I've talked about our Smiles by Payet Dental Discount Plan several times, but something that may be overlooked is that this even covers Cosmetic Dentistry! Imagine you're looking for a Smile Makeover and want to get Porcelain Veneers [...]
What's the Black Line Under Old Crowns? Here's a case from a few years ago where the patient was really unhappy with his old, yellow, ugly old Porcelain-to-Metal crowns, partially because of the dark grey line at the crowns' edges. That black line between the gum and crowns was from the metal inside the crowns showing through. He only had crowns on the top 6 front teeth (a bad idea), and he wanted all of his teeth bright white, and he'd gotten the crowns initially because of severe Tetracycline staining of his teeth. They were the darkest teeth I've EVER had to treat. I'll post something soon about how to create a beautiful smile despite tetracycline-stained teeth, but for this I simply want to show that dental crowns that are used to create a Smile Makeover can be just as beautiful and natural-looking as all-porcelain crowns. Replacing ugly old porcelain-and-metal crowns with a dark grey line at the gums with porcelain-to-gold crowns that look beautiful, natural, and white - to cover tetracycline-stained teeth. Most New Dental Crowns Have No Metal Especially with our Same-Day Porcelain Crowns, we almost never need crowns with metal inside them anymore, but there are occasions that it's still a good choice, as with tetracycline-stained teeth. 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!
With more and more Baby Boomers approaching or entering retirement, an issue often not considered is their dental health. I think it is actually an important topic to discuss, even more so in today's economy. Will You Have Dental Insurance After Retirement? Many Baby Boomers - my parents included - have put retirement on hold, but it's still not all that far away, and with retirement usually comes the loss of dental insurance and the loss of medical/dental Flex plans that can help a lot with covering the cost of dental care. After that, it's all out-of-pocket. Ouch! So we always recommend a thorough re-evaluation of existing dental work for things that may be on the verge of going bad. Such things could be: Old silver fillings with cavities and cracks that could turn into root canals and crowns or extractions The teeth around the old silver fillings may have cracks that could lead to broken teeth Gum (periodontal) disease Ugly old crowns that could be replaced for a nicer smile in the golden years Replacing missing teeth with dental bridges or implants so you can eat the foods you want Etc etc etc...... Old Silver Fillings Might Need Replacing This gentleman hadn't been to the dentist in a number of years but knew that he was approaching retirement, so he wanted to come in, get a cleaning, and find out if he needed to take care of anything while he still had dental insurance. Turns out that many of his 30+ year old silver fillings were in really bad condition, with pieces chipping off, cavities forming around the edges, teeth cracking, and gum disease to boot. While the total treatment that he needed involved [...]
One of my very favorite people is a simply AMAZING woman named Terrie Reeves. We first met at the Charlotte Yoga studio near Park Rd. & Woodlawn Rd. about 5 years ago, when she was an instructor and I was a student. Shortly after that, we got to talking about her smile and that, while she liked it ok, she would like it brighter and to fix the chips in the front teeth, and she'd noticed that it seemed her front teeth were getting thinner and more see-through. So after a thorough dental exam and long consultations, we decided on a Total Smile Makeover for Terrie that would be completed with 16 porcelain veneers. The top veneers were completed first, then the lower ones made to match, and ever since then, Terrie has absolutely loved her smile! And if you've ever met Terrie (which I highly recommend), you will understand when I say that her smile truly matches HER. She is filled with more energy than any 10 people have a right to, and she has to be one of the happiest people I've ever met. If you've seen the portrait of her below before......don't be surprised! After Terrie saw her post-Smile Makeover Portrait Shoot (on the side, I am a professional photographer as well), she asked if she could use some in her Wellness Coalition of America promotional materials; how could I refuse? :-)
It's been reported by the media recently that some dental crowns, made in China, have been found to have excessively high lead content. Generally, these crowns come from very low-priced laboratories, but the full extent of the problem is not yet known. However, I want ALL of my patients (and potential patients) to know that we do not use any labs in China, and in fact, we rarely use crowns that have metal in them. That's not to say that we are a "metal-free" dental office; by no means! There are a number of very good reasons to use gold, silver, and mixed metals for different situations, but none of those require that we use cheap crowns from cheap labs that might put you at risk. In fact, my patients can be reassured that they aren't getting any metal the huge majority of the time because of our CEREC 3D CAD/CAM system that allows us to make incredibly strong, very natural-looking, beautiful crowns in just 1 appointment. You can literally watch your crown being made! In those instances that we do have to use a dental laboratory, we can still avoid metal most of the time, but even then......all the labs that we use are proud to say, "Our dental lab work is made in the USA!" Just so you know it's perfectly safe to make an appointment for a crown with us, knowing there's no chance of lead in your crowns or bridges.
Another exciting technology that we offer is the CEREC CAD/CAM system. Very simply put, with CEREC we are able to design, mill, glaze, custom-stain, and bond an all-ceramic crown or onlay IN JUST ONE VISIT. That's right - no temporary crown or onlay, no second appointment to get numb, no worries about the temporary falling out. When you come in, you need the crown done, and when you leave -- it's DONE. Finito. Finished. Complete..........you get the idea. ;-) Sylvia's case this morning, an old silver filling that had cracks in the tooth around it, new decay forming at the edges, and discomfort when biting, meaning the tooth was truly starting to crack and might have broken apart.
