Cosmetic Bonding

What do you do if you have a small gap in between your teeth?

You could get braces. 

You could get crowns or veneers. 

But both of those options are expensive and time consuming. 

What if there was a way to close gaps that didn't cost a lot that 

could be done in 1 appointment?

There is!

It's called cosmetic bonding. 

Here is a case that I just did today. 

Before

 After

Cosmetic bonding is a small amount of filling material that

is placed on the side of 1, or both, teeth in order to close the gap. 

There are other types of cosmetic bonding but the same concept applies. 

It's as strong as a normal filling because that's what it is. 

No numbing shots

No big bill

No weeks or months of treatment 

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Beautiful Crowns

Fantastic case from today. Older restorations on the two front teeth that were starting to break down. Took off the old stuff. Had our lab guys come take a look and do a customized shade for us, and boom. Beautiful. Love this part of the job.  

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Dental Crowns vs Veneers

In today's world, there are a lot of people out there that are looking to become more attractive in one way or another. One popular way to enhance a person's looks comes in the form of enhancing the look of their teeth.

The simplest form of tooth enhancement is by bleaching the teeth. This is the cheapest and easiest thing to do. If someone is looking for more then a mere color change however, simple tooth whitening may not be enough.

If someone does no like the way their teeth are turned, angled, aligned, or shaped in any way then crowns or veneers may be what is needed. As a side note, to use the word "porcelain" when referring to a veneer may no longer be correct. There are many materials that veneers can be made out of now a days. Porcelain is simply one of many. So by asking for porcelain veneers, you may be asking for something that is not best suited to your individual case. To say, veneers are sufficient. The same can also be said when referring to a crown.

So what is a crown and what is a veneer? Simply put a crown covers the entirety of the tooth. From biting surface all the way down (or up) to the gum line. A crown will, typically cover it all. A veneer will only cover the surface that is visible to an outside observer. A dentist with the ability to turn you upside down and use mirrors at just the right angle could see the exposed tooth, but no one else would ever be able to tell.

So what is right for you? This is a question that is dependent upon a lot of variables. How much change is shape, position, and angulation is the person attempting to achieve? Severe cases would tend to be more of a crown case. How much of your natural tooth structure do you want to maintain? If you want as little of your natural tooth taken away as possible then veneers are your route.  Are you a grinder? If so then veneers may reduce the wear on your natural teeth to a minimum. The list could go on and on. You really need to see a dentist to determine which is right for you.
The tipping factor may be longevity. A recent study by the JADA (Journal of the American Dental Association) shows that full coverage crowns do have a better longevity then the veneers.They are fairly comparable,and veneers are still a durable option, but in the end, full coverage crowns get the nod as far as a longer lasting restoration.  http://jada.info/content/139/suppl_4/8S.full?related-urls=yes&legid=jada;139/suppl_4/8S

There are also possible side effects that can occur from any kind of procedure that you may choose to go through in the dental office. You need to make sure that you are also aware of these. Nothing is ever without risks. Simply make sure that you go into your new smile with your eyes wide open as to things that may happen.

Barring any side effects the person who gets the new crowns, or the new veneers, will be unbelievably happy with the way they look. The technology of today's lab work is simply amazing.  Brighter, whiter, straighter teeth may only be a few appointments away.

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Front View of Crown & Veneer

Side View of Crown & Veneer

Dr. Jim Ellis, DDS
1220 33rd Street Suite C
Ogden, UT 84403
(801) 783-3490

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SOURCE: http://www.bestogdendentist.com/2013/12/crowns-vs-veneers/

I can't afford a crown. What can you do?

This tooth needs a crown. It has a large filling on the one side. The other side is broken. And, there is a cavity on the front. Problem is that the patient cannot afford a crown. So, we gave it a try with just filling material.

Here is the tooth after we got done. It looks very good and is functional. If the patient uses it only for light to moderate chewing it should last for a while.

Dr. Jim Ellis, DDS
1220 33rd Street Suite C
Ogden, UT 84403
(801) 783-3490

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SOURCE: http://www.bestogdendentist.com/2013/04/cant-afford-crown-what-can-you-do/

Are you a candidate for a Cosmetic Dental Makeover?

That is a question that can only be answered by the individual.

This is Camille. Camille did not like the way her teeth looked when she smiled. Now, some people would say that Camille looked great and did not need any dental work done. But for Camille, there were some things that she didn't like, and wanted to change. Camille decided to get 8 crowns placed across her top teeth.

BEFORE Cosmetic Dental Makeover

These are state of the art Zirconia (Zirconium) crowns. No chance of a black line ever showing through at the gums. No chance of porcelain cracking off of the crown. Beautiful, beautiful crowns.

AFTER Cosmetic Dental Makeover 

Camille is a very happy lady.

Dr. Jim Ellis, DDS
1220 33rd Street Suite C
Ogden, UT 84403
(801) 783-3490

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SOURCE: http://www.bestogdendentist.com/2013/02/are-you-candidate-for-cosmetic-dental-makeover/

Does my tooth need a crown?

This is one of the great questions of life. After all, if you can get away with fixing that broken tooth with just a filling than why would you choose to get it crowned?

Well, let’s put into terms that most people can understand. You have a 1992 Toyota. It has probably broken down from time to time, but the breakdowns have all been small… until now. Now the transmission has gone out. Do you spend $3000 to fix it, knowing that in a year the whole thing might die on you? Or, do you just trade in the car and get a newer one?

This logic must be applied to the getting of a crown. Typically, a tooth that needs a crown has gone through smaller things already. But now something bigger has happened. Do you get a really large filling placed knowing that it might only last a year, or do you decide that its time to make the jump and get the crown?

Here you will see a picture of a tooth that is at the point of decision. 

Over the years, it has had several fillings that have increased in size every time. Now, the most recent filling is cracked. What to do?


Dr. Jim Ellis, DDS
1220 33rd Street Suite C
Ogden, UT 84403
(801) 783-3490

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SOURCE: http://www.bestogdendentist.com/2013/02/does-tooth-need-crown/

Finally ready to Make the Change!

Dr. Jim Ellis (dentist in Ogden, UT): Before & After Cosmetic Dentistry

We will call this patient Mr. Books (Mr. B). Reason for this is that you will never see him without his book. Driving, working, getting dentistry done, you name it.

Anyway, Mr. B had had things happen to his front teeth over the years. A little chip here, a cavity there, but never anything too extreme. None of his front teeth had ever needed a crown, root canal, or anything to that level.

However, the cumulative effect of the years had started to take its toll. So Mr. B, with some help from Mrs. B  :-) , decided it was time to do something.

Mr. B got crowns on his front 6 teeth. He is happy, and perhaps more importantly, so is Mrs B. How can you not love that crooked little smile!

Mr. B's Front Teeth (BEFORE) 

 

Mr. B's Front Teeth (AFTER) 

Dr. Jim Ellis, DDS
1220 33rd Street Suite C
Ogden, UT 84403
(801) 783-3490

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SOURCE: http://www.bestogdendentist.com/2013/01/finally-ready-make-change/

Tooth Discoloration (Before & After)

Teeth can discolor for many reasons. Most everyone will experience a general discoloration of their teeth as they age. This is normal. And, there are many ways by which this situation can be remedied.
There can also be discoloration of only one tooth. This is much less common then the generalized discoloration but is still fairly common in its own right. This is typically due to trauma, with or without a root canal. A tooth that has suffered blunt force trauma may turn color.

The picture below is an example. This tooth suffered trauma and then needed a root canal. The tooth turned very dark and the patient wanted it changed.

The after picture is simply the temporary crown. The final crowns will look even better.

 

Dr. Jim Ellis, DDS
1220 33rd Street Suite C
Ogden, UT 84403
(801) 783-3490

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SOURCE: http://www.bestogdendentist.com/2013/01/tooth-discoloration-before-after/

The Steps to Dental Implant

This 20 something patient (wanting only to be identified as J-Unit) came into our office with a loose tooth. To be 20-something and have a loose tooth is not common. There was no memory of trauma to the tooth at all and from the oral exam everything looked alright.

We then took this x-ray and found out that the tooth was literally disintegrating below the level of the bone. Not from a cavity due to the placement of the disintegration but an unknown event that had caused the tooth to become hopeless and needing extraction.

So, we extracted the tooth and placed an implant. 

Several weeks later, we placed the connecting piece that allows the new crown to be connected to the implant.

 

Then finally, we placed the finished tooth.

The patient now has a new tooth that is NOT loose. One of the patient’s goals was to not touch any of the other teeth, as in a bridge. This was accomplished with the implant. Implants are a great way to restore missing teeth.

Dr. Jim Ellis, DDS
1220 33rd Street Suite C
Ogden, UT 84403
(801) 783-3490

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SOURCE: http://www.bestogdendentist.com/2013/01/steps-to-dental-implant/

Are all wisdom tooth extractions the same?

Not even close.

Below is an example of why wisdom tooth extractions

differ in complexity, even from side to side in the same person.

Try getting a tooth out with a big old fish hook at the bottom.

If tooth roots are straight and tapered then they 

are relatively easy to remove.

However, if they look like this tooth then that is another story.

The above picture is half of a wisdom tooth that we took out just this morning.

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Brand New Smile!!!

Here are some before and afters.

This is Mrs. B

When Mrs. B was young she got into some trouble with her two front teeth.

From that point on she has been dealing with on and off discomfort.

She finally decided it was time to do something.

She decided it was simply time to part ways with her 2 front teeth.

She also decided that while she was at it she would get a whole new smile.

Here is Mrs. B before.

Here is Mrs. B after.

Mrs. B now has plans to bleach her bottom teeth so that

everything will match up nicely.

She is very happy with her new smile.

If you have teeth that have been bothering you for a long time

and you just don't know what to do, maybe something like this

could be in your future.

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I have too many missing teeth for you to fix.

Sometimes folks come into the office and tell me that their teeth

are so bad and that they have so many missing ones that there

is no way that I could possibly fix all of them.

Well almost 100% of the time they are wrong.

Take Jenny for instance. 

Jenny had several missing teeth all on the same side.

She thought there was nothing that could be done.

Below you will see a picture of a bridge that we made for jenny.

This bridge goes from her very back tooth all the way up to

one of her front four teeth.

(Sorry its a tad blurry)

Its all one piece.

It will get cemented in place and won't need 

to be removed on a nightly basis.

It looks fantastic.

And its a way to replace 3 of Jenny's missing teeth at one time.

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