let the word “makeover” in the phrase “smile makeover” scare you away from this treatment option. It is never meant to be radical, nor is it meant to involve complex or difficult treatments. Instead, a smile makeover at Provo Family Dentistry in Provo, Utah is simply a treatment plan that involves more than one cosmetic dentistry solution.

When a patient is interested in cosmetically improving their smile, they will visit our dental office and work with our general dentist to ensure their oral health is as strong as possible. We want to be sure you have no tooth decay, no need for any preventative or restorative treatments, and that your teeth and gums are in great shape. Once that is assured, we discuss the cosmetic issues you might have with your smile.

Sometimes, a cosmetic issue is also a functional issue and this is when we will suggest a smile makeover. As a simple example, a patient may have several teeth that are misaligned or damaged, and a missing tooth or two. They might also have some discoloration of the teeth due to many years of smoking. This is not a list of issues that can be dealt with in just a single treatment. For this patient, we would work out a customized treatment plan that would makeover their smile, restoring its function and making it look great.

This might mean discussing implants or a bridge to replace missing teeth, using crowns or veneers, or even using aligners like ClearCorrect. As a finishing touch, we might suggest laser whitening in our office or a take home whitening kit to give the smile the right level of brightness.

When you hear the term “smile makeover,” it is a process that involves an array of treatment options. We consider the following treatments as typical parts of a makeover process:

- Veneers - Crowns - Implants - Amalgam filling removal - Correction with aligners such as ClearCorrect - Whitening

As you can see, there are many things that can be done to enhance the looks of the smile, but also that no two patients will require the same steps or treatments. It all begins with a visit to the dentist office where we can work with you to address any issues you have with the appearance of the teeth and gums. Depending upon the treatments needed, it can take as little as two office visits or up to two years (if you require extensive work with aligners). The good news is that the technologies exist to offer you any sort of improvements required.

By now, many people know about the different options for what are commonly called clear braces. However, not everyone knows that there are different brands and products available for correcting the alignment of the teeth, and that some of them don’t involve “braces” at all! ClearCorrect is one of the top brands and products available for correcting the alignment of the teeth, and something we happily offer to patients at Provo Family Dentistry in Provo, Utah.

Unlike braces that use metal brackets and wires to slowly pull teeth into a better alignment, ClearCorrect uses clear aligner trays that are custom-made for your teeth and which slowly shift them into a perfect alignment. They are nearly invisible to the naked eye and are computer designed, offering a remarkably advanced approach to correcting your bite and smile.

The aligner trays are made in a specialized laboratory from information, images, x-rays and molds we make during your visit. The lab takes all this data and then develops a treatment plan designed just to your needs. A special computer designs a series of clear aligner trays that will comfortably and discreetly move your teeth into position. You will change trays every three weeks or so, and in as little as six months, you may enjoy a newly aligned smile.

When you visit our dental office, you can meet with our cosmetic dentist or staff and we will first review your overall oral health. When we are sure you have no need for preventative or restorative dentistry (such as fillings or crowns), we can then take all the measurements needed to make your trays.

Once they have come from the lab, we have you visit our office and we review the different steps needed for optimal results. Generally, you are going to wear the aligner trays roughly 22 hours or more per day. You take them out only to eat or drink (anything that is not water), as well as to perform oral hygiene like brushing and flossing. They are comfortable and safe to wear during your sleep, and it takes most patients a matter of days to get used to speaking with them in place.

Of course, not everyone is a candidate for the use of clear aligners. However, it is usually only those with moderate to severe issues who will require more aggressive treatment. A visit to the dentist office can allow our team to help you discover if this is the right solution for you. Whether you are tired of widely gapped teeth, a crooked smile, or several teeth that are out of alignment, this might be just the right solution.

Remember that overlapping teeth or overcrowded teeth can eventually pose a problem and create a situation in which decay might occur easily. A misaligned bite can lead to jaw pain or uneven wear. There are many reasons, apart from cosmetic reasons, to consider the use of clear aligner trays like those from ClearCorrect. Allow our general and cosmetic dentistry solutions help you achieve the healthiest and most attractive smile possible.

Do you know much about braces & interceptive orthodontics? You probably said yes to the part about braces, but may not know just what interceptive orthodontics is all about. Generally, it is best to think of it as “phase one” of any orthodontic treatment. It is most often done early in life and is meant to prevent the development of more serious orthodontic issues during the adult years. At Provo Family Dentistry in Provo, Utah we offer family dentistry that also includes preventative treatments as well as braces & interceptive orthodontics options for younger patients.

To help you understand the need for braces & interceptive orthodontics options we offer in our dental office, let’s consider a very typical example, the child who sucks their thumb. As their baby teeth emerge, the thumb sucking may cause those teeth to shift out of their natural pathways. As those baby teeth are lost, the new adult teeth may hold the misalignment.

The use of interceptive orthodontics can help your child avoid this unwelcome misalignment. Of course, these treatments are not only for those who once sucked their thumbs! We will suggest interceptive orthodontics and braces for:

- Patients with overcrowded teeth - Patients with baby teeth lost too early - Patients with teeth that do not naturally fall out on their own - Patients at risk for jaw growth problems - Patients whose jaws may be too narrow for teeth to align properly or healthily without intervention

As you can see, it is all about preventing worsening issues, which is why this area of orthodontics is often described as that phase one mentioned earlier. If our team can find ways of preventing issues that might lead to the need for more complicated orthodontics, such as traditional braces or aligners to shift adult teeth, we will offer them to our younger patients.

When discussing any need for braces and interceptive orthodontics, our family or preventative dentist will often recommend options such as headgear worn for ten to 12 hours per day, palatal expansion appliances, fixed functional appliances and braces. The goal of most treatments is simply to reduce the severity of any anticipated issues.

Naturally, no two patients are alike, and it is imperative to visit our dental office to discuss your concerns or needs with our team. It may be that your child requires one-phase treatment to avoid further issues. However, it may just as easily be that your child will require two phases that begin with the interceptive orthodontics and then move on to more complete orthodontic treatment, such as retainers and classic braces.