Are you looking for a way to turn your stained, cracked, chipped, or misaligned smile into one of your greatest assets? With porcelain veneers, you can.
Porcelain veneers are handcrafted from durable dental porcelain and placed on the front of your teeth by Dr. Heap. The whole process takes only two visits and the finished results look completely natural, meaning that you can finally have the dazzling smile you’ve been dreaming of.
We recommend removing your wisdom teeth between the age of 17 and 19 to minimize complications. But we know how nervous oral surgery can make some patients. That’s why our office uses IV sedation for our wisdom tooth extractions. You can rest comfortably during the procedure and you won’t remember a thing when it’s over.
Wisdom Teeth—A Real Pain in the Mouth
As your wisdom teeth try to force their way through your gums, your smile can become susceptible to a wide range of trouble, including impaction, misalignment, jaw pain, and gum disease. Bacteria and food can find their way beneath an impacted tooth, causing infection. A molar that’s coming through at an odd angle can put pressure on your other teeth, leading to misalignment and potentially damaging healthy roots. And wisdom teeth that have developed cysts can damage your jaw, requiring more extensive surgery.
Making Wisdom Tooth Extraction Comfortable with Sedation
Having your wisdom teeth removed doesn’t have to be scary. Our office uses IV sedation to make you comfortable before the procedure begins. When you awaken afterwards, we bet you won’t even remember anything about the procedure at all.
It’s better to have your wisdom teeth removed sooner rather than later. More than just an annoyance, they can have serious consequences for your smile if left alone. Call our office today to set up an appointment with Dr. Heap. Removing your wisdom teeth now can save your smile.
Every once in a while we have a new patient come to our office for an exam and after seeing the cost of treatment, make the comment, “I might want to find someone cheaper.”
I can understand that completely but what does “cheap” really entail? I thought I would blog my thoughts on it quickly.
First, is my office the cheapest around? Definitely not, nor are we the most expensive. Probably somewhere in the middle. So I’m not trying to justify some outrageous fee or belittle the office that does things more cheaply. I feel that for what we offer, we are definitely cost-effective. I like to think we are similar to getting a really good deal on a Lexus.
So, is “cheap” the same as “cost-effective”? Nope. If I told you I could do a filling for $150 but the guy in the alley behind the building could do it for $25, would you automatically have the guy in the alley drill on your tooth? I hope not. If you needed a cap or crown, would you go to Mexico to have it done for half the price? Some people do.
But I can tell you what happens down the road. And most people who have had dental work done in Mexico or have been to a very cheap dental clinic can tell you the same…the quality associated with the cheap price will come back to haunt you.
I can’t even tell you how many crowns, bridges, fillings, dentures, etc. we have to redo because someone wanted to save some money. Sometimes the tooth is so damaged we can’t even save it. Sometimes people come back with serious infections. Please don’t go to Mexico to save a couple bucks.
So the person goes to Mexico because our crown fee is around $1000 and in Mexico it is $500. Then they come back a few months later because they are in pain or because their crown is broken. They don’t want to go back to Mexico to have it fixed by the same guy who screwed it up in the first place. So they have to pay me $1000 to make them a new crown. So now they are out $1500 and a lot of pain, travel time, etc. when they could have just done it the right way from the start.
The same goes for any industry in the world. Are there any of us who go to a brain surgeon because he was so much cheaper? No way! You want the best because it is your health on the line!
Quality has a cost. Whether it is a car, a house, or a dentist. It is impossible to be incredibly cheap but still use the best materials, emply the most qualified staff, and take the time to properly care for the patient.
So please don’t get too sucked in by a “cheaper” dentist. Look at dental offices and find the one that is the best value or most cost-effective. If you want the cheapest possible, any guy on the corner can slap some low quality plastic in your tooth and call it a filling. But that’s not what you want for yourself and that’s not what I want for you either.
This may sound like an odd title for a blog post. And you may be thinking I would write that because I want people to see me for some kind of expensive exam or something.
But the truth is that sometimes I get a little disappointed with my profession and some of the people in it. This week we have seen a lot of patients come to us for second opinions regarding treatment other dentists had told them they needed. What we found is that most of these treatment plans were very large and included a lot of treatment that really didn’t need to be done. The one thing these patients had in common was that they had gone somewhere based on a coupon promising a $39 exam and x-rays.
What good is a $39 exam if you come away being told you need $4,000 or $10,000 worth of work? In all fairness, some people really need that much work done. But a lot of people don’t. They are at the mercy of what the dentist tells them.
When I came out of dental school, I thought that all dentists were the same and had the same ethics. Unfortunately by sad circumstance I have realized that is not the case.
Am I saying that the way I treat teeth is the best? No, but some of the things I found planned for these patients was just blatant over-treatment. They were going to have their teeth drilled on for no reason!
So just remember, it is okay to go in for the cheap exam and x-rays, but be very careful about what gets planned for you. If it sounds like way more work than you think you need, that should be a clue. If you have been in for cleanings pretty regularly and brush your teeth regularly, you should questoin any recommendation for a “deep cleaning” or for thousands of dollars worth of work.
If your teeth are in bad shape or you aren’t brushing and flossing ever, you should probably expect a big treatment plan.
If you have any questions about a treatment plan or anything written here, please e-mail me at heapdds@gmail.com or call the office.
Again, I am not trying to steal you away from your new dentist or overly criticize every dentist in order to make myself look better. Every dentist works a little different. I’ve just seen too much recently that has me a little worked up.
Thanks!
On February 15th, 2010 Lakeside Cosmetic Dentistry will be holding another Invisalign Open House. This is a great opportunity to straighten your teeth without metal braces and receive great discounts and gifts at the same time.
We will be offering $500 off the cost of treatment, plus raffles for iPods, Plasma TVs and many more fabulous prizes.
Just call today to schedule an appointment:
480-892-1711
The first time I did this it was one of our most popular posts so I thought it was worth doing again. I’ll start with the “Not-So-Bad” ones and move on from there.
Avril Lavigne - Her teeth aren’t horrible. In fact, it is really just her canines that look like fangs. It looks like this is partially because her front 4 teeth are tilted inward a little and the canines are pushed out a bit. This usually isn’t a desired look for someone but with the recent popularity of the Twilight series, I’m thinking maybe people will try to get their teeth to look like this. Edward would be so excited.This could be fixed really easily with braces. Because she is a celebrity, Invisalign braces may work best for her because they could be removed for performances.
Madonna - Okay, no big issue here except that you could “Vogue” your way straight through that gap in her front teeth. Isn’t amazing how a mega-superstar would never get something like that fixed? But I guess if you are Madonna, you do whatever you want.If she were so inclined to close the grand canyon, braces would do the trick. I say the metal ones just because I think it would be funny to see Madonna with wires and brackets. She could also do veneers but the teeth themselves are pretty so I’d hate to cut them down and cover them if we could just move them over and have them look great.
Jewel - This one has bugged me ever since high school. I hated seeing her video for “Who Will Save You Soul” on MTV and seeing this really cute girl singing with this crazy snaggle tooth sticking out. I am baffled that someone wouldn’t have this fixed. Especially being in the spotlight all of the time.
Nelly - No real comment here. If I were to go with one metal tooth in the front it would probably be solid gold with diamonds or something. But maybe Nelly had this one done before being famous so he could only afford a tin or aluminum front tooth.
Brooke Hogan - I don’t really want to call her a celebrity but the picture is easy to comment on. Just a note to any of the young white girls reading this and hoping to star in a future reality show about your dysfunctional semi-celebrity family…avoid the silver/diamond grill on the front teeth. I have yet to see a preppy blonde girl pull this off.I wonder if her dad Hulk Hogan is mad that she borrowed sunglasses from his arch rival the Macho Man Randy Savage. I guess I’m dating myself with that comment. If the younger readers need more info, please Google “Macho Man Randy Savage”. You will understand.
In dentistry, one of the saddest situations I come across is the terrible effects of meth use on the mouth. Drug addiction is a terrible disease and to physically see what it can do to someone can sometimes be hard for me. If we catch it early enough, we can do some great things to fix the teeth back up. When the case is very desperate, as in the following pictures, we often have to pull all of the teeth an look at placing dental implants or dentures to help the patient be able to eat again.
Many thanks to rehabology.com for the following pictures.
Pictures are always a far better way to demonstrate something like this. This is known as “Meth Mouth” and it’s a pretty good reason to not become a methamphetamine user.
Apparently you can now customize your porcelain crowns with the face of your favorite celebrity. I’m not sure where this company is located but it is pretty cool.
I know you lay awake at night wishing to have a Barrack Obama or Amy Winehouse tattoo on your molar. Or how about David Letterman on your front tooth? Either way, this is obviously going to be the future of dental work and I think we should all jump on the bandwagon now. (Heavy sarcasm implied).
Every once in a while there comes along a product in dentistry that has the potential to really change somebody’s life. Sometimes these products or procedures require extensive surgery and extensive cost, but sometimes they can be something simple and easy to do at a more affordable price.
That is the case with my topic today…mini-implants. If you haven’t heard of dental implants before, they are basically a titanium screw shaped like the root of a tooth that are placed in the bone where a tooth is missing. After the implants are placed, the bone grows around the implant and solidifies it in place. Once the implant is solid in the bone, we can place a crown on top of it so that it looks and acts like a brand new tooth. It really is remarkable but sometimes can be a little expensive. A typical implant usually costs somewhere between $2000 and $3000. What if I can’t afford that?
Enter the mini-implant.
Mini-implants are the exact same technology as a traditional implant but on a smaller scale. Because they are smaller, they can be utilized a little differently than a traditional implant.
The most common use for mini-implants is for those people who are suffering with dentures that don’t fit or move all around when they chew. Which is pretty much every bottom denture. What we can now do is place a few mini-implants in the jaw with a small round poprtion sticking out. We then take your existing denture and fit it with some copings on the inside.
These copings snap over the head of the implant and hold it in place. We have patients with dentures who are now able to bite into apples again. They can now eat whatever they want, which is a major lifestyle improvement.
The process is quick and easy. It only takes about an hour and then you can immediately go eat lunch! There is no prolonged healing time.
We have seen mini-implants change people’s lives. People who have not been able to eat the things they want to. People who have had to use glue just to keep their teeth in their mouth. People who have had to change the way they talk. Mini-implants allow people a chance to live a normal life as they once remember it.
If you or somebody you know may benefit from mini-implants, please give us a call. We always offer free consultations. We can help you enjoy your teeth again.
Dr. Heap
480-892-1711
There are a number of reasons why I love porcelain veneers. I thought I would take this Memorial Day to cover some of them.
1. They are super-thin. Not much thicker than a contact lens! This is important because it means that as the cosmetic dentist, I don’t have to grind away as much of your natural tooth to achieve a dramatic result.
2. Color Change. Even though veneers are so thin, we can use them to completely change the color of your teeth. Even the most yellow teeth can be masked out and transformed into bright white.
3. They Can Look So Real. In the past, veneers tended to be very monochromatic. You got one color for the whole tooth. But natural teeth don’t look like that. Natural teeth tend to be a little darker near the gums and a little transparent near the tip. In between they can have any combination of colors. These color variations are what make veneers look real. Dentists who work with the right dental labs can recreate these color changes in the porcelain. We can usually pick out someone who has poorly-done veneers because the teeth just look fake. White…but fake.
4. Shape Change. With porcelain veneers we can completely change the shape of a tooth. Many people have chipped or worn down their teeth over the years. Others have teeth with gaps between them. Many people’s teeth are crowded. All of these issues can be fixed with veneers less than 1.o mm thick!
5. Confidence! I can’t tell you how many of our patients come back after having their veneers done and tell me that they catch themselves smiling so much more. Having a smile you can be proud of does wonders for your self-confidence. I have had patients claim that their new smile has helped them get raises at work, ask out girls they never would have before, and live a happier, more fulfilling life. It is amazing!
So these are a couple of reasons why I love porcelain veneers and smile makeovers. They can look so real and they can change your life. This is the truly rewarding part of my job. When people ask how I can look in people’s mouths all day, I tell them that its because later I get to see people’s smiles all day.
Dr. Heap
P.S. - I always do completely free smile analysis and consultations. Even if you just have little details about your teeth that you don’t like, come see me. Sometimes we can improve a smile drastically without major dental procedures.
480-892-1711