Dangers of Dental Veneers

With our “image is everything” Western culture in high gear and going full throttle, it’s hardly surprising that millions of Americans and Europeans crave a perfect smile, with perfect teeth, and that cosmetic dentistry is the source to which they turn.
   
Most commonly, cosmetic dentistry involves removing some of the incredibly hard and perfectly healthy enamel, and then some tooth tissue, and cementing veneers to the teeth. There are two chief types of material used for veneers, composite and porcelain. A composite veneer may be placed directly on the tooth, or it may be indirectly manufactured by a dental technician in a laboratory, and later cemented to the tooth. A porcelain veneer may only be indirectly manufactured.

- Dangers of Dental Veneers video

Related Links:

- William Esh, DDS on Advances in Digital Dentistry
- Expert Commentary: Mark Morris D.M.D. 12/1/2009
- Whitening ToothPaste

Expert Commentary: Mark Morris D.M.D. 12/1/2009

Pain and root canals, public embarrassment, the loss of thousands of dollars – these can all result from poor case selection and operator technique with porcelain veneers.

Everyone hears about how movie stars and athletes get great smiles with veneers but there is not much talk about the potential downsides.  I’m a dentist.  I’ve seen it all.  I’m here to give you the inside scoop.

- Expert Commentary: Mark Morris D.M.D. 12/1/2009 video

Related Links:

- Whitening ToothPaste
- William Esh, DDS on Advances in Digital Dentistry
- Expert Commentary: John J. Kelly, DDS 10/27/2009

Expert Commentary: John J. Kelly, DDS 10/27/2009

According to a recent research there has been a gene identified that makes our bodies grow enamel. This discovery now lets us see a clearer picture of how teeth form and could create new opportunities in dental treatments. 

Researchers and scientists have been looking for ways to strengthen or replace enamel for a long time. Currently, there are products in the form of pastes that try to repair enamel. These products proclaim to effectively promote the re-calcification of decalcified enamel to thereby positively suppress any dental caries. With these recent genetic discoveries it now seems possible that we may be able to completely replace enamel instead of just repairing it.

- Expert Commentary: John J. Kelly, DDS 10/27/2009 video

Related Links:

- Expert Commentary: Mark Morris D.M.D. 12/1/2009
- Dangers of Dental Veneers
- William Esh, DDS on Advances in Digital Dentistry

Whitening ToothPaste

So you want to flash those pearly whites?

Sure you can get yourself lasered, you can go to your dentist to get bleached, but what about the low tech method: toothpaste.

Dr. Marc Liechtung, a cosmetic dentist and owner of this laser whitening center, says they do have a role. “These products have become an adjunct to in office bleaching. So we tell our patients to go out after bleaching, and get whitening toothpaste.”

In whitening toothpastes, there are two general categories of whiteners—abrasives--the most common one is silica, and anti-tartar agents.

Unlike bleaching agents like hydrogen peroxide, which get into the tooth, these superficial whiteners clean surface stains--mostly along the gum line and in between teeth.

They get to stains from things like coffee and smoking.

“People want to get like 7-8 shades lighter they’re not going to do it with just toothpaste,”says Dr. Liechtung.

But Dr. Robert Gerlach, who leads the studies on whitening at crest, says the right whitening toothpaste can make a huge difference. “The before and after images are remarkable; the patient clearly looks remarkably better. But we haven’t affected the underlying tooth color. To do that we have to diffuse peroxide in. So if you don’t have stain on your teeth, we can’t remove that stain.”

Dr. Gerlach says there are innumerable studies to back up the whitening claims. And to add to that, four crest and three Colgate pastes have the ADA seal of approval for whitening.

Dr. Clifford Whall, Director of the ADA Acceptance Program, says, “Our guidelines set specific levels of whiteness that they have to achieve in order to receive our seal.”

That’s not to say other toothpastes with whitening on the label but without the seal don’t whiten…in fact, if they contain silica, for example, they probably do.

“The second thing the whitening toothpaste do, however, is they prevent daily stain accumulation,” states Dr. Gerlach.

The ADA seal adds a layer of guarantee that there is clinical data to back up the claim. (Read more about Whitening ToothPaste)

- Whitening ToothPaste video

Related Links:

- Dangers of Dental Veneers
- Expert Commentary: Mark Morris D.M.D. 12/1/2009
- William Esh, DDS on Advances in Digital Dentistry