Cosmetic dentistry at our dental office, located in Southpark Charlotte NC, includes a wide range of dental treatments, such as Teeth Whitening, Deep Bleaching (TM), Porcelain (laminate) Veneers, Porcelain crowns and bridges, Dental Implants. Dr. Charles Payet has extensive training and experience in providing patients beautiful Smile Makeovers for over 10 years.
Do CEREC Same-Day Crowns Last a Long Time?
When it comes to dental crowns, patients have long loved the convenience of the CEREC CAD/CAM system, but some patients do ask if these crowns are as good as the those made by traditional dental labs. They particularly want to know how long these crowns last, because no one wants to have them redone any sooner than necessary. With that in mind, I happened to see a patient recently who has in her mouth the longest-lasting CEREC crown that I've ever done: my Mom! Porcelain Dental Crown Materials are the Same in Lab & Office CEREC E.max bridge The simple fact is that both labs and CEREC offices use identical materials when making most porcelain crowns, onlays, and veneers. For many years, Empress and VITA ceramics were highly used, but today the 2 most common materials are E.max and Zirconia, although there are many others available. Even when dentists use traditional impression materials today, almost all labs still have scanners to convert the models into digital format to design and mill the crowns, bridges, or onlays. That's why dentists with CAD/CAM systems and labs use identical materials, because we're using extremely similar methods to make them. Because manufacturers can provide the same materials in the same sizes and shapes to both labs and dentists, it has helped keep the cost of these new methods steady. That's why we don't charge a different fee based on doing it with CEREC or sending it to the lab. It's true that most dental offices using CEREC can only make onlays, crowns, and bridges from E.max; the oven necessary to bake and crystallize Zirconia crowns only became broadly and affordably available within the last couple years, but they [...]
Replacing Veneers after 15 Years
There are a number of important questions to ask when considering cosmetic dentistry, including porcelain veneers: How many veneers do I need? What can (and can't) you change about my smile with veneers? When are veneers better than braces? How much do veneers cost? How long do veneers last and what happens when they need replacing? Recently, we saw a patient for whom I did 8 porcelain veneers in 2001, and his case illustrates all of these questions, so without further ado, let me introduce Steve's teeth. (He's a rather private person and prefers not having his portrait used, and this is something that we always respect.) Please forgive the varying levels of photography you see through this article; the first photos were originally slide film that were scanned from negatives, then they move through a series of progressively better cameras and a progressively improving photographer (me). :-) I've tried to even them out with Photoshop, but rest assured, absolutely nothing else has been done to the photos. 8 Porcelain Veneers in 2001 Steve originally came to us because he was getting ready to attend a big high school reunion, if I recall correctly. It was on kind of short notice, too, as in he was catching a flight the next day. Yikes! But we arranged to see him later that day and started him on 8 veneers to lengthen his worn-down teeth. He looked pretty good with the temporary veneers for the reunion, and we saw him a few weeks later to bond in the real porcelain veneers. So back in 2001, the first set of 8 veneers took Steve's smile from here: Fast Forward to August 2015 & 2 Cracked Veneers Given that Steve [...]
A New Smile with Porcelain Veneers for a Wedding
As a cosmetic dentist, one of the absolute most satisfying parts of my job is the ability to give someone a new smile. Especially when it's because the person has an important event coming up, like getting married! And that's just what happened recently with our patients Michael and Becky. :-) Scroll beyond the photo to read their story. A New Smile In Just 4 Weeks With Veneers Becky referred her fiancé Michael to us in early March because they had planned their wedding for early April. While Michael was being your kind of typical guy ("Hey, I think my smile's ok, right?"), Becky was hoping that we could brighten and straighten up his smile for their wedding pictures. And because Michael obviously loves Becky, he wanted to make her happy. Which we all think is really sweet of him. :-D And to tell the truth, I totally get that! After all, I got 8 veneers bonded in just 4 days before my wedding in 2006. So after some discussion, we agreed that veneers were also the best choice for Michael. Due to time constraints, they were really the ONLY option. Thankfully, we work with an absolutely superb dental lab based out in Oregon named Disa Dental Studio, with a true artist and ceramist, Bill Marais. Bill is quite literally known and respected for his work around the world, and we're very fortunate to work with him. Even though the pressure was on, with less than 5 weeks from the time Michael first came in, Bill delivered a phenomenal work of art. We bonded in Michael's veneers on Tuesday, and the wedding was the very next Saturday. Obviously, Michael had a lot more to smile about [...]
2015: A Review of this Charlotte Dentist’s Blogs
Back in 2014, I was kind of a blogging machine, with 29 total blog articles published that year. In 2015, partially due to some neck/shoulder problems, I wasn't able to write nearly as much, as I had to stay away from the keyboard for several months, but I still did publish 15 total articles. Five of those were minor office announcements, but 10 of them were quite in-depth and took a heck of a lot of work. That's the other reason I didn't write as prolifically, because each article took much longer to research, fact-check, and verify. Thanks to some networking and connecting with people in the science, nutrition, farming, medicine, and skeptical communities, my posts in 2015 were read by a tremendously larger audience, and I'm very grateful to all the people who helped spread the word. Best Dental Blog Posts of 2015 ➣ Fluoride is Safe and Effective: after reading way too many BS articles about the alleged dangers of fluoride, I knew it was time to write an in-depth article on just how safe and effective it is at preventing cavities. All that crap thrown around by anti-fluoridationists is just that - crap. Every single claim they've ever made has been thoroughly debunked and shown to be false. I do review changed AAP Guidelines, too. ➣ Water Fluoridation Does NOT Increase ADHD: this was in response to a BS article in Newsweek by an anti-fluoride journalist (Newsweek should be ashamed) about a totally crappy study that absolutely didn't prove any connection between ADHD and water fluoridation. I took this one personally, since I'm also ADD. And while I'm at it, I should mention that French kids DO have ADHD - I'm French. That editorial [...]
How Many Veneers Do You Need?
So you're unhappy with your smile and are thinking about getting some cosmetic dentistry done, but you're not sure how many teeth will be involved or how to plan your budget? Well, in this article I'll answer many of the most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) that we hear during Cosmetic Dentistry Consultations, especially because we're seeing a lot more patients interested in Smile Makeovers these days. To get started, take a good look at this old image of Matthew Perry from his early days in Friends to get an idea of what you DON'T want. :-) Most likely, many of your questions will be answered simply by looking at it, but we'll cover each question individually. If you'd like to see more examples of the cosmetic dentistry that we do in our Charlotte dental office, you can read and see more here: Cosmetic Dentistry Before-and-After Porcelain Veneers Before-and-After Porcelain Bridges A New Smile with Porcelain Veneers for a Wedding But First - Veneers/Crowns or Braces? Before we start talking about how many porcelain veneers or crowns you need/want, let's talk about when cosmetic dentistry is best and when braces, whether Invisalign, Six Month Braces, or the Inman Aligner, might be a better choice. In simplest terms, I suggest thinking of it like this: If you like the way your teeth look overall, but they're just crooked in some way, braces are always the way to go. After all, it's less expensive and non-invasive. But if your teeth are badly worn, or severely stained, or broken, or will somehow look ugly even if they are straight, then porcelain veneers/crowns may be a better option, because they can make the teeth look beautiful, not just straight. How Many [...]
Porcelain Veneers for a New Smile
It's been a little while since I posted any of our Cosmetic Dentistry cases, as I've been pretty busy with learning more about social media, blogging on other topics, etc., so it's time to start showing off again what we do here. After all, if you can back it up, it's not bragging, right? :-) 2 Porcelain Veneers to Fix a Smile When K.C. first came to our office, he was unhappy with the bonding on his 2 front teeth, as he'd had it done multiple times, but it kept chipping and staining. Overall, he was pretty happy with his smile - didn't want to make any big changes, was happy with how bright the teeth were, etc. But he wanted a better solution for the 2 front teeth. While bonding is a great solution to fixed chipped and worn teeth, for patients with the highest esthetic demands AND who want the work to last as long as possible, I'm still a believer that porcelain veneers or crowns are the right solution. Of course, for patients who keep chipping their teeth, we highly recommend a NTI nightguard to protect against teeth grinding at night. Since K.C. didn't have concerns about any other teeth, the right choice was just 2 porcelain veneers, and in about 3 weeks, he went from having stained, uneven, and chipped teeth to a smile he loves again. How Many Porcelain Veneers Do You Need? As mentioned, K.C. was only interested in 2 veneers, because he was pretty happy with the rest of his teeth. The number of veneers you "need" is really dependent on a bunch of questions, though, so I did a video to help answer many of [...]
Hate Your Smile? We Can Fix That
We know that a LOT of people are unhappy with something about their smile. Whether it's crooked teeth, gaps, uneven or excessive gums, chipped and worn teeth, stains from coffee/tea/soda, broken teeth from trauma....you name it, we can fix it. We offer so many different options to help you LOVE your smile instead of hate it. If this is the kind of dentistry you'd like, Request an Appointment Online or call us at 704-364-7069. We'll look forward to meeting you soon!
Six Month Braces Give You Straight Teeth Fast
If there’s a common theme to most of the adult patients who come see us to learn about Powerprox Six Month Braces Technique, which we’ve been using with great results for over 10 years now, it’s this: “I want a straight smile, but I really don’t want to wear braces for 2-3 years!” Patients Love Six Month Braces – Seriously Most of the time, patients don’t like to see the dentist. However, if there’s one procedure they actually WANT to come see us for, hands-down, it is Six Month Braces. And if there’s one thing that we LOVE to do for our patients, it’s to make that dream come true. We had a patient in today, who started his braces on January 15th, 2014, so just barely over 3 months ago, and you can see how quickly he’s almost finished. We anticipate finishing him in just 6-8 more weeks, so he’ll actually be done FASTER than six months. It was fun showing him his “Before” photo today, and he’d already forgotten just how crooked those lower eye teeth were. […]
Laser Cosmetic Dentistry: Fixing a Gummy Smile
As I discussed in my last post about Cosmetic Dentistry: Invisalign and a Dental Implant, you don’t always need teeth whitening or porcelain veneers to make a smile more beautiful, nor does it have super expensive, take a long time, or require drilling on your teeth. Sometimes, cosmetic dentistry can be as simple as fixing a gummy smile with laser dentistry. Gummy Smiles Don’t Need Veneers – They Need Less Gums! This is honestly one of my favorite kinds of cosmetic dental treatment, but it’s one that many dentists aren’t aware can be done so easily. I wrote about another one of our patients, who still comes in for her check-ups every 6 months like clockwork for the last 5 years), and her Cosmetic Gum Lift, back in 2009. She still can’t believe just how much of a difference it made, and this young lady now feels much the same way. […]
Cosmetic Dentistry: Invisalign and a Dental Implant
In cosmetic dentistry, matching a single front crown or veneer to the natural teeth around it is considered the single most difficult cosmetic challenge there is. And when that crown is on a dental implant, it's even harder. This is when you want a dentist with lots of experience to put together the right plan and the right team for the best possible result. Here at Smiles by Payet Family Dentistry, that's exactly what you'll find, and here's a perfect example of how it can be done. A Smile Makeover in Stages When Griffin first came to us in 2011, his main concern was to replace his missing front tooth. While we could have finished his case fairly quickly with a dental bridge, or even with just the dental implant and crown, there were a couple other things about his smile that could be improved, too. The spacing wasn't ideal, and the teeth on the left side were slanted wrong; if we'd left them as is, it would have been almost impossible to change after the implant. While a dental bridge could have fixed those concerns, Griffin wisely avoided that choice because the neighboring teeth were perfectly healthy, and there was no good reason to drill on them. The final plan for Griffin was as follows: Invisalign to straighten his teeth and fix some minor bite issues Bone grafting since there wasn't enough for the implant The dental implant Teeth Whitening Final dental crown Step 1: Invisalign and the Implant The Invisalign treatment was fairly minor and took less than 6 months. Next we referred him to Dr. Mehul Gadhia of PerioCare Carolinas for the bone augmentation; after the necessary 3 months of healing, a [...]
