How a cosmetic dentist can create a more inviting smile using porcelain veneers and dental crowns.
Dental history:
Here are some of the things we noticed when looking at this picture of this person's smile. All or possibly only a few of these items might be of concern to this person.
The biting edges of the center two upper teeth have worn slightly.
The two teeth just to the left and right of the center upper teeth seem to have an appearance of being slightly flared.
Possibly this person's upper eyeteeth don't show quite as prominently as they might.
The lower center four teeth and the left eyetooth have an inclination to the left.
Possibly this person's teeth are not as white as they might be, although the hint of grayness shown in this picture may just be due to the photo itself.
Cosmetic dentistry treatment plan:
The placement of porcelain veneers and/or dental crowns could make the types of cosmetic changes with this person's smile that we have illustrated in our "after" picture. While porcelain veneers and dental crowns are two entirely different procedures they are somewhat similar in nature and as every year goes by and new cosmetic techniques and dental materials are introduced to dentistry the distinction between the two becomes somewhat less.
Porcelain veneers usually only cover over the front side of teeth and typically are used only to create a cosmetic change for a tooth (make it more uniformly white, perfect aspects of its shape). It seems likely that porcelain veneers could be appropriate for making the changes we have illustrated for the upper two center teeth and possibly even all of the upper teeth.
In contrast, dental crowns usually cup over and encase the tooth on which they are placed. They can provide an inviting cosmetic change for a tooth just like a porcelain veneer can but as a dental restoration they are stronger than veneers and are used in situations where this strength is needed. With this case the strength of dental crowns might be needed when making changes with the lower teeth. This decision should be left up to the dentist performing the dental treatment.
If this person does feel that their smile would be more inviting if their teeth were just a slightly lighter shade of white they might consider using one of the
over-the-counter teeth whitening systems we discuss elsewhere on Dental-Picture-Show.com. If a teeth whitening process is performed it needs to have been completed some weeks before the dental work we describe is begun.
Additional notes:
Beyond a decision regarding which teeth should be restored with dental crowns or porcelain veneers the dentist performing this work would also need to discuss with this person the potential for complications involving the nerve tissue inside their lower teeth when they are shaped. Since a tooth's nerve lies more or less in its center and since these lower teeth do lean significantly to the left the dentist's shaping does have some potential for damaging the nerve. If so root canal treatment would need to be performed before the tooth's dental crown is placed. It seems somewhat unlikely that this complication would occur but it should be discussed and considered in advance.