Dr Gatti's Blog a Lawrence Dentist Reflections

Technology, new research and state of the art equipment can really make a difference in your smile!

At the Studio, we enjoy restoring a person’s smile by using various restorations such as porcelain crowns, veneers and Cerec restorations. However, prevention is always the best option and we now have a longer list of products that can actually help us remineralize enamel in ways we couldn’t before: that is from the bottom up. Remember that enamel breaks down under the surface first. Then after some time, the top layer caves in, creating a hole.

We’ve known for a long time that fluoride works on the surface of enamel. It is best when used frequently in small doses. It gives the enamel a chance to rebuild the fluorohydroxyapatite molecules that are acid-resistant and is very helpful in preventing demineralization. Xylitol is a product found in certain brands of chewing gum and mints which acts directly on bacteria and is very helpful in remineralization protocols. Other products being used to actually rebuild the enamel include amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP), casein phosphopeptide-ccalcium phosphate (CPP-ACP, also known as Recaldent), the arginine bicarbonate/calcium carbonate complex and calcium sodium phosphosilicate complex (NovaMin).

Sounds confusing, right? Let’s remember that, in order to maintain intact enamel, its imperative that healthy saliva be present. Healthy saliva has calcium, phosphate, fluoride, and bicarbonate among other things in it. Each has its own job to do and, when it’s not there, chaos happens, white spot lesions form in the enamel, and eventually it collapses in on itself, creating a hole, better known as a cavity.

What to use where becomes the next question. Of course, there’s no one answer. The bottom line is that you need a diagnosis; only then can you formulate a treatment plan and figure out what products are going to be the best fit. I highly recommend you talk with your dentist or a cosmetic dentist and seek his or her help in sorting out which products will be most helpful for you.

Being a Lawrence Cosmetic Dentist is…

In an another post, I sorted out the differences between the branches of dentistry. Today I want to reflect on what it means to me to be a cosmetic dentist.

Every cosmetic dentist is concerned about the appearance of the teeth and smile while working on the oral health of patients.

When I am working with my patients I will evaluate how important the appearance of their teeth and smile are to them. The majority of my clients want their mouths to be healthy and to look natural. Every dental restoration, whether it is a crown, implant, veneer, bridge or filling can be made in such a way as to achieve an esthetic, natural looking result. Dental restoration is the primary work of a cosmetic dentist.

Obviously, people come to me for different reasons. Some want to create a truly dazzling appearance. Others have dental problems and want their mouths to be healthy, comfortable, and able to chew normally. So, whether you want a “perfect” smile or to just subtly enhance your existing healthy smile, it can be accomplished. There is both an art and science to creating a beautiful smile that will give you confidence. So, for me, a cosmetic dentist, it is always looking at how the veneer, crown or implant can result in natural appearance. 

To attain the result you want we have to begin with the end in mind. Everyone has a different concept of beauty, and it holds true to oral health and appearance as well. Some clients come to me knowing that they want their teeth to look a certain way. Others don’t really have any idea of what is possible. In either case we have developed means to assure the correct result for you is attained. 

Planning the cosmetic result is essential to attain a natural, beautiful result.

Cosmetic dentistry without regard to function will often lead to failure. Porcelain veneers and crowns can be done in a manner that makes it virtually impossible for anyone to detect that they are not your natural teeth. Not every case is complex, but they almost always take careful planning and study. So, whether I am restoring one tooth with a crown or rehabilitating your entire mouth with veneers, crowns and implants, I want the end result to be beautiful, functional and appear natural.  

Cosmetic dentistry is the same everywhere, I chose Lawrence as my home, and I enjoy the work that I do in this town. This is what it means to me to be a Lawrence cosmetic dentist.

How Cosmetic Dentistry Creates Beautiful Smiles

People oftentimes come to the Lawrence Dental Studio and ask me:  how can you predictably fabricate veneers and crowns to change a person’s smile?

I love it when customers ask me questions, that is why I am a dentist in Lawrence, and I am always happy to share how we do with you. 

As a cosmetic dentist, I do not work alone. I have the privilege to work with a wonderful group of people who are interested in cosmetic dentistry and together we strive to be the best Lawrence dentist team.

We have developed a straight forward and effective system to achieve great results. What we do is very predictable, and  you can have confidence in the result, even before any cosmetic dentist touches your teeth

Here at the Lawrence Dental Studio, and we know that other cosmetic dentists use a similar procedure, we begin by evaluating your current smile from many different views to determine where improvements can be made. Then we take impressions of your existing teeth and fabricate working models. Next, I consult with my lab technician and together we will come up with a design, in wax, that we believe will look great, function optimally and meet your expectations. The goal of any cosmetic dentist  is to enhance your smile while improving the function as well. We will then take a silicone impression of the wax-up. With the aid of this silicone form we can temporarily add plastic to your teeth in order to demonstrate how the final crowns or veneers will appear and determine if any changes are necessary. 

The next step is to alter your teeth as needed. This is where it sounds scary, you should not worry. Many times we find very little tooth structure will need to be removed and an anesthetic is not required, as it will be painless. With traditional veneers or crowns, anesthetic will be utilized and the teeth will be prepared. The temporaries will be placed to serve as prototypes for your final porcelain veneers or crowns. In this fashion we can truly evaluate how everything will appear in your mouth and face prior to the construction of your final veneers or crowns. Again, we have another opportunity to determine if changes are necessary.

The final step is to bond your porcelain veneers or crowns in place to create that natural beautiful smile you have been wanting. This is usually completed within two weeks of the alteration of your teeth.

By following these steps we have been able to help our clients achieve beautiful, natural and functional smiles in a comfortable and predictable fashion. We take the necessary steps to avoid surprises and assure that you end up with the result that makes all of us smile.

This may sound a little technical and clinical, that is the world of a cosmetic dentist. We will try in these pages to open up this world and clear misconceptions and answer your questions.

Fell free to leave your comments and open up the dialogue.