What is the difference between cosmetic dentistry and general dentistry?
Answer: Cosmetic dentistry is the art of practicing dentistry using the newest porcelain and composite materials. Basically the dentist attempts to make his/her work look as life like as possible. Because I graduated from UCLA dental school in 1992, for me, there has been no difference between cosmetic dentistry and general dentistry. From the day I started private practice in 1992, I used all the materials that are utilized in the art of cosmetic Dentistry. From bonded porcelain crowns and veneers to composites, I learned their use form the beginning.
What is teeth bleaching and does it hurt the teeth?
Answer: Teeth bleaching is the process of using peroxide gels placed in custom form fitted trays which hold the gel around the teeth for a given amount of time. Usually the process is performed either twice a day for one hour or worn for multiple hours during sleep. The process usually take about two weeks to complete. The teeth will revert back to their original shade so touch ups are performed once or twice a year. To date, no tooth damage has been recorded due to this process.
What are porcelain veneers and what are they capable of doing for you?
Answer: Porcelain veneers are a thin restoration that are placed on the front and sides of the teeth in the more foreword areas of the mouth. These restorations can improve the appearance of a person's smile in many ways. Porcelain veneers can change the shape, color and spacing of the teeth. By dealing with these factors, the dentist is capable of completely transforming a person's smile from one that the person is unsure of to one that they are completely confident with. People's lives can change dramatically for the better after veneers.
What is the difference between a porcelain crown and porcelain veneers?
Answer: Porcelain crowns and veneers can be made of the same material. A crown encompasses the entire tooth, whereas a veneer only covers the sides and the face of the tooth. Is one better that the other? In most cases preservation of the patient's tooth is of the utmost importance, so in the context of speaking about crowns and veneers, most of the time a person needs a crown if a veneer will not do.
What is bonding?
Answer: This is a loose term that the lay person uses to describe the use of direct composite (White) filling placement and or porcelain veneer placement.
Do these black fillings in my mouth contain mercury and if so should I get them changed?
Answer: Currently the ADA certifies that silver fillings are safe despite the fact that mercury is one ingredient found in the amalgam of metals making up their composition.
There are however, other reasons that silver fillings should be changed.
If the filling is old and deteriorating, it should be changed because often times we find leakage occurring and this leads to decay forming under the restoration.
Large silver filling have a propensity to allow teeth to fracture. In such cases a stronger restoration should be placed prophylactically.
If the patient finds them aesthetically unpleasing.
To date, the ADA and the CDA do not recommend the replacement of silver filling on the sole premise that they contain the heavy metal mercury.
