Maybe you’re waiting to get dental work done, or perhaps you need something permanent in order to get your beautiful smile back. No matter which solution you need, Snap-On Smile is a perfect option! This strong yet thin material is made of resin and makes it a great choice for those who would like to have something that fits over their teeth yet provides the look of real teeth. Whether you have stains, missing teeth, or gaps, Snap-On Smile can be a temporary or permanent solution in order to make your smile beautiful again and restore your confidence!

Who Is a Good Candidate?

People who don’t qualify for dental implants for bridges can be good candidates for Snap-On Smile. People who also don’t tolerate invasive procedures well or have anxieties about the more invasive dental procedures may consider Snap-On Smile as an easy yet permanent solution. It’s inexpensive and you can eat and drink with your Snap-On Smile in. The dental resin material makes it strong and mimics your real teeth. People who can’t afford costly dental procedures or who can’t undergo procedures for bridges or implants can make perfect Snap-On Smile candidates!

What to Expect

Beginning the process for your Snap-On Smile is easy. Simply schedule a visit with your dentist. You’ll be able to talk with him or her about Snap-On Smile, if you’re a good candidate, and if it’s the right choice for you. Talk with your dentist about whether you need it for a permanent solution or a temporary one. If you decide Snap-On Smile is your best option, you’ll get to choose your style and color of Snap-On Smile and talk with your dentist about which looks best for your natural look. Your dentist will then take an impression of your teeth in order for the Snap-On Smile to fit properly.

Once your initial visit is done, you’ll return just three weeks later once your Snap-On Smile has arrived at our office. You’ll go through a final fitting to ensure your Snap-On Smile fits and looks beautiful, and then you’ll be able to wear your Snap-On Smile home!

Consider Snap-On Smile if you aren’t able to afford or tolerate the procedures of dental implants and bridges. Whether you need Snap-On Smile as a solution in-between treatments or for your lifelong smile, Snap-On Smile makes a strong yet easy fix. Talk with your dentist about Snap-On Smile today to see if it’s right for you!

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Really, anyone who is missing teeth can benefit from the use of dentures. You don’t have to have all of your teeth removed to get dentures. It’s actually often better to get partials since the remaining teeth help the dentures stay in the proper place and help maintain the proper shape of the jaw. Plus, the dentures can protect the teeth you do still have from wear as long as you care for them properly. Of course, for anyone who needs to have all of their teeth removed, dentures are a beneficial option. This is also true even if you just need the top or bottom teeth to be replaced and not the whole mouth.

Rather than worrying about your age, your concern should be getting the benefits from a full mouth of teeth whether they be natural or artificial. Consider the following benefits of dentures.

Benefits of Dentures

Aesthetics – Dentures can improve the look and feel of your mouth. When a person loses his or her teeth, the face takes on a sunken look. Dentures can help restore a more natural and youthful appearance to the entire face.

Eating – Chewing with few or no teeth is just not possible. Dentures may not be able to chew like natural teeth, but it is certainly a step up from having to puree everything you eat.

Preserve Remaining Teeth – If you still have some teeth left, dentures can help to save them from further wear. Having some teeth to clip the partials too also keeps them in place. So having a few natural teeth left is a win-win when it comes to dentures.

Speaking – Having no or very few teeth distorts speech significantly. Dentures will make your words more easily understood.

Cost – Replacing lost teeth can be pricey. Dentures are definitely the most cost-effective option. They are also often covered by insurance.

Add to this modern procedures that can fix dentures in place, and you can see why they are not just for the older generation. Why not speak to your dentist and see if dentures are the right option for you?

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Why All-Ceramic Crowns?

The primary reason to use an all-ceramic crown is aesthetics. The crown can be matched to your other teeth in color and appearance. This makes it difficult to notice that a damaged tooth is being hidden and protected.

The fact that a person has a crown over a tooth is even kept out of sight if the gumline begins to recede. When porcelain fused to metal is used for a crown, a receding gumline can show some of the dark metal, but an all-ceramic crown will not display such a line.

Ceramic is also great for producing a perfect fit. Modern technology allows dentists to match the crown to your other teeth and to create a perfect fitting encasement for the damaged tooth. This is also good for the protection of the tooth.

With all of these benefits, why would anyone use a different type of crown? There are a few reasons.

A Few Disadvantages of All-Ceramic Crowns

With quality comes cost. All-ceramic crowns require craftsmanship on the part of the dentist to match your other teeth and affix the custom fit piece of dental work. This means an all-ceramic crown will often be the more expensive crown option. It is well worth it, but for some the cost is a deal breaker.

Sometimes, durability gets traded for the sake of appearances. Obviously, metal is going to be stronger than ceramic. All-ceramic crowns are designed to be the best balance of beauty and strength. Metal crowns, however, will ultimately be stronger.

Location is another factor. This really goes back to the appearance versus durability concern. For a tooth that will be visible when a person smiles, all-ceramic is an obvious choice. For a rear molar that will be doing most of the heavy chewing, it may be more appropriate to use another type of crown for the sake of making the dental work last longer.

The Bottom-Line on All-Ceramic Crowns

In summary, all-ceramic crowns are a marvel of modern cosmetic dentistry. Just be sure that your dentist is highly skilled in creating and affixing custom crowns. This will ensure that you get your money’s worth.

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The “Don’t” List

Here are some of the things you need to avoid. These are the main culprits when it comes to staining teeth.

Quit Smoking – Smoking is the absolute worst thing you can do for the coloration of your teeth. Nothing else will stain teeth faster than cigarette smoke. Quitting is not easy, but this is just one more reason to do it.

Foods to Avoid – Try to keep foods with dark pigmentation to a minimum. For example, ice pops or hard candies that are filled with dark dyes will stain your teeth. You know the ones we mean. They turn your tongue, teeth, and lips blue, green, or purple.

Beverages to Avoid – Unfortunately, favorites like coffee, black tea, colas, and red wine are all tough on tooth coloration. Keep reading for some tips on how to enjoy your favorite beverages safely.

The “Do” List

Here are some things that you can do to keep your teeth white for as long as possible.

Use a Straw – Try having your coffee or tea iced. Drinking it through a straw will minimize contact with front teeth. Less time on the enamel means less time for staining to take place.

Brush Often – If you brush your teeth after each meal, you keep those stain-causing foods and drinks from staying in contact with your teeth.

Rinse or Drink Water – If you can’t brush, rinsing with or drinking water is the next best thing. Just get as much food and drink off your teeth as possible until the next time you can get to a toothbrush.

Get a Touch Up – If you follow the suggestions here, touch ups may be a year or two apart. If you can’t stay away from your regular cup of coffee (without a straw) or other staining habits, you may need to get a touch up every six months. Your dentist can recommend a schedule to help maintain the pearly whiteness of your smile.

If you follow the tips here, you can flash a glistening, white smile every time a camera comes out.

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Glancing at the photo to the left, what is the first thing you notice? Is it the sound structure of the walkway, or the fact that there are no missing bricks? It is unlikely that this is the case, as even the shortest of glances would immediately draw the eyes to the stark discoloration. You notice that it has been repaired, and that the grout surrounding the repairs is a different color than older, undamaged brickwork. Although the walkway is structurally sound, a first impression is created around the walkway’s less than pleasing aesthetic.

Appearances are extremely powerful. Just as eyes immediately gravitate toward differences among the bricks, the same rings true for our smiles. Now and again we require our teeth to be repaired or replaced due to injury, decay, or infection. When teeth need to be replaced or require new crowns, it is important for the resulting smile to appear as natural as possible. Matching surrounding teeth can be a challenge, and a perfect match is often difficult for even the most seasoned dentist. To ensure the best match possible for the most natural looking aesthetic, it is crucial to place your trust in a dentist with a proven record of excellence.

Additionally, it is important to keep in mind that if complex dental restorations on multiple
teeth are necessary, spreading treatments out over several months or years may not be the best option for your smile. If even the same dentist does the procedures over an extended period of time, matching adjacent teeth may become far more challenging. While you may initially desire to spread the work out for financial reasons, it is important to discuss these challenges with your dentist to ensure the best aesthetic result for your rejuvenated smile. Matching repaired or replaced teeth with the rest of the smile is the key to creating the right first impression.

Before: A dentist attempted to restore the two teeth on her right with porcelain to match the two natural teeth on her left. The color match and the angles of the teeth were less than ideal.

After: Two new porcelain crowns matched the colors and shapes of the natural teeth. The black triangle” between the two front teeth was reduced in size.

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Teeth whitening procedures are effective at removing stains that are caused by food and beverages like coffee or wine, and stains that are caused by smoking. Our teeth get darker naturally as we get older, and older patients can often get good results from teeth whitening too. The most problematic stains are the ones that are caused by internal factors and stain the teeth’s inner layer, the dentin, because these do not respond well to whitening products. The exterior layer of our teeth, the enamel, is translucent, which means that light passes through it. The dentin and any stains on it can be seen through the enamel and appear to be on the surface. Removing stains that are actually on the enamel, like food stains, is easy with bleaching products, but these products cannot get through to the dentin to remove intrinsic stains. When you have intrinsic discoloration or stains, whitening your teeth may require bonding or veneers to replace or conceal the discolored portion of the teeth.

Intrinsic tooth discoloration is often caused by things that may have happened to you as a child or even before you were born. Some causes of intrinsic tooth discoloration include excessive exposure to fluoride in childhood, taking antibiotics before you were about 8 years old and antibiotic use by your mother when she was pregnant. Intrinsic discoloration can also be called by trauma or injury to the tooth, especially if there was internal bleeding.

If you have stubborn stains or dark spots on your teeth that do not improve with teeth whitening procedures, they may be intrinsic. You can discuss whitening options with the dentist. Sometimes a combination of teeth whitening and cosmetic procedures like veneers or bonding can result in a completely white and beautiful smile.

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