Straight Teeth

Veneers are thin porcelain shells that go over the front of your teeth to improve the shape, size and/or color of your teeth. They are a great way to achieve the smile that you have always wanted if your front teeth are not shaped ideally. If taken care of, veneers can last up to 20 years because they can be bonded to your enamel, which creates a much stronger seal with your tooth than we can get reliably with posterior crowns or fillings.

It is imperative to brush twice a day and use either a Waterpik or floss once a day to maintain the health of your veneers. As with any restoration, there is an edge where the veneer meets the tooth, which is the most common location for breakdown to occur. Proper care will help prevent that from happening. It is also important to wear your bite-splint or retainers at night to prevent excess wear on the veneers and prevent tooth movement. A bite-splint will help prevent the thin veneer material from chipping and cracking.

We put a lot of planning into creating your veneers. Generally, the first appointment is to plan out your goals and what esthetic improvements you would like to achieve with your veneers. We then take records to have our lab wax up and plan out the shape and size of veneers that would best compliment your smile. Once the plan is in place, Dr. Dyras or Dr. Bedro will prepare your teeth for the veneers and make temporary veneers for you to wear home. The temporary veneers can be a trial run to see how you like the shape and size, and to confirm that we are happy with the plan. The last visit would be to cement or bond the veneers to your teeth. We occasionally will do follow up appointments to fine tune the veneers and make sure they are achieving our goals.

Veneers are great for patients who have small teeth or have gaps between their teeth that they would like closed. They are not appropriate if you already have crowns or fillings on the teeth, however the same effect can be achieved with a crown. There are some cases that will have veneers on some teeth and crowns on others so that they will all match and last a long time.

We prioritize communication with our patients and with our lab to make sure you receive the most predictable and beautiful result with your veneers. We listen to your concerns and help establish your goals so you can get the smile you have always wanted! Please give us a call today to see if Veneers are right for you!

Many people think that orthodontics can only be done during childhood or as a young adult, however that is not the case!  Adult orthodontics can be more straightforward since there is no growth to adapt to during the orthodontic treatment.   It is also more common for adults to utilize Clear Aligners for their orthodontic treatment due to the increased comfort and esthetics compared to band and wire orthodontics.

There are many reasons why adults choose to pursue orthodontic treatment.  One would be to improve the esthetics of your smile.  Straight teeth can create a wider and more youthful smile that you can be proud of showing off!  Adult orthodontics can also be used to correct relapse after having orthodontics as a child. Many times, retainers get lost or are not worn long term and the teeth can begin to move back to their original position. Adult orthodontics can help correct those movements and establish a more ideal tooth position. Another benefit of adult orthodontics is to aid in correcting wear and creating a more supportive bite so that your teeth will not wear down as quickly.   As our lives as adults gets more stressful, there is a tendency to clench and grind your teeth, which leads to tooth movement and tooth wear.

To get the best outcome, it is important that you share your goals with Dr Dyras or Dr Bedro, so that we can plan out your case to achieve those goals. If you chose to do Clear Aligner Therapy, like Invisalign, it is imperative that the trays are worn consistently, all day and night. The trays are only removed to eat, and then replaced after each meal. We recommend that you have sugar free gum with you to remove any food from your teeth prior to placing the trays back in.

Clear aligners have been a game changer for adult orthodontic treatment. You can get the straight teeth you have always wanted with out having the unsightly wires and brackets that many of us had to deal with as children.  We work with each one of our patients to identify the most efficient, comfortable, and cost-effective way to achieve the goals that you have for your smile, and adult orthodontics is an option that many people chose to achieve those goals.

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!