Cosmetic Dentistry

These days, many adults are choosing to straighten their teeth and get the smile they have always wanted by using Invisalign or other Clear Aligner Therapy. There are many similarities and differences between straightening adult teeth vs straightening a child’s teeth. Many of the strategies and forces used with the aligners are similar between adult and children’s orthodontics. The big differences between the two are that adult teeth generally move slower, and we know that the face will not be growing and changing significantly during treatment.

One of the most important tips for successful adult orthodontics, or Clear Aligner Therapy, is to make sure the aligners are worn consistently. Most clear aligners need to be worn 22 hours a day, basically just enough time to eat meals and get the aligners back in. We have found that patients who leave the aligners out longer than 2 hours a day have trouble finishing their treatment on time and will have to restart their case multiple times. If you think you may have trouble remembering to wear the aligners, a non-removeable orthodontic solution like wires and brackets may be a more predictable treatment route.

There are a multitude of benefits of getting orthodontic treatment as an adult. One common benefit is an improvement in your smile. Teeth that are crooked and out of place tend to create a smaller and more constricted smile, whereas teeth that are straight create a broad smile that is easy to be proud of. Another benefit is improved tooth function when chewing. When teeth are aligned properly, they also function properly, leading to less tooth wear and more support if you tend to clench or grind your teeth.

Many of our patients choose to have their orthodontic treatment done at our office because of the familiar surroundings and amazing staff who will help you through the process. We can coordinate your hygiene/cleaning appointments with your orthodontics appointments to minimize your number of visits. We do our best to provide excellent communication with you throughout your treatment so that you know what to expect and can get the best possible outcome.

Our office exclusively provides Clear Aligner Therapy for our patients. We work closely with local orthodontists for cases that would benefit from wire and bracket orthodontics, or for cases that are more complex. Call our office today and ask how you could benefit from Adult Clear Aligner Therapy!

Teeth Whitening is a great non-invasive way to get a brighter and more esthetic smile. It is especially effective for patients who have stained teeth due to coffee, tea and wine stains. Bleaching your teeth is a much less invasive esthetic treatment compared to crowns or veneers, as there is no damage to the tooth and the amount of whitening you achieve can be controlled by how often you bleach.

Professional teeth whitening is recommended so that you can achieve ideal results while minimizing discomfort. If you have active decay in your teeth, whitening products can cause increased sensitivity in those areas. It is best to be evaluated prior to whitening so that any areas of decay can be treated first. Some patients can get sensitive teeth from whitening, and our office has treatments that can be done prior to minimize sensitivity and still get a bright smile.

If you have restorations like crowns or fillings on your front teeth, those areas will not respond to whitening the way a natural tooth would. The dentists at Dyras Dental can work with you to create a strategy to get the restorations brighter as well, so you do not have multiple different colored teeth.

Our office currently works with the Phillips Zoom DayWhite system. We have tried many different brands of whitening over the years, and this system has been achieving great results while not causing as much sensitivity as some previous formulations. The process for whitening in our office is to first discuss your goals with the dentist. We evaluate what color your teeth are now and discuss what is possible to achieve with whitening. We then fabricate custom fitting bleach trays that you will use at home with the Phillips Zoom DayWhite bleaching solution. After bleaching once a day for 2 weeks, we have you return to evaluate your results and determine if we have achieved the goal or if more bleaching is necessary.

Our office works with you to identify your unique esthetic goals and will help craft a plan to help you get the beautiful smile you deserve! Call today to learn more about Teeth Whitening!

Invisalign is a clear aligner system that can achieve many of the same movements as traditional wire and bracket orthodontics, while being more comfortable and less obvious that you are undergoing treatment. Each tray moves your teeth up to 0.25mm using pressure applied by the tray, creating a comfortable and consistent movement that can achieve your esthetic smile goals.

There are many benefits to Invisalign treatment over traditional braces. Because Invisalign trays are planned out digitally before you even begin treatment, there is less pain involved as the movements are much more controlled. Invisalign trays can also be removed so that you can still enjoy your favorite foods during treatment. No wires means no pokey metal ends and more comfortable lips and cheeks!

The time that Invisalign can take ranges from a few months to a few years, depending on how much movement is needed. Generally, Invisalign patients whose changes focus more on esthetics and do not need to move molars or create bite changes will take 6-8 months. More complex movements and malalignments usually take 1.5-2 years. We generally see patients every 6 weeks to ensure that the teeth are following the trays properly. Some patients will need to be evaluated more often or less often; we generally decide based on your unique needs.

The most successful Invisalign patients are those who wear the trays daily and only remove them to eat. Invisalign recommends that the trays be worn 22 hours a day, giving you just enough time to eat and get the trays back in. We recommend having sugar free chewing gum with you to remove food particles from your teeth after a meal prior to replacing the trays if brushing your teeth is not convenient.

There are some movements that are difficult to achieve with Invisalign that are better treated with band and wire orthodontics. This includes patients with unerupted teeth, significant intrusion movements, or arch size discrepancies, as well as others.

Schedule an exam with one of our doctors today to see if Invisalign is right for you!

Teeth whitening is an easy and non-invasive way to brighten your smile. It is great for patients who have noticed their smile is not as bright as they would like it to be. Tooth stain is commonly caused by drinking coffee or red wine regularly, as well as smoking.

We recommend that patients have their whitening done professionally so that they get the best possible outcome. Many times the over-the-counter bleaching products are not as strong or efficient as the professional grade whitening, so they usually take much longer to get to the color that you would like. Many patients may also have resin fillings or crowns on teeth that show in their smile, which will not whiten like a natural tooth. It is better to know that one tooth may not whiten as well so you do not end up with one dark tooth that does not match the beautiful whitened teeth! If you do have any restorations in your smile, we can help devise a plan for getting them to match your whitened teeth.

We have recently started using Phillips DayWhite, the most up-to-date version of the Zoom whitening system. It is one of the easiest systems we have worked with and can get dramatic results quickly. In our office, we will fabricate your custom whitening trays that will allow you to whiten evenly and get a predictable result. When we deliver your trays, we will provide you with enough Phillips DayWhite for two weeks of treatment and will follow up with you to make sure that you get the best outcome possible. We take before and after photos so that we can track your progress and make sure you get the best results possible.

We look forward to helping you achieve the smile you have always dreamed of!