Beware the PERFECT look
Maybe you think perfectly aligned teeth are an ideal that everyone should aspire to with the help of their dentist. But it is unusual for teeth to shift out of line somewhat as people get older. Even teeth that seem to be lined up perfectly in childhood or adolescence may not remain that way when a person reaches adulthood. This is a natural consequence of their use in chewing food. Some teeth tend to pivot or jut out slightly, though this may not be very noticeable to the unpracticed eye. Unless there is malocclusion ( improper bite problem), a minor misalignment may not be a serious problem.
For this reason, it is not recommended that anyone past the age of 35 select even, white teeth for partial or full dentures. If they are TOO even or TOO white they will not look natural and will not make a person look younger. Let Dr. Patenaude help you select dentures that appear natural in colour, shape, and size. Good false teeth do not beg to be seen. When they fit well and look natural, hardly anyone will notice the difference.
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One Dark Tooth
If you have one dark tooth in the front of your mouth, there is no reason why you have to live with this cosmetic liability. Dr. Patenaude can make it look as natural as your other teeth. When a tooth becomes dark or discoloured, it is usually the result of some accident or injury to the tooth. It may have been so minor that you were not aware of it at the time. The injury to the tooth, however, may have caused bleeding within the tooth. With the passage of time, the blood has dried and decomposed, causing a brownish or dark-gray colour to appear.
In cases where the pulp of the tooth has been damaged or if the pulp or nerve is infected or dead, Dr. Patenaude may recommend root canal treatment to remove the pulp and help protect the tooth from further decay. He may then suggest that the tooth be bleached. However, if the tooth is chipped, damaged, or eroded, he may recommend a post-crown procedure, to restore its natural appearance. Dont let a dark tooth detract from your appearance when Dr. Patenaude can make it look natural again.
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One Tooth Can Matter
Maybe your teeth are free of decay and your gums are healthy, but you have one tooth right in the front of your mouth that's unattractive. It may be chipped or discolored. Or maybe it's been twisted out of shape for some reason or is longer than it need be. Don't let it detract from your appearance. Ask Dr. Patenaude what can be done about it.
A tooth that is longer than it need be, for instance, can look like a fang. It may even give you an angry look when you open your mouth. This tooth can be shortened and reshaped, and what a difference it will make in your smile! The same goes for a tooth that has been rotated or twisted out of shape. The problem may be that it doesn't blend symetrically with your other teeth. Dr. Patenaude can solve this problem for you.
Chipped or discolored teeth can be unsightly, no matter where they happen to be in your mouth, but especially if they are up front where they show easily. Chips can be repaired, and discolored teeth can be bleached and colored to look natural again. Ask Dr. Patenaude about it.
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Space Beteen Front Teeth
Too much space between teeth can detract from your appearance, especially if the unwanted space is in the front of your mouth where it is easily seen. This is sometimes caused by a congenital condition, one that you have inherited. It can also result from harmful habits in childhood, such as thumb sucking. When the force of the thumb is exerted against the front teeth it can move them into a forward position, making spaces appear between the teeth. Another cause is tongue-thrusting or reverse swallowing. This also puts pressure on the front teeth and pushes them forward, creating unwanted spaces.
If you have this problem, you should discuss it with Dr. Patenaude or find out what kind of treatment he recommends to eliminate the spaces. Straightening misaligned teeth by orthodontic means may be one solution. If it's not a case of misaligned teeth, he may be able to rebuild some of the teeth cosmetically to improve your appearance.
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Teeth and Facial Features
The teeth have a number of functions besides chewing food. One of the most cosmetically important of these is the support of facial contours. Loss of teeth in the adult, and especially the older adult, produces more changes in facial contour and appearance than in the child. In most people, the middle, autumn, and later years of life are characterized by a thinning and sharpening of the facial contours. During these years the support provided by intact teeth is critically important in maintaining a symmetrical and pleasing appearance.
The teeth, especially the front teeth (incisors) and the eyeteeth (canines), provide direct support to the shape of the lips, corners of the mouth, and front part of the cheeks. If these teeth are not replaced immediately, their loss causes or accentuates folding, drooping, and hollowing of the facial tissues. The result is that the person's features become unattractive.
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Ashamed Of your smile?
If you're a friendly person but are afraid to give anyone a wide smile because you're ashamed of how your mouth looks, you may be giving people the wrong impression. They may think you're unfriendly or aloof because of your reluctance to give them a full smile.
Some people whose teeth are unattractive try to hide them by making hand motions near their face and mouth when they talk, or they use their lips to help conceal their teeth. Some even turn slightly away from the person to whom they're talking and are afraid to look them directly in the eye. They don't want to see the other person's reaction to unsightly teeth.
This isn't necessary with today's dental techniques. A great deal can be done to improve the appearance of your mouth and teeth. Instead of hiding your teeth, you should make an appointment with your dentist to find out what he recommends to make them more attractive. Unsightly teeth can be capped to give them a healthy, natural look. Gaps can be filled and crooked teeth can be reshaped and realigned.
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Colour of Front Teeth
If one of your front teeth has darkened from old fillings, in most cases it is possible to restore the original colour. It can be reduced, reshaped and covered with porcelain fused to metal crown or porcelain jacket.
It should give you an excellent colour match. There is no reason to accept a truly off-color jacket, bridge or denture, on the other hand, do not study the colour with a magnifying mirror held 6 inches from your face under a high-intensity light. It is best to picture of how your mouth looks to others.
Besides, not even your original teeth match perfectly. If you were to really study your won natural teeth, you would find about three shades of the same color in the upper teeth. You would also find that lower teeth are a different shade of the same colour as the uppers.
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Keeping the Natural Look
If you have a decayed tooth that needs filling, especially if it is in the front of your mouth, Dr. Patenaude may fill it with a composite resin to help keep the natural look.
Composite resin is a fast hardening, white filling material that has the look of natural tooth enamel. It can be bonded or fused directly to the natural tooth. The bonding process not only permits the composite resin to be held firmly in place, it make it more secure than many of the older types of filling materials. It has another advantage, too, because the color can be blended more evenly to the natural tooth.
This relatively new type of tooth filling can also be used in other areas to help maintain the natural appearance of your teeth. But its most common use is to fill front teeth that have become decayed. It's advantage over silver amalgam or gold fillings, particularly in this area of the mouth, is obvious. The cosmetic results are nothing short of amazing. You'll never be able to tell that the tooth has been filled.
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Making Teeth Look Good Again
Perhaps some years ago you had your dentist perform some gold bridgework but the white facing of the crowns have discolored. Maybe there are areas along the gum line where the gold margins are visible. When you look into your mouth, it makes you uncomfortable because your teeth don't look as good as they could, especially when you smile.
Perhaps you have some old fillings that have become tarnished, and this makes you self-conscious, too. The fillings have protected your teeth from decay, and still do: and the bridgework has done its job in taking the place of missing teeth. But you want your teeth to also look as attractive as possible. You don't want other people to be reminded of the restorative work done on your teeth every time you open your mouth.
If you want your mouth to look as natural as possible, ask you dentist what he can do about it. With today's cosmetic dental techniques, Such as capping with porcelain, defects can be treated to make your teeth look good again.
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Smile Options
Thanks to new materials and techniques, people can now close gaps between teeth or restore teeth that are cracked, chipped, uneven, or discolored. Bonding is a popular method of cosmetic repair. Plastic materials, called composite resins, are painted on teeth and hardened with a special light. The resin can then be sculpted to the shape of your teeth and polished to match the color. The whole process is painless and usually requires only one visit.
Bonding is not the only way to improve your smile. Many adults are choosing to wear braces to straighten their teeth. Although this process is faster in children because their bones are still developing, orthodontics is successful for adults as well. Many prefer the new invisible lingual braces, even though they must remain on the teeth longer than ordinary braces. Unlike conventional braces, applied to outside teeth, lingual braces are placed on the tongue-side where they cannot be noticed.
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Too Late for Good Looking Teeth?
If you have teeth that would never be used in a tooth paste ad, do your think it's too late to do anything about it? Do you wish your parents had had your teeth straightened or reshaped when you were a child so they'd look good now?
It's not too late to do something about it. Corrective treatment is not just for kids. In fact, about 20 percent of all the corrective treatment performed in this country is performed on adults. This figure will probably increase, as more and more people realize how much their dentists can do to improve their appearance.
Buck teeth or crooked teeth, for example, can be so unattractive that the person who has them tries to hide them by not smiling. They're embarrassed about their mouths. But buck teeth can be reshaped, unsightly gaps can be filled, and crooked teeth can be straightened. That will not only give a lift to your appearance and personality, but it will improve your dental health as well.
Keeping your teeth and gums healthy are good reasons for seeing Dr. Patenaude. So is improvement of your personal appearance. Ask your Dr. Patenaude about it.
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What's Up Front
If you've been told that "it's what's up front that counts", Dr. Patenaude would be the first to agree with you when you need dental work on your front teeth. These are the teeth that are most noticeable every time your open your mouth to talk or smile. You want them to look as attractive as possible. There are many types of dental materials Dr. Patenaude may recommend in restoring your teeth so they will look as natural as other healthy teeth. He can use these materials to match the colour of your other teeth and he can also reshape the tooth to make it look better, eliminating any noticeable gaps. In selecting a material that will hold its colour as long as possible, he may recommend one of the new micro-filled materials which consist of very hard micro-sized crystals. Mixed with resin and applied to the surface, this material produces a very smooth surface and has highly satisfactory aesthetic results. This is only one of the options available to improve your appearance. Ask him about
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Whiter Teeth While Your Sleep
There is a new system of teeth whitening that works while you sleep. The system use a mild solution retained in a custom-fitted appliance that is worn over your teeth while you sleep. Results are usually seen in the first night. However, maximum results generally occur when the process is continued for 10 - 14 nights. Former methods of tooth bleaching had to be preformed in the dental office and used caustic solutions and intense heat. The new system uses a mild solution which is applied by the patient outside the office using a thin mouth-guard tray that is worn at night.
The most common causes of tooth discoloration include aging, staining substances (coffee, tea, colas, tobacco), trauma, tetracycline, nerve degeneration, and old restorations.
How long do the results last? The teeth will always be lighter than they were. However, some patients may need periodic rebleaching for one or two nights every 4 to 6 to 12 months.
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Tooth Bleaching
A tooth with a damaged pulp may become discoloured, usually from iron in the blood that has leaked. It usually occurs from trauma to the tooth, and it may be the first sign that the pulp has been damaged. The discolouration problem may usually be solved by internally bleaching the crown.
It is important to note that not all discoloured teeth are dead. Sometimes the pulp may recover completely after some trauma and leave a healthy and yet discoloured tooth. When pulp therapy is completed, Dr. Patenaude introduces a bleaching solution internally in the tooth. More than one visit may be necessary and between visits a milder bleach is sealed in the tooth. When a satisfactory degree of lightening has been achieved, a tooth-coloured filling will be inserted to seal the chamber. Although generally successful, bleaching doesn't always remove all stains. Other techniques such as jackets, bonding or veneering may then be used.
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Capping Front Teeth
If you'd like to improve the appearance of your front teeth because they are chipped, stained or have old-looking fillings, ask Dr. Patenaude if he would recommend capping. Your front teeth are the first thing people see when you open your mouth to talk or smile. You want them to look as attractive as possible. If the teeth are in good alignment and your gums are healthy, your dentist may suggest two alternatives for capping the teeth in which porcelain will be used. One is veneer bonding; the other is porcelain-fused to metal crowns.
Both have advantages, but Dr. Patenaude's recommendation will depend on the condition of your teeth. Capping your front teeth with porcelain-fused-to-metal has the advantage of strength as well as pleasing appearance. Veneer bonding will give your teeth natural look, will cover old stained fillings, but may not be as long lasting. They will consume less chair time and therefore more affordable.
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Cosmetic Dentistry
Are you envious when you see a model in a TV commercial smiling away with perfect teeth? In all likelihood, those teeth were not always perfect. The model probably had the benefit of cosmetic dentistry to make those teeth and the smile look beautiful. You can do the same.
Perhaps you hesitate to think about it because you assume it will be expensive. Well, vacations are expensive, as are many clothing and furniture items that you may decide you want and can afford. Cosmetic dentistry is also affordable.
For example, suppose you have a chipped front tooth that you've been ignoring. This doesn't help your appearance or your smile. However, you could probably have it repaired and restored for less than a night on the town. If you have any dental problems that are detracting from your appearance, ask Dr. Patenaude what can be done to make your teeth and smile look better. Help is here.
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Discolored Front Teeth
If you have discoloured front teeth that detract from your appearance, Dr. Patenaude can help them look natural again. There are many reasons why teeth become stained or discoloured . Sometimes it is caused by certain medications, such as antibiotics or other drug therapies used to cure illness. Personal habits, such as heavy smoking or chewing tobacco can also cause teeth discolouration . Whatever the cause, no one wants to be embarrassed by exhibiting ugly, stained teeth when smiling.
To solve this problem, Dr. Patenaude may recommend use of a composite resin. This is a versatile and useful material that has many important applications in the restoration of teeth. He can apply a thin veneer of composite resin and bond it directly over the surfaces of the stained teeth in a colour that will match your natural teeth. The next time you see Dr. Patenaude for a checkup ask him about the bonding technique to cover badly stained teeth.
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Give Yourself the Mirror Test
How do other people see you when you open your mouth to speak or smile? For that matter, how do look when your mouth is closed? To find out, give yourself the mirror test. Study your expressions, and take a close look at the appearance of your-hopefully-pearly whites.
Are your teeth out of alignment? Are there gaps that show from missing teeth? Do you have any discolored teeth or unattractive filling? All of these conditions can be corrected and improved. If there's a problem with your gums, they can be made healthier, too. This will also help save your teeth from further deterioration.
An attractive mouth and smile are always an asset. When your teeth and gums not only look good but are healthy, too, the satisfaction goes even deeper. Ask Dr. Patenaude what he would recommend to improve the appearance of your mouth and smile. You may be pleasantly surprised to find that some problems may even be corrected in one office visit.
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Guilty About Looking Better?
How do you feel about your dental work that's done strictly to improve your appearance? Does this make you feel guilty? It shouldn't. How you feel about yourself depends quite a bit on how you look. Especially how you look when you smile.
If you have chipped teeth, teeth that are crooked or misshapen, this affects your appearance. How about teeth that are too long or too short, or teeth that have wide gaps between them? All of these conditions can be changed by your dentist so your teeth and smile will look as attractive as possible.
Neglecting decayed or damaged teeth or infected gums is bad for your health. Prompt treatment can save your teeth. Treatment to improve the appearance of your teeth and mouth is also important for your sense of well being. The next time you see Dr. Patenaude for a checkup, ask what would be recommended to improve the appearance of your mouth.
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Improving Your Appearance
If you would like to improve the appearance of your teeth and smile, ask Dr. Patenaude about the laminate veneer technique to mask any chips, gaps, discolorations or other imperfections. Your smile can be an asset when your teeth and gums are healthy and shaped to show you off at your best. Imperfections in the shape and condition of teeth, however, can make you self-conscious as well as detract from your general appearance.
The laminate veneer technique involves repairing and reshaping damaged tooth surfaces and applying a thin shell of tooth-coloured veneers through a chemical bonding process. If you are bothered by imperfections in your teeth and would like to have them treated, discuss the problem with Dr. Patenaude.
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Movie Star Restoration
In extensively decayed teeth where several surfaces have been destroyed, a crown (cap) which covers the entire crown of the tooth (somewhat as a thimble covers the fingertip) may be the restoration of choice. These are constructed of a number of materials. Crowns of gold are usually recommended or the posterior (back) teeth in adults; stainless steel crowns are most frequently used in children. Crowns placed on anterior (front) teeth are usually a combination of a gold foundation covered by a faade of plastic or porcelain. Of these two materials, porcelain if by far the most durable and desirable. Due to its superior light refraction and reflection, it is essential for movie and television actors. Plastic crowns tend to show as dark spaces on the movie or television screen; whereas porcelain has the look of natural tooth enamel. Porcelain crowns require more laboratory time and are more expensive. However, they tend to look better longer and are a better investment.
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Never Too Old
IF you think you're too old for good looking teeth, take another look at the many television and movie actors who've achieved their first half-century and still have beautiful looking teeth. Anyone who is not in solitary confinement wants good looking teeth and an attractive smile.
You don't have to be an actor to care about your appearance, no matter what your age. You are never too old for good looking teeth, and if you have a problem that needs correcting, your dentist can help you solve it.
It's not unusual for some teeth to become chipped and damaged over a period of time, for example. Other teeth may become crooked or out of alignment because the gaps from missing teeth haven't been filled. This not only affects the shape of your mouth, but the shape of your face.
It can also add wrinkle lines and sags to the skin that are really not necessary, not with good dental treatment.
If your teeth are detracting from your appearance, see Dr. Patenaude and ask him what he would recommend to give you good looking teeth.
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