585 Main St.
Chatham, NJ 07928
Phone: (973) 701-7777
Keeping Our Patients Safe

Keeping Our Patients Safe

Dear Friends:
I am excited to announce that we are being allowed to see patients again. We will be opening on Weds. June 3rd. We have made improvements to keep you and the staff safe. We would like to ease your concerns about coming to the office.

Click here for our  new office safety protocol

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Archives for May 2017

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I got porcelain veneers on my upper 6 front teeth. Although I had 4 or 5 discussions with my dentist before I got the veneers, they are too short. My smile looks gummy. I was hoping that the veneers would lengthen the look of my teeth, but they don’t. My dentist says they look fine and he did the best he could with my little teeth. Isn’t that rude? I’m beginning to think that porcelain veneers weren’t the right choice and maybe something else would have looked better. Did I agree to the wrong thing? Kasside

Kasside – Your dentist’s comments weren’t appropriate. It sounds like the real issue is not your agreement to receive porcelain veneers, as much as it is the dentist who placed them. It seems that your dentist has little or no training in cosmetic dentistry.

Porcelain veneers can change the shape of your natural teeth and lengthen them. There are other ways to lengthen the appearance of your teeth, but it’s not clear if you were presented with your options.

  • Gum recontouring – A laser is used to remove excess gum tissue, which lengthens your teeth.
  • Dental bonding – An expert cosmetic dentists knows how to mix dental bonding to match the color and translucence of your natural teeth. Teeth can be lengthened and made to look completely natural.

Before you received porcelain veneers, an expert cosmetic dentist would have ensured that your teeth were symmetrical. Unfortunately, to achieve the smile you want, your current veneers will need to be removed and replaced.

Speak with your dentist and ask if he is willing to correct his work and give you a smile that you’re happy with. It might be in your best interests to get a second opinion from an accredited cosmetic dentist who will have the education and talent to produce great results. Your current dentist might be willing to compensate you in some way if you want the work done elsewhere.

This post is sponsored by Chatham, NJ accredited cosmetic dentist Dr. Allyson Hurley.

 

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I boiled my snap on smile too long and it lost its shape. I put it in denture cleaner first but I didn’t like the way it smelled afterward so it boiled it. I got distracted and forgot how long the smile was in boiling water. Thank goodness I had a timer on anyway but even that was set for too long. The snap on smile is totally out of shape. I tried putting hot water on it and resetting it, but it just flops out of shape. When I put it on my teeth it’s loose and crooked. That’s the problem I was trying to conceal anyway, crooked teeth, so this is no good. I have searched online for ways to put it back into shape but nothing is working. Have I ruined it or is there something I can do to put it back into shape. Any suggestions on what I can do to make it fit again? Thanks. Amna

Amna – The appliance is made of acrylic, so it is possible to bend, twist, or boil a Snap-On Smile out of shape. It sounds like your appliance has been distorted by boiling water. If you’ve tried softening it and reshaping it already, there probably isn’t anything you can do to get it back to its original condition.

A Snap-On Smile can last up to three years if you don’t wear it every day. Hopefully, your appliance wasn’t new before the boiling water got it out of shape, and you were able to wear it enough to get feel like the investment was worthwhile.

Although boiling dental appliances can be tempting, it’s best to use solution made specifically to clean them. There is a solution for the Snap-On Smile, but a denture cleanser could clean it too. Keep in mind that your dentist has ultrasonic equipment to thoroughly, but safely clean oral appliances. Whenever your efforts to clean an oral appliance fail, it’s best to let your dentist take care of it.

Schedule an appointment with your dentist to have your Snap-On Smile examined. He or she will let you know if it’s been damaged beyond repair.

This post is sponsored by Chatham, NJ top cosmetic dentist Dr. Allyson Hurley.