Smile makeover care and maintenance

A smile makeover is an emotional and financial investment you make in yourself to enhance the health, function and appearance of your smile. You want that investment to bring happy and satisfying returns for years to come.

With proper care and regular dental visits, your smile will look good and your crowns, veneers and other restorations will last for many years. In fact, resin-based restorations (such as tooth-colored fillings) can last anywhere from three to nine years or longer with proper care. Porcelain restorations (such as veneers and crowns) can last 10 years or more before they need to be replaced.

Knowing how to modify your oral hygiene habits to best care for your restorations will help you maintain your new smile for years to come.

Toothbrushing

Highly abrasive toothpastes and tooth brushing habits can scratch the surface of restorations, dulling their polish and luster. As such, non-abrasive fluoride toothpastes are recommended. An example of non-abrasive toothpastes is Rembrandt, which was originally developed for use by people with cosmetic restorations. Brush two to three times each day for maximum effectiveness.

Flossing

Flossing is a key factor in removing debris and plaque from the teeth, and actually increases the lifespan of restorations and helps prevent tooth decay. Flossing is important for everyone, but is especially important for people with veneers, since impeccable gum tissue health is important.

Mouth Rinsing

Mouthwashes containing alcohol have been shown to have a negative effect on composite fillings. What's more, the alcohol content in mouth rinses, over time, can degrade the bond between your restorations (crowns and veneers) and your teeth. Use alcohol-free mouthwashes instead.

Food and Drinks to Limit or Avoid

Avoid foods high in sugar and limit between-meal snacks to prevent cavities. Limit consumption of coffee, soda, tea, etc. to keep your smile stain free.

Do not drink alcoholic beverages excessively. Too much alcohol can ruin your dental work.

Tooth Implants

§    Dental Implants and Roots

§  The key benefit of dental implants over other tooth replacement systems is that an implant connects directly to the jaw bone. It's obviously not the same as the original connection, but functions just the same. When a tooth is lost,bone loss will eventually occur in that region because the root is no longer stimulating and stabilizing the bone. By using titanium--which biochemically joins to bone--to replace the root, you get a bond that more accurately replicates the one found in nature.

§    What Happens When You Lose a Tooth?

§  When you lose a tooth, especially a back tooth, you may feel you don't need to replace it, since no one can see that it's missing and you have plenty of other teeth. However, there is more bone loss going on under the surface once a tooth is lost. Surrounding each tooth is an alveolar bone that supports the tooth and when the tooth is lost, that bone basically melts away. This is why people who have lost most of their teeth and are not wearing dentures appear to have a caved-in appearance to their mouths.

§  Besides causing damage to the immediate area, tooth loss affects remaining teeth as well. Teeth create a structure for the face and their loss can shift the surrounding teeth, creating esthetic issues and bite problems. A lost tooth can also affect facial structures such as the jaw, muscles, jaw joints, and even the skin. If several teeth are lost, it's not uncommon to suffer from social consequences and poor nutrition.

§    Rebuilding Bone

§  When the supporting alveolar bone melts away, it's gone for good, but through grafting, a skilled dental professional can recreate bone to fuse with and support an implant. This is wonderful news, but it is still best to have a dental implant as soon as possible after the tooth is lost for the most predictable anesthetic outcome.

§    Timeline

§  Replacing a tooth with an implant and a crown is not a one-day procedure. The implant needs time to properly adhere to the bone and create a healthy fusion before the crown can be attached and full bite force can be applied. In most cases, it will take a few months to complete the process.

§  Due to the timeline, dental implants are actually a series of steps; each is very different and may require an individual specialist.

§  Korayem Dental Clinic teamwork is the professional clinic with implants specialists you need to start with your dental implant.