|
>
Home
>
Contact Us
>
Our Practice
Saratoga
Springs -
South Glen Falls
Gloversville -
Greenwich -
Clifton Park
>
Dentists &
Staff
>
Smile Gallery
>
Cosmetic
Dentistry
>
Composite
(White) Fillings
>
All Porcelain
Crowns
>
All Porcelain Fixed
Bridges
>
Veneers
>ZOOM!
Tooth Whitening
>
Invisalign (Invisible
Braces)
>Esthetic
Gum Recontouring
> Invisalign (Invisible
Braces)
> Zoom Teeth Whitening
>
Family
Dentistry
>
Pediatric Dentists |
|
COSMETIC DENTISTRY
A great smile conveys health, happiness
and vitality. Not only will you look more attractive but, more
importantly, you will feel more attractive. But not everyone is born
with sparkling straight teeth. There was once a time when you had to
live with the teeth you were born with, those days are long gone.
Imagine….getting a total smile makeover with no pain and
having it done in a tranquil setting. |
 |
|
Imagine….having yellow, stained and discolored teeth transformed
into beautiful white teeth in one visit, a visit that allows you to relax
in a heated massage chair, listen to music under a cozy blanket while
aromatherapy candles are lit around you.
Imagine….having your uneven teeth perfectly aligned by the help of
the highest quality, no preparation veneers or with Invisalign, the
invisible alternative to braces.
Imagine….having dark ugly fillings replaced by tooth colored
bonding for a cavity free look in only one painless visit.
So if you look in the mirror everyday and don’t like the smile you see let
our team design the smile of your dreams. Whether walking Broadway in
Saratoga Springs, taking the boat out on the Great Sacandaga or just
heading off to the mall in Clifton Park, you’ll be more confident with a
beautiful smile.
LET OUR TEAM DESIGN AND DELIVER YOUR DREAM SMILE.
Our cosmetic dentists can:
1. Change the size, shape and alignment of your teeth (Instant Ortho)
2. Fill in unattractive smiles
3. Improve or correct bites
4. Lighten and brighten the color of your teeth
5. Repair decayed, broken, cracked or chipped teeth
6. Replace missing teeth
7. Replace old, unattractive silver fillings
8. Replace discolored and stained bonding
|
|
COMPOSITE FILLINGS
Are you tired of looking in the mirror and seeing those big black
fillings? Are you tired of your children asking, “Why are your teeth
gray?”. If your old silver fillings are unbecoming to you, then you should
be coming to us.
All of our practices are completely amalgam (silver-filling) free. We us
only the newest technologies in tooth bonding to deliver white composite
restorations that will blend seamlessly into your natural tooth. Don’t
settle anymore for a smile you’re not proud of; talk to any of our staff
about the changes you would like to achieve – it may be far more simple
than you ever dreamed.
|
 |
|
• HOW ARE WHITE FILLINGS PLACED? |
 |
When you arrive at any of our offices for a
filling, you will be greeted by a friendly staff that will discuss the
procedure completely prior to initiating any treatment and answer all
questions. Next, your dentist will use an advanced spectrophotometer to
check your tooth shade. |
|
What is a spectrophotometer? It is the latest advancement in cosmetic
dentistry, the Vita Easyshade (a spectrophotometer) measures the shade of
you teeth. It is capable of detecting over 45 different shades and
will even give three different shades per tooth for, a gumline shade, a
body shade and a top shade (an incisal shade). The result is a near miss
color match every time, making it hard for even your dentist to find your
fillings. After we’ve selected your shade, we will remove the decay and
existing silver fillings quickly and painlessly. Your new white fillings
will be placed and cured (hardened) with the latest plasma arc curing
light, ensuring a faster procedure for you and less post-operative
temperature sensitivity than the conventional methods. Your new white
fillings will be polished to a high shine and your new smile is ready to
be unveiled.
If you can’t be cavity free, let us make it
look like you are!
|
PORCELAIN CROWNS
Do you know someone who has large white crowns that look terrible? Do you
know anyone that shows a gray line around their crowns at the gumline? If
you think all crowns have to look like these, then let our practice
introduce you to cosmetic dentistry done the right way.
Advances in ceramic technologies have now made it possible to create
beautiful, metal-free, life-like restorations for both the front and back
teeth.
Our dentists will evaluate your needs, your occlusion (bite) and the
cosmetics required to choose just the right product to achieve your ideal
result. Talk to our dentists about improving your smile, you might like
what we can do. |
 |
|
Although there are numerous types and brand
names for all ceramic crowns, which we use for different indications,
below we highlight two of our favorites. The first is a gorgeous pressed
ceramic crown known as Empress, while the second, known as Lava, is an
ultra strong but life-like crown perfect for back teeth. |
• IPS EMPRESS CROWNS
IPS Empress has more than 15 years of proven experience in the practice of
metal free restorations. This beautiful product allows every crown to
exhibit the natural contours and aesthetics while maintaining the highest
quality standards.
|
 |
• LAVA CROWNS
Lava all ceramic crowns are one of the strongest zirconia-based
restorations available today. The unique structure is made with a
precision milling system and can withstand forces many times greater than
those generated in the mouth yet the translucent overlay still maintains
beautiful, natural aesthetics results |
 |
ALL PORCELAIN FIXED BRIDGES
Until recently the only option the cosmetic dentist had to restore a
missing tooth or multiple missing teeth with a dental bridge was the
conventional porcelain fused to metal (PFM) bridge previously described in
the family dental section. Although highly effective and often quite
cosmetic, the PFM bridge has three hurdles the general dentist had to
contend with, first the underlying metal framework did not allow light to
pass through the restoration resulting in “dead-looking” crowns. Secondly,
the appearance of a gray line at the gumline and lastly, the large metal
quantity often made the appliance heavy and uncomfortable to wear.
Today, however, the advent of beautiful all ceramic materials allow our
cosmetic dentists the ability to plan and execute superior long span all
ceramic bridges to replace multiple teeth.
|
• PREPARING FOR AN ALL CERAMIC BRIDGE
|
|
In order to ensure the best possible results,
our dentists will take several steps in the pre-treatment phase to help
the patient visualize the case. First, is the use of smile design software
– this software allows the patient to visualize what the final results
should look like from a patient’s photo. Second, is the use of diagnostic
wax-ups or mock-ups – using models of the patients existing teeth, the
final restorations are designed in wax. During this stage the patient can
evaluate the shape, length and form of the teeth. Lastly, is the use of
lab fabricated temporaries or provisional restorations. These temporary
bridges allow for immediate make-over’s following preparation of the
teeth. In addition to be exceptionally strong, the dentist and the patient
can truly evaluate the color of the teeth, the shape, the length, the form
and the bite before proceeding to the final results. |
 |
|
If you are a patient currently wearing a
removable partial denture or a flipper and you hate having a removable
appliance but you were unhappy with the idea of a metal bridge, talk with
our staff about an all ceramic fixed bridge. |
|
VENEERS
Veneers are very thin pieces of durable, tooth shaped porcelain that are
custom made (for shape and color) by a professional dental laboratory.
They are bonded onto the front of the teeth to create a beautiful and
attractive smile.
Veneers can completely reshape your teeth and smile. They can often be |
 |
|
alternatives to crowns and the ideal solution in treating many dental
conditions.
As with most dental restorations, veneers are not guaranteed to last a
lifetime and may someday need replacement. However, they are very durable
and will give you many years of wonderful service with the proper care.
|
• REASONS FOR PORCELAIN
VENEERS:
1. Cosmetically, to create a uniform, white beautiful smile
2. Crooked teeth
3. Misshapen teeth
4. Severely discolored or stained teeth
5. Teeth that are too small or too large
6. Unwanted or uneven spaces
7. Worn or chipped teeth |
 |
Veneers are considered minimally invasive
dentistry and can be preformed one of two ways. First, is with minimal
tooth preparation (reduction), typically between 0.3 and 0.5 mm of tooth
reduction. Secondly, they can be completed without any tooth reduction,
being applied directly over the face of the tooth, much like a contact
lens, changing the color and shape of the teeth without a single injection
or any drilling. Currently, the popular “no preparation” veneers are known
as LUMINEERS – our dental staff would be happy to discuss the
different veneers with you and their different indications.
|
|
• WHAT DOES GETTING PORCELAIN VENEERS INVOLVE?
Getting veneers usually requires three visits to complete the process,
with little or no anesthesia required during the entire procedure. At the
first visit, the dentist will work with the patient to design the smile of
which you’ve always dreamed. The procedure may involve taking impressions
to make models of your mouth and taking photographs so we can do a digital
rendering of the final results with smile design software. Our models also
allow for the fabrication of beautiful lab fabricated temporaries to be
ready for your smile transformation. On the second visit, the teeth are
prepared by lightly buffing and shaping the surface to allow for the
thickness of the veneer. |
|
 |
|
A mold or impression of the teeth is made and
a shade (color) will then be chosen by you and the dentist. The temporary
veneers will be cemented so that the patient can evaluate the esthetics
and occlusion of their new smile. On the third visit, the temporaries will
be removed; the teeth will be cleansed with special liquids to achieve a
durable bond. Bonding cement will be placed between the tooth and the
veneer and the cement will be hardened with a special light. Our staff
will review all the new care instructions for your veneers. Proper
brushing, flossing and regular dental visits will aid in the life of your
new veneers. |
|
ESTHETIC GUM RECONTOURING
Having a beautiful smile is more than having beautiful teeth, you need
proper lip support, the right height to your smile, you need the cheeks (buccal
tissue) to be tight to the teeth to eliminate black triangles at the
corners of your mouth when you smile and you need gorgeous gums. Gorgeous
gums are pink and firm, they are tight to the tooth and they are
symmetrical across the teeth. The gum tissue should not be too high,
exposing the root of the tooth, and it should not be too low, making the
teeth look short and square. Many patients come to our office seeking a
consult because they don’t like the look of their teeth, when in actuality
they really don’t like the look of their gums.
• GUMS FRAME THE TEETH
Healthy, well contoured, pink gum tissue compliments and frames the teeth.
The aesthetic framing of the gum tissue is as important to the teeth as
the quality of the frame is to a work of art. Gum tissue that is red and
swollen, unsymmetrical and unhealthy detracts from teeth that are
otherwise healthy.
 |
• HOW DO WE IMPROVE THE APPEARANCE OF THE
GUMS?
Esthetic gum recontouring can not even be planned until all existing
inflammation in the gingival tissue is resolved. When the gums are
unhealthy, they appear swollen and “puffy”, once healthy the dentist can
get an accurate picture of the gingival condition and symmetry. Depending
on the periodontal health, the gum healing will begin with a thorough
cleaning and improved oral hygiene. Once the hygiene has been established
and the gums can be evaluated, the cosmetic dentist is looking to
establish |
 |
gingival contours which are symmetrical on
both sides of the mouth, with the gum height even between the two from
teeth and at the same height as the two canines. The laterals can range
anywhere between 1mm below the height of the centrals to even with the
centrals depending on patient preference – what matters most is symmetry.
Depending on how much the gums need to be lifted (or recontoured)
determines the type of procedure. Typically, in all of our procedures,
diagnostic models with the desired gum lift planned out are made prior to
any procedure along with a clear acrylic guide to assist in achieving the
desired symmetry. If only a minor lift is needed, the gum tissue is
trimmed according to our guide to achieve a more “aesthetically balanced
appearance”. This is typically known as a simple gum lift, gingivectomy or
esthetic gum recontouring.
If, by removing the excessive gum tissue, we feel we may approach the bone
supporting the teeth, we may need to consider referral to a periodontist
or oral surgeon. In these instances, the bone along the front of the root
may also need to be altered. This is done to preserve a principle known as
“biologic width”, which if violated, may result in persistent gingival
inflammation, redness and recession around any restorations placed on the
teeth involved.
Esthetic gum recontouring is a remarkably simple cosmetic procedure that
can make a tremendous difference to your smile. |
|
