Lumineers - minimally invasive ceramic veneers

What is a veneer?

A veneer is a thin layer of ceramic that is added over the visible surface of a tooth for aesthetic purposes, namely to enhance the smile appearance. Maybe you have crowded or misaligned teeth or there are other visible problems as stains, cavities, or differences in size and shape of your teeth. A lot of these problems can be solved with porcelain veneers. Please note that problems as infections, gingival, periodontal and root canal procedures should be solved prior to the veneer preparation.

Why is Lumineers different?

The main difference lies in the ceramic. Not all ceramics are the same and Lumineers uses a special kind called Cerinate. This makes a minimum thickness of 0.2 - 0.3 mm possible. The traditional veneer needs at least 0.5 mm of thickness. So the desired result is obtained with half the thickness, double the strength. Having this advantage, there is no need to prepare the tooth, therefore the tooth structure will remain intact. For the traditional veneer an important thick layer of the tooth needs to be removed, making the procedure sometimes painful and the tooth is inevitably altered.

The big question is the following: Are they strong enough? Well, yes they are! As a matter of fact you get a warranty from the producer with your name on it so you should't worry about this, any problems that might occur will be fixed. Clinical testing shows that Lumineers will last over 20 years. And this is good to know especially that over 250.000 people are using them.

So, let's see two cases that will ilustrate this better than any words.

Case 1.

The two lateral incisors were very small, making the smile inharmonious. This case was a simple, two appointments one. The first appointment was for taking the impression and the second one for placing the Lumineers. No shots, no pain, no preparation.

Case 2.

This was a complex case, with 15 Lumineers and 8 ceramic zirconium crowns that needed to fit together perfectly. For the Lumineers we had to perform a minimally preparation because some teeth were misaligned and needed to be reduced in size. The preparation only concerned the enamel layer so the tooth remained vital and the procedure was not painful at all. The lower teeth were prepared to gain space for a correct bite. We also needed to change the colour of the smile, the shape of the teeth and to replace (with porcelain zirconium bridges) the missing teeth.

Conclusion:

These cases illustrate two situations that are suitable for Lumineers. Not all cases can be solved this way and you should ask your specialised dentist about more details for your case.

And, when your Hollywood smile is done... keep on smiling but dont forget to brush and floss! 🙂

Dr. Bogdan Fondrea - www.dentaldesign.ro

How is a composite filling made?

Sometimes you feel that one or more of your teeth hurt, maybe when you drink cold water or when you eat sweets. Perhaps when you look in the mirror you see dark spots on your tooth and maybe a part of it is missing. This is what we call a cavity. And our recomandation is to call your dentist. 🙂

Sometimes you look in the mirror and you see an old filling and the tooth feels sensitive. An x-ray is needed so that the dentist is able to diagnose if there is a cavity under that old filling or not. It is best to treat caries as soon as possible because at first it is small in size but in time it can deepen, affecting the pulp and maybe requiring a root canal treatment and possibly a crown. This will be more expensive and more time consuming for you.

Here you have a short description of the protocol regarding the treatment of a cavity.

1 The dentist will find the cavity that is giving you a hard time. Sometimes a X-ray is needed.

2 The dentist will determine the right treatment plan, after asking about your medical history.

3 Than a local anesthesia is peformed to numb the tooth. This way you will feel no pain during the procedure.

4 The neighboring teeth will be isolated with a rubber dam so the saliva won't enter in the preparation or under the new filling. Also, during the procedure dental material will be prevented from reaching your mouth. It is important that you are protected.

5 The old filling will be removed using diamond drills, with no pain (you are under anesthetic effect) and the tooth will be cleaned. No decay will be left. The dentist can make sure of this using caries detectors.

6 Now the new filling will be placed into the prepared tooth. Liners, adhesives, composites and other materials will be used. This will take some time and the artistic side of the dentist will emerge at this point. 🙂 At the end you can see that dentist are more than dentists, they are small artists, carving a new natural-looking tooth.

7 At the end, after removing the rubber dam, some adjustments will be made for the optimal occlusion.

8 Finally you can smile, chew and the pain is gone.

In the pictures above you can see the old filling, the preparation, and the new filling that is very similar with the natural neighbouring tooth. You can also see the metallic matrix placed between the teeth to help rebuild the missing wall in oder for the final reconstruction to mimic a natural enemal wall.

Now, at the end, don't forget that a composite filling is not made for life and is best to be maintained in optimal condition by brushing and flossing after meals and regular check-ups.

Dr. Bogdan Fondrea - www.dentaldesign.ro

Sa invatam sa zambim :)

Primul zambet apare la 2 - 12 ore dupa nastere si de aici, urmeaza o viata presarata de zambete. La inceput copilul leaga relatii cu oamenii din jur, chiar daca este un zambet gol, fara continut. Dupa prima luna, pana prin luna a patra de viata, apare un zambet direct, copilul privind in ochii celui ce ii zambeste. Motivele de aici devin din e in ce mai variate, dar un zambet se stie ca poate aduce multe beneficii. Oamenii te plac mai facil daca le zambesti si viata intreaga este mai usoara cand zambesti.

Cand cineva iti zambeste, tu stii la nivel subconstient, daca este sincer. Stii daca te simpatizeaza, daca te iubeste, daca se bucura ca te vede.

Cineva iti zambeste, tu esti astfel valorizat, si te simti bine. Stii ca ti-a fost simtita lipsa, stii ca esti sustinut, stii ca cineva este mandru de tine si stii ca poti avea incredere in acel cineva. Stii atatea doar pe baza unui simplu zambet! 🙂

Cat de importanta devine astfel aceasta expresie! Se spune ca ochii sunt oglinda sufletului, dar oare zambetul ce este? Poti sa recunosti un zambet fals, de compatimire, de ignoranta, de dezgust, de agresivitate, de tradare. Poti astfel sa stii cine este omul din fata ta si ce simte si ce gandeste. Si, ai astfel acces in sufletul si in mintea lui. Si acolo, in zambetul acelui cineva, te oglindesti TU.

Zambetul cuiva nu este oglinda sufletului acelei persoane ci este oglinda a tot ceea ce reprezinti TU in acea persoana.

Zambetul lui este oglinda in care tu vezi cum te vede el.

Zambetul ei este oglinda in care tu vezi cum te vede ea.

Ai grija de zambetul tau, ai grija de oglinda in care se oglindeste lumea din jurul tau. Ai grija ca oglinda ta sa fie curata si sanatoasa pentru ca cei pe care ii iubesti sa vada clar ca ii iubesti. Fii atent si alege cu discernamant cui ii permiti sa se oglindeasca in zambetul tau.

"Oamenii zambesc din numeroase motive, dar doar unul dintre ele este datorat fericirii" (Nick Morgan)

www.dentaldesign.ro