Veneers are wafer-thin shells made of porcelain that are permanently adhered to the prepared surface of your natural tooth. They are as close to perfection as it comes, with a luminous appearance that looks like the enamel on your own teeth.
Porcelain veneers take at least two visits to complete. In the first visit, Dr. Ramdath takes impressions of your teeth, which are sent to a laboratory to craft your veneers. Dr. Ramdath then prepares the surface of your natural teeth by removing some of the enamel to make room for the veneers. In some cases, Dr. Ramdath may need to remove more than just the enamel, or reshape your tooth to fit the veneer. We give you anesthesia for this process, as you might experience some discomfort. The changes we make to your teeth to prepare them for traditional veneers can’t be reversed.
Like traditional veneers, minimal-prep veneers are porcelain shells that are fixed to the front surface of your teeth, but they don’t need as much modification to your tooth’s surface. Because less enamel is removed to prepare the surface of your teeth for minimal-prep veneers, you generally won’t need anesthesia. It will also take less time to complete this stage.
Minimal-preparation veneers can be a good alternative to traditional veneers to achieve a beautiful and natural-looking smile in less time and at a lower cost.
For our patients in Silver Spring, Dr. Ramdath can answer all your questions about traditional and minimal-prep veneers and work with you to decide which type of dental veneer is the best choice for you.
There are many reasons why a patient may need full-mouth restoration.
- Lost teeth due to disease or accidents
- Injured or broken teeth
- Worn-down or deteriorated teeth from grinding (bruxism), smoking, alcohol, a bad diet, or poor dental hygiene
A full-mouth restoration will likely need several dental disciplines to complete. General and restorative dentistry will involve filling cavities, treating any periodontal disease, and placing crowns or bridges, or partial or full dentures. If you have strong enough jaw bones, you could be fitted with dental implants to replace any missing teeth. You might also benefit from some cosmetic dentistry as well.
Composite bonding can do so many wonderful things to make your smile as healthy and attractive as it can be! Cavities can be filled, chipped teeth restored, or it can be applied to all of your teeth as an alternative to veneers to mask stains and flaws in your smile.
So what can we do with this amazing cosmetic dentistry technique? It can be used to restore cavities, often called white fillings. We can cover stains and cracks in your teeth with the composite dental resin and even fill in a chipped tooth so it looks as good as new! Dental bonding can be a less expensive way to give you a great smile boost similar to veneers, although the composite resin is not porcelain.
Sometimes a tooth only needs a slight adjustment if it’s crooked or slightly overlaps another tooth and needs to be better aligned with the rest of your teeth. Tooth recontouring is a simple and painless process where Dr. Ramdath removes tiny slivers of tooth enamel to improve the symmetry and health of your smile.
If you are visiting us for a cosmetic consultation, Dr. Ramdath may suggest recontouring as part of your treatment plan. It’s not a long process and can usually be completed in one visit. It’s also painless, and Dr. Ramdath will suggest recontouring only if your teeth have enough enamel to allow the removal of small strips of it. If they don’t, then she can suggest different treatments to adjust your smile, such as composite bonding.
Teeth whitening with Zoom! can work wonders! In a short amount of time, you could have a whiter, brighter smile or a more youthful look (or both!) that you’ll want to show off to the world.
We first prepare you by protecting your gums and cheeks, then our Hygienist applies the whitening agent to your teeth. A light activates the whitening gel, which brightens up your smile. You will also receive take-home whitening trays to touch up your smile ever so often.
Schedule a consultation with us to see if Teeth Whitening is right for you!
