The increasing demand and limited awareness among people to go for cosmetic dental makeovers overnight, has resulted in loss to many patients. Single visit cosmetic procedures like teeth whitening/ bleaching, laminates ,veneers, gum surgeries (gingivectomy) , enameloplasty etc makes people feel good, and smile more often for no apparent reason at all., but knowing the after effects of these cosmetic procedures would definitely get you thinking…whether to smile for no reason for sometime or  not to smile for any reason for a lifetime!!

Teeth whitening or bleaching is a single visit dental procedure… but are you the right candidate?

Its important to know that most bleaching effects last for just a couple of weeks and so one  needs to keep repeating bleaching and rather frequently. Also the whiteness achieved is less with every time. The most devastating fact is that frequent bleaching leaves the teeth sensitive and only brittle in the long run ie.  they tend to turn rough,stain faster,chip off easily , fracture lines develop etc. Would you like to smile now?

With as many advanced techniques its only important that the right kind of bleaching be done for the right candidate . “Advanced power ZOOM “ is one such technique. Its  a professional tooth whitening .The results in 100 % cases give a “wow” or “magic” effect . The whitening  achieved is 6-8 shades whiter when analysed on a shade guide and results  may last upto 2 yrs , compared to conventional bleaching procedures and products available over the counter which last for a few weeks only and the whitening achieved is just a shade or two whiter !

LAMINATES:

Laminates essentially are a thin ceramic covering for permanent yellow/brown stains or flouride stains, it’s a specialized and a conservative procedure.Again , are you the right candidate?

A laminate is a wonderful substitute for a cap/ crown. It  requires about 75 % less cutting of your teeth as compared to a cap. Technically it requires not more than 0.5 mm of tooth

structure to be removed and only from the front surface of the tooth , whereas a cap requires a minimum of 1.5 mm of tooth surface reduction from all sides of the tooth.

 Also a tooth prepared for a cap mostly needs to undergo  a ROOT CANAL TREATMENT (RCT), thereby leaving the tooth dead and devoid of nutrient supply through blood and hence getting weak in time .

The cost charges for caps  and laminates are comparable but with the additional charges for the RCT in case of the caps .so you end up paying more and gain less.

GUM SURGERY AND ENAMELOPLASTY: Every one cannot be a candidate for these procedure as well.It may leave one’s teeth exposed unnecessarily.

Orthodontic Braces:

Lets consider a common situation faced by many , a young girl who has spacing between her front teeth and is  about to get married in 3-6 months. She wants a solution , but would mostly get to hear from her dentist that her age to get the space closed with orthodontic braces is over and  even if it is done now it would take around  a year for the results to show.

It’s a myth that adults cannot get orthodontic braces and that every case takes a min of a year for treatment.

Orthodontic treatment can be done at any age  .Also with special types of braces used by us today , the treatment time has come down  to just 3-4 months.

 Its important that the patient be wise and  take a decision himself on whether he should have  artificial caps with root canal treated teeth for life or to have natural teeth smiling for life.

And not to forget if we compare the treatment cost , braces cost 50% - 70% less than the laminates for any such case.

SMILE ENGINEERING

Its not just about suggesting  laminates or braces for any individual, science plays an important role. The  size of laminates vary for every tooth and for every individual. It also depends  on your face outlook ie. whether your face is round , oval , long ,short, whether  you have  short , long , wide or narrow teeth , rotated or tilted teeth, lesser visibility of upper or lower teeth , lower front teeth hitting on the upper front teeth and causing wearing of lower front teeth etc.These are some of the ideal situations indicated for braces whereas laminates are more or less indicated only for permanent stains and other tooth surface irregularities like chalky enamel , fractured tooth etc.So,an orthodontist , also called a Smile Architect , should be the first choice of consultation when it comes to any kind of smile makeover.