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Cosmetic Dentistry

Porcelain Veneers

Dental Bonding

ADA Patient Library

Implants

Indiana Cosmetic Dentist

Canker Sores

Cold Sores

ClearCorrect Invisible Orthodontics

Invisalign Clear Braces

Zoom Smile Whitening

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Chicago Cosmetic Dentistry

Cosmetic Dental Fillings

Porcelain Crowns

Dental Bridges

Snoring & Sleep Apnea

Dentures

Laser Gum Recontouring

Dental Root Canals

Dental Extractions

Dental Hygiene

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Bad Breath

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• Cosmetic Dentistry
• Porcelain Veneers
• Dental Bonding
• Dental Implants
• Indiana Dentists

CHICAGO COSMETIC DENTISTRY

Your smile and dental health says a lot about you. Make sure you find the best dentist and most caring dental professionals to help you achieve andmaintain the smile you desire. People of Chicago and the surrounding Chicago areas can experience outstanding dental care with a short drive to White Orchid Dental in Munster, Indiana. Take a look throughout the Smile Care Experts website and you should realize the incredible value provided by the dental professionals at White Orchid Dental. Call us at 219-836-9122 or Request an Appointment On-line

Smile Gallery

People choose Cosmetic dental procedures for various reasons – to repair a defect such as a malformed bite or crooked teeth, treat an injury, or just improve their overall appearance. For these and many other reasons, cosmetic dentistry has become a vital and important part of the dental profession and one of the fastest growing areas of dentistry. For example, tooth-whitening procedures have tripled over the past five years.

Common cosmetic dental procedures can be performed to correct misshaped, discolored, chipped or missing teeth. It also can be used to change the overall shape of teeth – from teeth that are too long or short, have gaps, or simply need to be reshaped.

Cosmetic dentistry procedures include:

• Cosmetic Fillings -- Alternative, natural-looking materials to conventional silver-colored fillings made from porcelain and composite resins, which are colored to match natural tooth enamel.
• Professional Home Teeth Whitening -- Procedures that reverse the effects of such things as aging, food and tobacco stains, and medication use.
• Porcelain Veneers -- Special thin laminates, called veneers, used to cover stains, correct discolored, worn down, cracked and chipped teeth, and close unsightly gaps between teeth.
• Dental Bonding-- A tooth-colored material that looks like the enamel of your teeth and used to improve the color of a tooth, or close unsightly gaps.
• Cosmetic contouring and reshaping – A relatively simple procedure that can correct crooked, chipped, cracked, and even overlapping teeth.
• Porcelain Crowns -- Synthetic caps, usually made of a material like porcelain, that can be placed on the top of a tooth to restore its function and appearance, attach bridges, cover implants, or prevent a cracked tooth from becoming worse.
• Crown lengthening -- Performed to reshape gums and bone tissue, and often used to correct a “gummy” smile.
• Dental Bridges-- Natural-looking dental appliances that can replace a section of missing teeth and restore the natural contour of your teeth as well as the proper bite relationship between upper and lower teeth. Bridges are sometimes referred to as fixed partial dentures, because they are semi-permanent and are bonded to existing teeth or implants.
• Beautiful Dentures – Lightweight dentures that mimic the look and feel of natural teeth. Most dentures are made from a combination of metals and synthetic material such as acrylic resin, and can be either partial or complete sets.
• Excessive or uneven gums Laser Gum Recontouring – Gum lifts or soft tissue grafts can be used to even gum lines, or cover an exposed root.
• Ridge augmentation -- A procedure that can shore up dents and other abnormalities in your gum line.
• Grafts -- Small pieces of tissue taken from other areas such as the palate and surgically implanted to correct severe gum disease, cover exposed roots, stop bone loss and gum recession, and even reduce pain-causing root sensitivity.
• Replacement of lost gum tissue -- Gum tissue can be augmented or replaced by a variety of means, including soft tissue grafts.
• Dental Implants -- Synthetic structures that are placed in the area of the tooth normally occupied by the root. Implants are sometimes a viable alternative to partial dentures.

COSMETIC FILLINGS

There are alternative, natural-looking materials to conventional silver-colored fillings – materials made from porcelain and composite resins, which are colored to match natural tooth enamel. Unfortunately, few materials can match the strength and durability of dental amalgam and such, may need more frequent replacement. Common amalgam alternatives include:

• Composite fillings -- As stated, composite fillings are just what the name implies: a mixture of resins and fine particles designed to mimic the color of natural teeth. While not as strong as dental amalgam, composite fillings provide a pleasing aesthetic alternative. Sometimes, composite resins need to be cemented, or bonded to a tooth to allow for better adhesion.
• Porcelain (ceramic) -- This material is usually a combination of porcelain, glass powder and ceramic. Candidates for porcelain fillings are typically crowns, veneers and onlays and inlays. Unlike ionomers, porcelain fillings are more durable but can become fractured if exposed to prolonged biting pressures.

DENTAL PORCELAIN VENEERS

Before and after photos and treatment provided by Jeffrey Milne DDS

In just two or three dental visits, a veneer can reverse years of stains caused by foods, caffeine and tobacco use.

Special thin laminates, called veneers, can often be used to correct discolored, worn down, cracked and chipped teeth. Veneers can also be used to close unsightly gaps between teeth. Stronger types of veneers made of porcelain, also called composite veneers, typically last longer because they are bonded to the tooth.

An impression of the tooth must be made and a veneer molded by a lab technician. Because veneers require a small amount of enamel to be removed, they are permanent and non-reversible.

The process involves buffing the tooth, removing an extremely thin layer of the tooth to allow for the thickness of the veneer, an impression of the tooth, and final bonding of the veneer to the tooth with special cement. A special light is used to complete the process.

DENTAL BONDING PROCEDURES

Before and after photos and treatment provided by Jeffrey Milne DDS

An alternative to veneers is a process called bonding, in which a tooth-colored material that looks like the enamel of your teeth is molded and shaped, and then hardened and polished. Bonding can be used to improve the color of a tooth, or close unsightly gaps.

Bonding is generally not as permanent a process as veneers, and can be vulnerable to the same kind of staining your natural teeth are prone to. Bonding can also be more prone to chips and cracks than veneers.

Caps are generally preferred to bonding when such a procedure isn't deemed to be effective in the long run.

 

DENTAL CROWNS AND DENTAL BRIDGES

Before and after photos and treatment provided by Jeffrey Milne DDS

Bridges

Bridges are natural-looking dental appliances that can replace a section of missing teeth. Because they are custom-made, bridges are barely noticeable and can restore the natural contour of teeth as well as the proper bite relationship between upper and lower teeth.

Bridges are sometimes referred to as fixed partial dentures, because they are semi-permanent and are bonded to existing teeth or implants. Some bridges are removable and can be cleaned by the wearer; others need to be removed by a dentist.

Porcelain, gold alloys or combinations of materials are usually used to make bridge appliances.

Appliances called implant bridges are attached to an area below the gum tissue, or the bone.

Crowns

Crowns are synthetic caps, usually made of a material like porcelain, placed on the top of a tooth.

Crowns are typically used to restore a tooth's function and appearance following a restorative procedure such as a root canal. When decay in a tooth has become so advanced that large portions of the tooth must be removed, crowns are often used to restore the tooth.

Crowns are also used to attach bridges, cover implants, prevent a cracked tooth from becoming worse, or an existing filling is in jeopardy of becoming loose or dislocated. Crowns also serve an aesthetic use, and are applied when a discolored or stained tooth needs to be restored to its natural appearance.

Procedures

A tooth must usually be reduced in size to accommodate a crown. An impression is made of the existing tooth and an impression is made. The impression is sent to a special lab, which manufactures a custom-designed crown. In some cases, a temporary crown is applied until the permanent crown is ready. Permanent crowns are cemented in place.

Crowns are sometimes confused with veneers, but they are quite different. Veneers are typically applied only to relatively small areas.

Caring For Your Crowns

With proper care, a good quality crown could last up to eight years or longer. It is very important to floss in the area of the crown to avoid excess plaque or collection of debris around the restoration.

Certain behaviors such as jaw clenching or bruxism (teeth grinding) significantly shorten the life of a crown. Moreover, eating brittle foods, ice or hard candy can compromise the adhesion of the crown, or even damage the crown.

COSMETIC TOOTH CONTOURING

Teeth can become crooked, chipped, cracked, and even overlap as a result of many factors, including traumatic injury, bruxism (grinding) or even heredity.

Cosmetic contouring and reshaping procedures can remedy, and in many cases, greatly improve these conditions.

For example, an uneven or crooked tooth can be gently reshaped by removing a small amount of enamel, to correct the alignment.

DENTAL IMPLANTS

Before development of dental implants, dentures were the only alternative to replacing a missing tooth or teeth. Implants are synthetic structures that are placed in the area of the tooth normally occupied by the root. Implants are anchored to the jawbone or metal framework on the bone and act as a foundation for an artificial tooth or permanent bridge. In some cases, implants can be used to attach dentures.

Not everyone is a candidate for a dental implant. For a successful implant to take hold, a candidate must have proper bone density and have a strong immune system.

Implants are so well-designed, they mimic the look and feel of natural teeth. Implants are usually made of titanium.

In general, good candidates who have dental implants can expect high success rates with the procedure.

The procedure can take several visits. During the first visit, an anchor is placed into the jawbone and the site is allowed to heal for several weeks or months. This gives your tissue time to grow around the anchor to more firmly hold it in place.

During a follow-up visit, an artificial, natural-looking tooth is fitted over the implanted anchor.

Types of implants

Various types of implants include full upper and lower, anterior, posterior, and single-tooth:

Full upper replacements

The upper set of teeth is replaced with implants. Procedure steps include:

 

• Missing tooth roots are replaced with implants, which are covered under the gum line.
• A healing period of up to six months allows implants to take.
• The implants are uncovered and extensions attached.
• Replacement teeth are affixed to the implants and extensions.

In some cases, full upper replacements can be removed.

Anterior replacement

Implants are used to replace the front teeth (also called incisors and cuspids). Procedure steps include:

 

• Missing tooth roots are replaced with implants, which are covered under the gum line.
• A healing period of up to six months allows implants to take.
• The implants are uncovered and extensions attached.
• Replacement teeth are affixed to the implants and extensions.

Full lower replacement

The lower set of teeth is replaced with implants. Full lower replacement usually only uses four to six implants (near the front), which are used to anchor a denture. This obviates the need for denture adhesive.

Posterior replacement

Implants are used to replace the bicuspids and molars (the back teeth). Procedure steps include:

 

• Missing tooth roots are replaced with implants, which are covered under the gum line.
• A healing period of up to six months allows implants to take.
• The implants are uncovered and extensions attached.
• Replacement teeth are affixed to the implants and extensions.

Single tooth replacement

Procedure steps include:

 

• Missing tooth root is replaced with an implant, which remains covered under the gum line.
• A healing period of up to six months allows the implant to take.
• The implant is uncovered and an extension attached.
• Replacement tooth is affixed to the implant and extension.