Uncategorized Archives - Arnold Dental

Two Teeth: One Missing & One Deformed

Posted on January 10, 2020 by writeradmin.

Both my lateral incisors have problems. One of them has been missing since birth. I’ve been wearing a dental flipper for that for years. Periodically, it needs to be replaced and I’ve never been impressed with how it looked to begin with. I’m looking for a permanent solution for the missing tooth as well as any cosmetic suggestions for the deformed tooth.

LeeAnne

Dear LeeAnne,

Yes, I have a great solution for you. To replace the missing tooth, I’d suggest you have a dental implant placed. That’s the best option. A second option would be to get a dental bridge. However, that would require crowning the two adjacent teeth. If they’re healthy there isn’t any point in doing that. You don’t want to unnecessarily grind down healthy tooth structure.

As for the deformed tooth, either dental bonding or a porcelain veneer will solve that issue. A porcelain veneer lasts longer than bonding but is more expensive.

The big trick will be finding a dentist experienced and skilled enough to match the implant to the veneer (or bonding). They are made completely differently. It will take a highly advanced dentist to make them look right together.

I am going to suggest you see a dentist who has been accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. AACD accredited dentists have passed stringent exams as well as demonstrated their artistry in a large variety of cases they have personally done.

This will help you know that they can do beautiful work for you cosmetically. You’ll also want to check that they have dental implant training as well. This is an advanced procedure. Ask them what POST-doctoral training they have.

One other cosmetic consideration. The porcelain crown for the dental implant as well as the porcelain veneer can be made any color. However, you should know the color is permanent. It is always advisable to do teeth whitening before having the cosmetic work done. This way, whichever color your crown is done will be the color you’ll want permanently.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Fred Arnold.

DURAthin or Lumineers

Posted on October 29, 2019 by writeradmin.

I’ve been looking specifically into two different brands of ultra-thin veneers. I like the pictures of the DURAthin veneers better but I didn’t know how big the price difference is between the two of them. Can you give me some guidance here?

Bensen

Dear Bensen,

I think I can help you here but it will require changing the way you are thinking about this. The cost of any brand of porcelain veneers varies substantially from dentist to dentist. That’s because the cost of the porcelain is the smallest factor in the outcome of the veneers. As an example, if the porcelain would cost $10, the ceramist will increase that cost based on their skill level. So, let’s say somewhere between $100 – $300. That is the cost of the dentist. Then, the dentist will add their increase, also based on their skill level.

You had an interesting insight when you mentioned you liked the pictures of DURAthin better than Lumineers. The reason for that is the restrictions Lumineers puts on dentists. They require dentists to use their lab and ceramists, which isn’t known for creating beautiful results. Does this mean you should go with DURAthin? Not necessarily.

Instead of looking at brands, you need to be looking at cosmetic dentists. Two different dentists can work on your smile makeover using the exact same brand and end up with completely different results. That’s because of the differences in their training and artistry.

Finding the Right Cosemtic Dentist

There isn’t a recognized specialty in cosmetic dentistry. This leaves it up to the dentist what and how much training they invest in doing beautiful smile makeovers. The best cosmetic dentists are AACD accredited. In order to become AACD accredited, they had to pass stringent exams as well as demonstrate their artistry in order to reach accreditation.

One thing to be aware of is once they’re accredited, they’re accredited. There isn’t currently anything which requires them to continue to demonstrate their artistry. As a precaution, I’d ask to see examples of their most current smile makeovers.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington, KY Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Fred Arnold.

Picking Which Sedation Dentist to Use

Posted on May 22, 2019 by writeradmin.

I’m trying to get some needed dental work done. I’ve been avoiding the dentist for a few years now after a bad experience and have a lot of work needed. When talking to a friend about my previous experience, she suggested I try a sedation dentist. I’ve called around to a few in my area, but it seems there are different levels of sedation and the dentists all offer different amounts. One only offers nitrous oxide. Another does that and oral conscious sedation. How do you know which kind I need to pick the right dentist?

Abigail

Dear Abigail,

I’m sorry for the bad experience you had. It is fantastic that you are taking steps to get back to the dentist. You’ll find that you feel better overall when your oral health is back in shape.

The different levels of sedation available have to do with the amount of anxiety a patient deals with. I’ll go over each of them and help you determine which one is better for your particular situation. Then you can choose your sedation dentist.

Nitrous Oxide

This is the mildest form of dental sedation. It’s generally best for people who get a bit anxious in the dental chair and have a bit of trouble getting numb as a result. Your dentist will place a nose piece on you and turn on the nitrous oxide gas. This is sometimes called laughing gas. However, it won’t make you laugh. It makes you feel relaxed and a bit floaty. Some people fall asleep, especially children, others just feel relaxed and watch TV or listen to music during their procedure.

Once your procedure is completed. they will switch the gas to oxygen and you’ll be back to normal in no time. Then you can go on with your day as you please. You are even able to return to your responsibilities throughout the day.

Oral Conscious Sedation

With this level of sedation, you will be pretty woozy. It is for people with a much deeper level of anxiety. To administer it, your dentist will provide you a pill you take the morning of your appointment. Sometimes they give you an additional one when you arrive.

Most patients sleep through these appointments. This is so strong, you will not be able to drive yourself to or from your appointment. The dentist will make certain you have a driver before allowing you to leave. In addition, they will want you to have someone stay with you at home until you are lucid again. You’ll be quite woozy and not too steady on your feet.

One great benefit of this is your dentist can get a lot more work done at each appointment. You mentioned you haven’t been to the dentist in a while and therefore need a lot of work. If that is the case, this is the sedation I would recommend for you. It would allow you to get caught up on your dental work much more quickly.

This blog is brought to you by Lexington Dentist Dr. Fred Arnold.