Smile Aesthetics

Restore the natural beauty of your teeth by acting on their shade, shape, size and alignment thanks to dental aesthetics.

DENTAL AESTHETICS: WHAT CRITERIA?

The aesthetics of the smile is linked, for the most part, to the shade of the teeth, their shape, their size, their alignment but also to their good integrity.
The quality of the gums that surround them is also taken into account. Dental aesthetics and gingival aesthetics work together to create or restore a harmonious smile.
Aesthetics are linked to each person: to the shape of their face, to their skin color... There are as many smiles as there are people!
Finally, the smile line is also an essential element when evaluating the aesthetic aspect of a smile.

CERAMIC VENEERS

Veneers are very thin ceramic coatings that are glued to the external face of the teeth, and allow a lasting beautification of the smile.

The aesthetics are ensured by the "natural rendering" of the veneer linked to the thinness of the preparation (0.5 mm).

The ceramic veneer technique allows to permanently correct:

The color of the teeth when there are deep stains that cannot be treated by simple whitening.
Slight malpositions or dental crowding.
Anomalies in the shape of the tooth (too narrow or fractured).
Wear and cavities restored by unsightly composites (= resins).

Three sessions are enough for this smile transformation:

Preparatory session:

This session allows us to establish a prosthetic project.

Scans and photographs will be taken to determine the elements to be modified in your smile and thus obtain harmony.

Second session:

The practitioner performs a film preparation on the external face of the patient's teeth, removing only a tiny layer of enamel (0.2 to 0.5 mm).

The procedure is performed under local anesthesia.

An impression of the prepared teeth is taken and sent to the laboratory with instructions for the desired shade and shape.

Provisional veneers are made according to the project defined in step 1 (wax-up); This allows you to get used to a new aesthetic and validate it in situ.

Third session:

The ceramic veneers made a few days later are tried on and then glued to the tooth enamel. The practitioner can still play on the shade at this time by using more or less clear bonding resins.

This technique is completely reliable, thanks to the use of adhesives that are very resistant over time and to the ceramic material whose vitrified surface allows permanent maintenance of the shade over the years.

Ceramic veneers: a very reliable technique used for a lasting improvement of the smile.

TEETH WHITENING

Whitening is a technique that lightens the internal color of teeth in order to give them a more attractive shine and brilliance. There are different techniques for whitening teeth without making prostheses (veneers or crowns).

The most suitable technique will be proposed after having carried out a complete assessment of the patient's mouth and smile.

Whitening is not a harmless treatment. A thorough preliminary consultation is essential

The preliminary consultation:

During the consultation, the practitioner and the patient decide on the interest of whitening. A preliminary oral-dental assessment is carried out in order to rule out certain contraindications such as the presence of cavities, leaking fillings or gum inflammation.

Then, scaling and polishing of the dental arches is essential before carrying out the whitening treatment.

It should be noted that this is more of a lightening of the natural shade of the tooth and that severe cases of dyschromia (profound damage to the shade of the enamel often linked to taking medication during the formation of the tooth in childhood) will often be treated using the veneer technique.

The different whitening techniques:

In the office: 1 session of 60 minutes is to be planned in the chair. After having put in place a protection at the gum level, a whitening gel is applied to the tooth enamel and activated by a halogen lamp.

At home (outpatient technique): the impression of the two jaws is made in the office in order to develop plastic gutters adjusted to the dentition.

The practitioner gives them to the patient with a box containing syringes of whitening gel. The patient will apply the active gel inside the gutters and then insert them in the mouth: this is in order to stabilize the result already obtained by the technique in the office.

This treatment by gutters is carried out for 3 consecutive days and can be repeated from time to time for maintenance.

The advantage of outpatient whitening is that the patient can subsequently use their trays 6 months later, following a scaling session, to restore their teeth to their former glory.

For devitalized teeth that have darkened over time, there is a specific whitening technique:

After protecting the inside of the root with a kind of cap, a whitening gel is placed in the rest of the upper part of the tooth. The product is left inside the tooth for a few days to a few weeks. When the tooth has regained the same shade as the neighboring teeth, the gel is removed and the tooth is permanently filled in.

Our advice:

Always ask for a scaling and polishing treatment before whitening.

Often, after the scaling and polishing session, the removal of all stains and discolorations is enough to restore sufficient shine to your teeth.

If you decide to whiten, you will often be offered a combination of the two techniques: one or two sessions in the chair followed by an outpatient treatment at home. Indeed, it is by combining these two techniques that the best results are obtained.

After whitening, temporary sensitivity of the teeth may sometimes appear and lasts around 48 hours. A fluoride toothpaste is recommended to reduce this side effect.

During the few weeks following whitening, coloring drinks (tea, coffee, red wine, etc.) are not recommended because the risk of staining is greater during this period.

During a first appointment, a complete assessment is carried out:

Panoramic or retroalveolar X-rays to check the tightness of the treatments
Scaling and polishing of the teeth
Technical explanation and taking of shade
Impression for making gutters
Interview to avoid certain contraindications such as taking photoreactive medications, gum inflammations.

Whitening appointment (duration of approximately 1 hour 15 minutes):

Trying on the trays
Taking photos before whitening
Protecting soft tissues (gums, cheeks, lips) and placing the liquid dam
Protecting the eyes and exposing them to the halogen lamp: 3 sessions of 15 minutes
Taking photos after whitening
Recommendations during treatment and explanations concerning the outpatient whitening kit

Our advice:

The effectiveness of the treatment and its maintenance over time depend mainly on each person's eating habits (dyes, cigarettes, Coca-Cola, etc.).

For good maintenance or for smokers, it is possible to order outpatient whitening kits from the office; this maintenance is then carried out outside the office using trays, for 3 nights once a year.

THE Crown

Prosthetic crowns can be used to reconstruct very dilapidated teeth, whether they are devitalized or not.

These are caps that crimp the remaining tooth stump to consolidate it and restore the shape and functions of the teeth.

For devitalized teeth, the crown must be anchored in the root by a tenon (or pivot or inlay-core). This tenon can sometimes be integral with the prosthetic crown, but it is most often independent.

Main steps in making a prosthetic crown:

The tooth is prepared and a temporary resin crown is placed.
If the tooth is devitalized, a tenon is placed in the tooth, either directly or by passing through an impression of the inside of the root.
An impression is taken and sent to the prosthetist so that he can make the crown.
The crown is placed after a fitting.

Crowns consolidate and restore the shape of teeth

The choice of crown meets qualitative, financial and aesthetic criteria

The resin crown or temporary crown protects the tooth during the design stages of the definitive crown. However, over time, the resin becomes porous and microbes pass through; it is therefore necessary to avoid keeping it for too long.

The metal-ceramic crown consists of a metal shell covered with a ceramic that has the same color as the teeth. The presence of metal under the ceramic does not allow the same degree of translucency as natural teeth, which can give an opaque appearance to the crown.

The all-ceramic crown uses highly advanced design processes. It consists of an extremely resistant ceramic framework, covered with a cosmetic ceramic that is the same color as the teeth. These metal-free crowns have an excellent aesthetic appearance and superior biocompatibility to metal-ceramic crowns.

Our advice:

A crowned tooth must be checked very regularly in order to intercept any possible start of decay at the joint

THE CERAMIC DENTAL CROWN

This all-ceramic crown can be made of zirconia, lithium disilicate, monolithic or laminated.

The choice of technique will depend on the resistance and the desired degree of aesthetics.

Specificities:

Very high biocompatibility: no allergy linked to metal, no interaction with other restoration materials.
Long-term resistance and stability.
Significant mechanical qualities allowing the production of single crowns but also small bridges.
No visible transition at the edge of the gum (no grayish border appearing at its base).

Design & manufacturing:

Advanced processes using CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing) are used.
The molding of your impressions is scanned to be transformed into digital data. This data is then sent to CAD software to visualize your impressions in 3D and design the core of the future crown.
These elements are then processed by a machine tool that mills a block of ceramic to make the crown cap.
Finally, the dental technician covers this base with a cosmetic ceramic to make a tooth with the shape and color of your natural teeth.

GUM GRAFT

GINGIVAL GRAFT FOR AESTHETIC PURPOSES

Certain aesthetic defects of the smile, and more particularly of the gum, can be treated with a gingival graft.

WHY A GUM GRAFT?

If the gum recedes, the roots become exposed and then become more vulnerable to cavities and dental hypersensitivity. This also results in an unsightly effect. A gingival graft can then be considered to correct and stop this retraction.

It can also be performed after a tooth extraction which often results in a reduction in the volume of the gum.

- "Gingival grafting strengthens the gum and restores a pretty smile."

GINGIVAL GRAFT AND COVERING OF A GUM RECESSION

Some gum recessions are treated by covering the exposed dental root with a gingival graft (part of tissue taken). Depending on the case, it can be covered completely or partially.

Sometimes, it will take a few weeks or even a few months to achieve complete healing and a definitive aesthetic result. However, about ten days after the procedure, healing is already well advanced.

The procedure is performed under local anesthesia and in perfect aseptic conditions

GINGIVAL GRAFT AND FILLING OF A VOLUME DEFICIT AT THE LEVEL OF AN EDENTULOUS RIDGE

The extraction of a tooth results in a reduction in the volume of the gum and bone at this level. If the extraction is old and the replacement of the tooth with a bridge or an implant was carried out later, the loss of tissue volume is often significant. This problem can be resolved by bone filling and by grafting a little gum in the area concerned.

This procedure allows to obtain a satisfactory aesthetic result. It is mainly carried out in the visible areas of the mouth and in particular at the level of the anterior teeth.

PLEASE NOTE:

The hygiene of the area where the graft is carried out is very important to obtain an optimal result. The mouthwashes recommended after the procedure must be carried out with the greatest care.

After the procedure, prefer a soft diet (soup, yogurt, etc.), avoid eating on the grafted side and consuming alcohol.

Smoking reduces the success of gum grafts. For a better result, stopping or reducing your consumption during the few days or weeks before and after the procedure can only be beneficial.

In case of discomfort or pain, take the prescribed medications (analgesics and anti-inflammatories).