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Straightening teeth as an adult

January 18, 2013

Filed under: Crooked Teeth,Invisalign — Tags: , — okcitydentist @ 4:20 am

My parents never could afford braces for me, as a result, I am an adult with crooked teeth, which really bothers me. I’m sure it affects my standing in the work place. Is there a good way to straighten an adult’s teeth without braces? I don’t think that would look very professional.

Brent O. – Chicago

Brent,

You may be a candidate for Invisalign. These use clear aligners to straighten your teeth and cannot be seen by others. They’re very convenient and work faster than traditional braces. Usually you have completed treatment in 6 months to 1 year, depending on the severity of your case.

If that seems too long a time for you, you might consider porcelain veneers. These don’t actually straighten your teeth, but make them appear straight. The advantages to these are you can fix other things too like shape and color, enabling you to totally remake your smile. These can be done in just two appointments.

This blog is brought to you by Oklahoma City Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Don Swearingen.

Smile Makeover for a recovering bulimic

September 22, 2012

Filed under: Bulimia,Porcelain Crowns — Tags: , , — okcitydentist @ 10:34 pm

I am a recovering bulimic. I am really embarrassed about the state of my smile and want to get a smile makeover. Now that I’ve gotten my issue under control, it will give me kind of a clean slate. Are porcelain veneers a good option for me?

Barbara K.- Michigan

Barbara,

Porcelain veneers are a great way to renew a smile makeover, but they will only deal with the front of your teeth. As a recovering bulimic, you really need to put most of your consideration on the back of your teeth, because that is where most of the damage has occurred. A great option for that is to get porcelain crowns. It will remake the front, back, and sides of your teeth.

When treating recovering bulimics we’ve noticed how much it helped their confidence to have a new, undamaged smile. We often hear they enjoy feeling both normal and beautiful, and are especially relieved not to have their smile as a reminder of their past.

One word of warning–Make sure you go to a skilled cosmetic dentist. You don’t want to end up with shoddy workmanship. Any dentist can claim to be a cosmetic dentist, because there isn’t an official cosmetic dentistry specialty. You don’t want to spend all that money on a smile makeover only to be disappointed with it.

This blog is brought to you by Oklahoma City Dentist Dr. Don Swearingen.

Fixing a crooked front tooth

January 12, 2012

Filed under: Invisalign — Tags: , — okcitydentist @ 8:24 pm

I have one front tooth that is really crooked. It goes kind of behind my other tooth. My dentist said he thinks it would be best to pull it and put in an implant. I’d rather keep my tooth. I’ve heard that invisalign works with a computer. Do you think the computer could figure out a way to straighten that tooth or do I need to pull it?

Pauline- California

Pauline,

Unless there is some other condition I am not aware of, then Invisalign should work just fine for straightening your teeth. I haven’t examined you, but based on it just being crooked, there is no reason to pull your tooth. One of the great things about Invisalign is that no one will even know you are having your teeth worked on. Generally it takes between six months and one year for Invisalign to work, which is much easier than the one to two years of traditional braces.

There is another option for your teeth. If you’re in a hurry to re-make your smile, you can get porcelain veneers. They will not straighten your teeth, but instead they give the appearance of straight teeth.  Veneers can change the shape and color of your smile in just two appointments.

This blog is brought to you by Oklahoma City Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Don Swearingen.

 

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