How Dental Crowns Are Used in Dentistry

Our Portsmouth dentist office places dental crowns on a regular basis. A popular dental restoration used by adults and children, a dental crown is a cap that surrounds the visible area of the tooth. This makes it an ideal restoration when a tooth has a seveer crack, chip, or is missing a large portion of the enamel. In this scenario, we can discuss alternative solutions like bonding, but nothing is as strong or as durable as the dental crown.

What they look like

Dental crowns were typically silver and while you can still get a silver crown, there are a few draw backs. Even though many people prefer silver dental crowns because of how long-lasting they are and how durable they prove to be,a silver crown stands out. If you have a root canal and have a silver crown placed afterward, it will be noticeable when you smile. If it is placed on a back tooth, the change in appearance is not as significant, but anywhere close to your front teeth and your smile will forever be altered.

We prefer to use ceramic dental crowns or ceramic-on-metal dental crowns because they look more natural. This type of restoration is still durable, but it blends in with your surrounding teeth. It looks so natural that you may not be able to tell the difference between your natural teeth and the restored tooth. As a cosmetic dentist, this is one of our goals. We want our work to look so beautiful and seamless that you will hardly notice the dental work.

As mentioned above, we regularly place dental crowns after a patient has a root canal. During the root canal procedure, we create a hole in the tooth in order to remove the infected portion. The hole is sealed up with a rubber-like substance, but the tooth is still vulnerable. A crown can cap the tooth so nothing touches the structure and it regains stability.

Our Portsmouth dental office also uses crowns to restore a damaged tooth. For example, if you crack or chip a tooth while playing sports or in a car wreck, a crown can be the perfect tool for returning your tooth to a beautiful and fully functioning smile. By surrounding the tooth, the crown makes it possible for you to bite down with force without worry that yyour tooth will cause soreness or irritation. Since the restoration looks natural, no one will be able to tell a procedure was done at all.

Another reason for using crowns is that they can improve the appearance of your teeth. A ceramic crown can cover dark stains, close gaps between your teeth, change the shape of the teeth, and even make them appear straighter. Given how versatile one's teeth are, it is clear to see why crowns are so popular. If you would like more information about how they can help you, call (757) 397-5611 and schedule a dental exam.

Cosmetic Dentist Procedures That Improve the Health of Your Gums

Typically people associate a cosmetic dentist with someone who deals exclusively in how the teeth look. To a large degree, this is true, as the bulk of what we do focuses on the appearance and restoring a beautiful smile. To that end, our Portsmouth dental office performs a number of procedures that are incredibly effective in giving you back self-confidence, a bright, radiant smile, and perfectly aligned teeth. Some of the procedures performed by a cosmetic dentist are ones that you are probably more familiar with.  This includes teeth whitening, installation of dental veneers, shaping and sizing the teeth, giving you a dental crown to replace a lost tooth or a bridge to replace multiple, and even dental implants for a permanent solution to lost teeth. These are the bread and butter procedures that we perform, virtually, every day. There are several other procedures that are performed by a cosmetic dentist or a periodontist, which are not so commonly known but still have a significant role to play in making some patients smile brighter. Both of the procedures described below started out with medical applications, and still do have an important role to play in the health of your teeth, but now are also being used for cosmetic purposes. 

Gingivectomy

As a cosmetic dentist, we also perform a procedure known as a gingivectomy, which can actually help to save your teeth from falling out. We know there is nothing more unsightly than missing teeth, and will work hard to protect you from that eventuality. A gingivectomy is performed on patients who have periodontitis. It is usually recommended when there is an imminent danger to the underlying bone which supports the teeth. However, we can also do the procedure for aesthetic reasons. Periodontitis causes the gums to become separated from the teeth, which in turn leads to deep pockets in the gums. Not only are these extremely unattractive but they become a petri dish for bacteria. The plaque, which cannot be easily removed from these deep pockets, builds up and leads to infections or worse. Left unchecked this can do permanent damage to the teeth, including causing them to fall out. The surgery is relatively easy. First the area around the site is injected with local anesthesia then, once the gums are sufficiently numb, the excess gum tissue, which is loose, is removed using a scalpel or a laser. After the procedure, we will often cover the gums with putty to protect the gums while they heal. As a cosmetic dentist in Portsmouth, we will also contour the gums to ensure that they do not lose shape during the procedure.

Gum Reshaping 

Another procedure that is often performed by a cosmetic dentist is gum reshaping or tissue contouring. Sometimes the gums are pulled back too far due to gum recession. The patient runs the risk of having their root exposed, and the teeth look too long, so the overall effect is not pleasant. Using gum reshaping, we can lengthen the gums so that they properly cover the teeth, restoring your smile and also covering your roots. The procedure is done in the clinic, in a matter of hours and is performed under local anesthesia.  

As a cosmetic dentist, these are only two of the ways that we can improve the health and appearance of your gum tissue.