consultation with a cosmetic dentist

consultation with a cosmetic

Your initial consultation with a cosmetic dentist is an opportunity for you to learn about the practice that you've narrowed down your search to, as well as discuss what you like and don't like about your smile. It's also an opportunity for you and the cosmetic dentist to establish realistic expectations for your cosmetic dental treatment.

Consultations for cosmetic dentistry treatments typically include records gathering. Because these records are important for developing a unique and precise cosmetic dental treatment plan that will satisfy your needs, a significant amount of time may be spent for this purpose. Records gathering involves, but is not limited to:

* A comprehensive intraoral examination and inspection of any existing dental work.
* Intraoral photographs
* Radiographs (x-rays)
* Impressions of your upper and lower teeth (models and study casts will be made later).
* Looking through smile design books that show an assortment of before and after photographs of different cosmetic dental procedures.
* Reviewing different tooth shapes and sizes to see what appeals to you.
* Discussing tooth color
* Using a computer monitor, reviewing your smile tooth by tooth with the cosmetic dentist so you can thoroughly understand what can be changed and how.

Your consultation may also include a meeting with a patient coordinator. The patient coordinator's role in the cosmetic dental practice is to help you with scheduling appointments and follow-up care.

You may also meet with the practice's office manager to discuss the types of financing or payment options available to help you manage the cost of your cosmetic dentistry treatment – dental insurance does not typically provide coverage for cosmetic treatment. If not, remember to ask about what the financing options are. While payment plans are available through a number of dental loan providers, your cosmetic dentist may offer in-house payment options as well.


Considerations for the Consultation

Cosmetic dentistry results may vary and are dependent on the skill of your dentist. Finding a qualified cosmetic dentist therefore requires careful consideration, even during the consultation stages of treatment.

During your consultation, make note of how you feel about the practice's ambiance. Specifically, are you comfortable with the cosmetic dentist's chair-side manner? Is the staff friendly, welcoming and quick to address your concerns? Since cosmetic dentistry treatment can take time, it is important to establish a rapport with all individuals involved.

If the cosmetic dentist provides you with a diagnosis and treatment plan during the consultation, it is important that he or she share that information with you in detail. Make sure that you understand your diagnosis and any viable treatment alternatives. Make sure that you feel completely comfortable with the level of detail and thoroughness of the explanations you are given so that you can make an educated decision about your cosmetic dental treatment.

Likewise, when providing you with a treatment plan, the cosmetic dentist should be able to tell you about the type of materials that will be used in the fabrication of your restorations. Be sure to ask about how long the results are expected to last and the type of maintenance required in order to sustain the benefit of the procedures. For example, teeth whitening must be repeated every three to six months – depending upon the procedure you choose – in order to maintain the benefits. Similarly, you may be required to wear a protective mouth guard at night to help maintain your veneers.
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Since most cosmetic dentistry procedures include restorations made in a dental laboratory, ask about the dental laboratory technician your dentist plans to involve in your treatment plan. Is the laboratory technician or ceramist a Certified Dental Technician or an accredited member of the AACD? Has the dentist worked with this laboratory technician for many years and/or on similar cases in the past?

When you select a cosmetic dentist, you are selecting a dental professional who will help you change your appearance by changing the look of your teeth and your smile. It is a very personal and important choice. Most procedures are not reversible, so you will want to take your time, ensure that you feel comfortable with the dentist, and that you feel confident with his/her skills and capabilities. When you do, you will likely be happy and completely satisfied with the results that are achieved with the cosmetic dentistry treatment you receive

Teeth Whitening ...

Do you sometimes ask yourself why are you so unfortunate for having such yellow teeth? Are you always shy to go out because you don't want people to notice your yellow teeth because you feel that you might feel more terrible about yourself? Having yellow teeth can be such an awful thing. However, you shouldn't dwell on the fact that you have yellow teeth because you can still do something to make your teeth look whiter than ever. Remember that anything is possible if you believe you can do the things that you need to do.


There are actually hundreds of possible and guaranteed ways that can help you make your teeth look whiter than ever. Besides brushing your teeth each and every meal, you can as well have the biggest chance to have pearly whites if you will consider using the best teeth whitening gel that you can easily order online.

You don't need to worry so much about your yellow teeth because there are hundreds of guaranteed ways that can help you have whiter teeth very soon. Remember that as much as possible, you need to avoid drinking coffee, soda or tea because these drinks will only give you yellow teeth. So besides brushing your teeth after each meal and using the best teeth whitening gel, you must as well try your best to avoid drinking beverages that have artificial colors in it.

Remember that if you're going to brush your teeth right after each meal and if you're going to use the best teeth whitening gel and you won't drink coffee, soda or tea anymore, it won't take long until you're going to make your teeth look whiter than ever. You don't really need to go to the dentist's clinic just to have professional results of having whiter teeth because in simple ways you can as well achieve effective results that will definitely change the color of your teeth for the better.

You deserve to feel so much better about yourself that's why you shouldn't think twice about doing things that can make you have whiter teeth than ever. I wish you all the best and good luck!

TREATMENT OF PERIODONTITIS

Periodontitis is a form of gum disease. It is a chronic infection of the gums which is characterized by a loss of attachment between the tooth and the jawbone. It is the leading cause of tooth loss among adults in the United States.

Teeth are attached to the jaw by a series of very strong ligaments. The gums are also connected to the tooth by a complex series of microscopic fibers; and the gums lay over the tooth-bone attachment like a protective cover. Periodontitis begins in the shallow pocket where the tooth and gum meets, usually as a milder form of gum infection known as gingivitis. Bacteria can grow in this pocket, usually due to inadequate oral hygiene. The gum begins to pull away from the tooth deepening the pocket, making it harder to clean and encouraging the formation of tenacious tartar deposits below the gumline.

Over time this infection can cause inflammation in the bone, causing it to slowly disappear, undermining the attachment to the tooth. This loss of bone is what distinguishes periodontitis from gingivitis, where no bone loss occurs. After many years this can lead to tooth loss.

Diagnosis

Periodontal disease is diagnosed with a thorough periodontal exam. A small, blunt probe is used to measure the depth of the gum pockets around every tooth in the mouth. Measurements are taken at six sites on each tooth. This depth gives an objective gauge of the health of the gums. If the pockets bleed easily during probing this is noted as well. This bleeding is a sign of inflammation of the pocket. The appearance of the gums is noted; infected gums appear red and

puffy. The amount of tartar, or calculus, is determined. The mobility of all teeth is checked and the bite is evaluated. X-rays of all teeth are needed to evaluate the condition of the bone around each tooth and show calculus deposits below the gumline.

Treatment

It is important to realize that periodontitis is chronic, insidious, and episodic in nature....

Chronic- Periodontitis is typically a slow moving condition, taking many months or even years to develop. Once the disease develops and is diagnosed, it is never really cured. Instead it is managed, much like other chronic conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes.

Insidious- Periodontitis is usually silent until its later stages. That is, patients typically have no symptoms until the disease has progressed very far. It must be diagnosed through a thorough periodontal exam. Symptoms which do occur late in the disease are bleeding gums, sore or itchy gums, loose teeth, change in bite, bad breath, and acute gum abscesses.

Episodic- The actual disease activity of infection causing bone loss does not occur at all times in all places in the mouth. Instead, the active stages occur in an on/off fashion at various locations in the mouth. This can only be determined by accurate exams initially and at recall.

These above factors are important to understand the treatment of periodontitis. The goal is to control the current active infection and then closely monitor for signs of disease activity on a regular basis. Once susceptible to this disease it must be monitored for the rest of the patient's life. The ultimate goal is to prevent further bone loss and keep the teeth involved for as long as possible.

Treatment regimens are determined on an individualize basis. Most traditional treatments follow the same basic pattern. First the infection is disrupted by thorough cleaning below the gumline by the doctor or hygienist. This cleaning is called "scaling an root planing" and may take one to four or more appointments. Local anesthesia is often used for patient comfort. The goal is to remove the tartar and bacteria from the root surfaces to allow healing and reattachment of the gums. An individualized home care regimen is devised for the patient to control plaque. Plaque contains the bacteria which cause the disease and plaque hardens to become tartar. Controlling plaque levels through proper home care is critical to the success of the treatment.

The gums are given time to heal once scaling is done(2-4 weeks) and the mouth is reexamined to evaluate the success of the treatment and determine the need for further care. At this point laser treatments can be used to reduce localized pocketing. Laser treatments of pockets kills many of the offending bacteria, removes diseased tissue, and encourages gum reattachment to the teeth. This can often be done without scalpels, sutures, or the discomfort associated with traditional periodontal treatments.

A recall interval is determined. Regular recall visits are crucial for managing this disease over the long term. Frequent recall allows regular, early removal of tartar accumulations, disruption of bacteria in deeper pockets, and close monitoring of disease activity throughout the mouth. Any further treatment needs can be addressed as soon as possible.