Hi, it's Mia Armonde here to talk to you about family dentistry. As my small family grew into a large one, I found myself at the dental office on a regular basis. Every six months, the kids would go into the dentist for a cleaning or repairs to their teeth. During that time, I took an interest in the various ways the dental tools were evolving. Tools used in the dental industry have grown in leaps and bounds in the last few decades. For example, my kids went from hearing the dental drill to wearing headphones that completely canceled out the sound. Each time we go back into the dentist, I take a close look at the improvements that have arisen since the last visit. The results are astounding. I will cover my findings on this site, so you can also enjoy the improvements to dental tools and techniques.
Dental veneers made of porcelain have a natural look and easily bond to the front of your tooth without much filing involved. Cosmetic dentists can use veneers to treat significant cosmetic issues such as a chipped or cracked tooth. But dental veneers also work wonders in situations where the cosmetic issue is relatively minor but still worth correcting.
Here are a few of the minor cosmetic dentistry issues best solved with porcelain dental veneers.
Dental Pitting
Dental pitting refers to small indentations that can form in the enamel of the tooth and potentially reveal the dentin underneath. Pitting can indicate the early stages of cavities or simply due to an improper growth of the enamel while the tooth was forming. The pits can become increasingly noticeable if they enlarge and can allow stains to form in the pits and on the dentin.
A dental veneer is the perfect coverup for the pits because the veneer doesn't require the dentist to remove excess amounts of the natural tooth to bond on the veneer. A dental crown, for example, would require the dentist to file down four sides of the tooth sufficiently to support the width of the crown, which fits down over the entire natural tooth. For the veneer, the dentist only needs to lightly file the front of the tooth to make room for the quite thin veneer.
Pegged Lateral Incisors
Lateral incisors are the teeth located on each side of what's commonly called the "two front teeth" on the upper jaw. Pegged lateral incisors are adult teeth that grew in unusually small and pointed. The problem can cause some difficulties chewing depending on the severity of the malformation but more often causes a cosmetic concern.
Dental veneers work well for the incisors because of the small amount of filing involved since you don't want to lose more of a tooth that's already undersized. A veneer is crafted in a lab to the correct size specifications, which means that the dentist can build up the incisor to the correct shape and size. This wouldn't be possible if using a dental bond, which is made of a pliable resin material that is sculpted into place directly onto the tooth using the tooth as a support.
Intrinsic Staining
Extrinsic staining happens on the exterior of the enamel due to lifestyle choices in staining foods, drinks, and tobacco. Intrinsic staining is on the dentin and usually comes from medicinal reactions or exposed dentin due to enamel erosion. Extrinsic stains can be whitened in the dentist office but intrinsic stains aren't responsive to the same type of whitening agents.
Dental veneers can cover the intrinsic staining without losing much of your natural, otherwise healthy tooth. The veneers work well even if you're prone to extrinsic staining since the porcelain material is more stain resistant than resin.
For more information, contact Michael G Landy DDS or a similar dental professional.
Share4 August 2016
