Smile Advice
1st Decide what kind of smile you are looking for.
We usually break it down into two styles, a natural smile or a pageant
smile. A natural smile is white, but not overly white. It fits in with
your face and goes along with your skin tone. This is the type of veneers
Dr. Soileau has. A pageant smile, while still looking natural, is very
white. It really stands out and gets people to notice you. It is one of
your prominent features, but again, does not look unnatural. Both types
are correct. It comes done to what you want. In our practice we will actually
recreate your smile on the computer using both styles so you can have
a better idea of which one you would prefer.
2nd How many teeth show in your smile This depends
on how big you smile. Some people only show their top teeth while some
people also show their bottom teeth. Also notice how many teeth show.
Most people show at least ten teeth on the top and eight on the bottom.
Also notice your teeth when you are talking and laughing. You may show
more teeth than you think. Also look in the mirror from the sides. When
people are talking to you, they are not always directly in front of you.
3rd Consider how much time you have. If you are planning
on enhancing your smile for a particular occasion such as a pageant, wedding,
reunion, etc., plan on having your smile enhanced early. For example,
if you have a pageant or wedding coming on October 15, you really want
your smile finished by October 1 at the latest. But if you are taking
photos prior to the October 15 date, that is your true deadline and you
want to be finished a few weeks prior to this date. So for an event on
October 15, you actually want your smile finished by September 1. Depending
on when you are seeing your dentist, this may affect what options can
be done to enhance your smile.
4th Consider your treatment options & their cost. There
are several procedures that can be done. The treatment options are outlined
below. We are happy to share pricing with you if you are interested in
learning more about what we can do for you. Please review the following
procedures and complete the form below based on your areas of interest.
Bleaching
This is a simple, safe, and effective way to enhance your smile. It
does not harm the teeth or gums. It simply removes all the stains from
your teeth so that they are as white as they naturally are. Bleaching
your teeth can be done with a laser in one appointment, but we have
found the take home method with trays works much better. This method
takes about a week. Consider a few things with bleaching. It will only
get your teeth as white as they naturally are and some stains such as
tetracycline staining are tough to bleach out. If your teeth are naturally
very white, you will get an incredible result. If your teeth are naturally
a little yellow, that is as white as they will become. Also, dental
work and cement left from braces will not get whiter. The bleach will
not whiten through plaque and tarter, so have your teeth cleaned first
for best results. How long it will last depends on your diet. The four
main staining foods are soft drinks, coffee, tea, and smoking. How long
it last will depend on your diet. I have some patients that drink a
pot of coffee a day. They touch up every 6-8 months. I have some patients
that never drink coffee or smoke and they touch up once every couple
of years.
Contouring
This is a simple, painless procedure where the teeth are reshaped and
contoured to give them a more natural appearance. It is done in a single
visit. The edges are smoothed and the sides are straightened as much
as possible. This procedure is limited, but is quick and painless.
Clear Retainers
For teeth that are too crooked or rotated for contouring but they are
the right color, a clear retainer can be used to straighten your teeth.
It is brilliantly clear and is worn over your teeth. Dr. Soileau makes
them in our lab. They are worn 24 hours a day except to eat. For mild
cases, it takes about 4-6 six weeks. Afterwards you will need to wear
your retainer every night to keep the teeth in place.
Braces
For severely crooked teeth, braces may be the best option for you.
While we do not place braces in our office, we do work closely with
some incredibly talented orthodontist.
Bonding
This is a procedure where tooth colored filling material is layered
and sculpted on top of your teeth. This allows for color changes to
your teeth if you were not happy with the color after bleaching and
the ability to straighten severely crooked teeth that could not be done
with contouring. Its major advantage is that it can be done in a single
appointment. There is a down side though. The filling material is very
high maintenance. Since it is not as strong as your natural teeth it
has a tendency to chip and break. It is also porous and will stain easily.
Expect it to last about five years and then it will need to be touched
up or redone. I use this procedure for very young patients between 12-16
years of age or if the smile needs to be enhanced quickly and we do
not have time to do anything else, such as three days before a wedding
or prom.
Porcelain Veneers
This procedure involves permanently cementing thin leafs of porcelain
onto the front of your teeth that show in your smile. This is the ultimate
way of giving you a perfect smile. Because the veneers are sculpted
in a laboratory by a master ceramist, we have total control of all the
aspects of your smile.
Porcelain veneers are as durable as your natural teeth, will not stain
or lose the shine. They feel perfectly natural. Dr. Soileau has them
on his top front teeth and loves them. They should last 15-30 years
depending on how you bite and chew food. There are several steps to
the procedure in order to ensure you absolutely love the results.
The first step is to get a series of records, which includes digital
photographs of your smile and profile. With these images Dr. Soileau
will recreate your smile on the computer in different smiles. The more
you know about how you want your smile to look, the better he can create
it on the computer. This is just a starting point so that you, Dr. Soileau,
and his ceramist have an idea of what you want your smile to look like.
Next a wax blueprint is made of your teeth. This where models of your
teeth are sculpted in wax to exactly what you want your smile to look
like. This gives us a three dimensional representation of your teeth
to make sure the new smile you want will be compatible with your other
teeth. Next the teeth are prepared and temporary veneers are placed
on you teeth. This gives you a chance to wear your new smile for a few
days and then we can make any changes you want. Have you ever saw an
outfit in the Mall or in a magazine and thought it would look perfect
on you? Then you bought it and tried it on at home and it was not at
all what you thought it would be! The temporaries give you a chance
to “wear” your new smile and then let me Dr. Soileau know
what you like and don’t like about them.
Once you love the look and feel of your temporary veneers and impression
of them are sent to the lab. Now a master ceramist will sculpt your
veneers to match what was created on the computer, wax blueprint, and
your temporaries. Make sure your dentist is using the best lab available
to him. It does not matter how good the dentist is if the veneers do
not look exactly as you want when they come back from the lab. All of
us have seen smiles that were obviously not natural. This may have been
dentistry done by a great dentist, but a lower quality lab, or vice
versa.
The temporary veneers are then removed and the permanent veneers are
tried on. After you agree that they are perfect, they are cemented on
with a laser. You now have an incredible smile that you can feel confident
and excited about.
Sculpting the gums
For many patients the gums surrounding the teeth are as much of a problem
as the teeth themselves. Sometimes the gum tissue is not even making
one tooth look longer than the other or too much gum tissue shows in
their smile. For these cases I work very closely with my periodontist
Dr. Brian Pearson. Brian has an unbelievable talent for making gum tissue
look perfect.
When deciding on how you want your smile to look, these are just a
few things to help you in your decisions. Remember that you get what
you pay for and don’t just go for overnight results. Your smile
is something that you will use long after your next pageant or job interview.
It is something that people will notice and remember out you. If you
are not sure about the talents of your dentist or his lab, ask to see
some photography of his work. The best dentist and ceramist are proud
of their work and will take pictures to showcase it. Be prepared to
give your dentist enough time to do a nice job. You can’t rush
perfection, but you can achieve it.
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