Archive for the ‘Dental Veneers’ Category

Cosmetic dentistry including bleaching, cosmetic porcelain  veneers, invisible braces, tooth colored fillings and porcelain crowns are very important aspects to the modern dental practice.

For people who suffer from low self esteem and pressures to smile in front of a camera these procedures can be their best friend.  Since the smile is the first thing noticed by others possessing a confident smile also shows higher self confidence and self worth to others.

I treated a neighbor of mine with cosmetic dental veneers and crowns about 2 years ago and saw him at a neighborhood birthday party the other day.  He saw me and started bragging that these (as he was pointing at his teeth) are the best investment I have ever made.  You see that they will last him many years to come whereas the investments in housing and the stock market have gone down his smile hasn’t.  He is a business owner in the Metro Detroit area and he  had to sell his services to professionals.  With a poor smile he lacked the confidence to present himself in front of banks and others in decision making positions.  Once he had a beautiful smile that he was proud of his exterior was reflective of  his interior and this made a difference in his demeanor and outlook.

Dr. Antolak has been practicing Cosmetic, implant, sedation and general dentistry for the past 23 years and is a contributing columnist for “Ask The Gentle Dentist” in the Senior Living News and the Advisor/Source newspapers for the past 8 years.

The use of Cosmetic porcelain veneers is a very common way that many Michigan residents choose to enhance their smiles.  Porcelain veneers are thin shells of beautiful porcelain that is fabricated in a dental laboratory.  They are about the thickness of a credit card and are very fragile when handled.  When they are bonded to the natural tooth they become incredibly strong and are about as strong as your natural teeth.  Every attempt is to keep the shaping of the teeth as conservative as possible.   Lumineers are a name brand for a type of porcelain and placing them on teeth gives a natural look.

The following is an example what laminate veneers are used for:

• Straightening crooked teeth by filling in the areas that are pushed in and in areas where the teeth are protruding slightly more tooth reduction is necessary.  The idea is to get the teeth to look uniform when looking at someone straight on or to the side.
• Darkened teeth can be made whiter.  This is done by reducing some of the thickness of the natural tooth and thickening it up with whiter porcelain.  The same principle applies when Formica is placed over a kitchen top.  Any malformations are covered up by this thin film so no one will know the difference.
• Missing teeth can be filled in with a fixed bridge made of the same porcelain as the veneer.  This is a very natural and conservative approach to a beautiful smile when a tooth is missing.
• To close spaces between teeth.  This is very common and by making the tooth slightly wider the spaces can be closed up, giving a beautiful result.

Porcelain veneers last many many years, are conservative, keep the teeth the same bright white color and don’t stain like bonding.  Call Shelby Township, Michigan Cosmetic Dentist, Dr. Antolak at (586)247-3500 for a free dental consultation to see if porcelain veneers are right for you.

Michigan Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Antolak creates beautiful smiles in his Shelby Township, Macomb County office.  Because he is www.TheGentleDentist.com the dental treatment is done in a very gentle way.

Smile makeovers are a general term coined by the cosmetic dentistry industry.  Basically there are  items that make a smile attractive.  These include the following:

• Teeth are white not stained
• with a full smile the upper lip shows all except the very end of the tooth crown.  The gum tissue between the teeth just show.
• the mid line between the two front teeth is vertical straight up and down.
• the mid line falls in the exact center of the face.  “Cupids bow” where the right and left part of the upper lip meets symetrical with the midline of the teeth.
• when smiling the bottom of the upper back  teeth follows the lower lip line.
• You should be able to see almost all of the teeth when smiling.  This is assuming if the teeth are all lined up together.
• The teeth should not have spaces between them or overlap each other

This picture shows an ideal smile and has all of the atributes mentioned above.

If you would like an attractive smile it is very possible at The Gentle Dentist in Shelby Township, Michigan.   Dr. Antolak accomplishes this first by interviewing the patient determining exactly what they want.  Then by using digital photos, plastic bonding material the ideal smile can be mocked up.

When the patient likes the appearance then duplicate impressions are made of the teeth and a combination of:

• Porcelain Veneers
• Porcelain Crowns
• Orthodontics
• Bleaching

Can be used to achieve the smile of your dreams.

Dr. Antolak has over 22 years of experience as a Michigan Cosmetic Dentist and has created many beautiful smiles.   You can view the before and after smiles at http://thegentledentist.com/beautiful_smile_gallery.htm.  For a free cosmetic consultation please call them at (586)247-3500.