dental flipper Archives - My Smile Artist

Dental Flipper to Make Teeth Look Straight

February 26, 2021 by Admin

I have some crooked teeth that stick out a bit but feel I am too old for braces. I recently heard about this thing that is a dental flipper that fits over your teeth and makes them look straight. Would that work for someone like me?

Samantha

Dear Samantha,

I think you may have a dental flipper confused with something called Snap-on Smile. A dental flipper is a false tooth that is used to fill in an empty space. Snap-on Smile will fit over your teeth and make them look straight. They aren’t as attractive as something like porcelain veneers. Most people use them temporarily for something like a photo shoot or a special occasion.

One thing to be aware of is that because they fit over your teeth they will be a bit bulky. As your teeth already stick out a bit, that will make them look even more forward than they do already.

Invisalign Aligner

I know you said you feel you are too old for braces, but has anyone mentioned Invisalign to you. Instead of the traditional metal wires and brackets that braces use, Invisalign uses clear aligners. An example of Invisalign is pictured directly above. These are not only much more comfortable than traditional braces, but they will work in about half the time. Plus, they truly are invisible, even at a conversational distance.

They have an additional benefit as well. The aligners they use can double as teeth whitening trays. This will allow you to straighten and whiten your teeth at the same time. It is like getting a mini smile makeover.

This blog is brought to you by San Antonio Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Imam.

Implant Crowns on Front Teeth

August 2, 2020 by Admin

I had a dental implant done on a front tooth. So far my dentist has had to re-do my porcelain crown for the implant three different times. Each time the color wasn’t close to matching. The temporary dental flipper she gave me matched better than the crowns. She said it is because my teeth are between shades. She said for my teeth A1 is too gray and A2 is too yellow. The last time I went in asking if we can try again, she implied I’m being too demanding and that I am fortunate my dental implant hasn’t fallen out as many times as she’s had to manipulate it to try to satisfy me. Now she has me afraid to do anything with it. Do I just leave my two front teeth mismatched? Am I too demanding?

Olivia

Dear Olivia,

Woman covering her mouth with hand. Seeing something shocking surprised and speechless face expression.

You don’t want to be ashamed of your smile.

No, I do not think you are being unreasonable, especially if you were satisfied with the dental flipper. These tend to be less satisfying to people. It bothers me when dentists blame their lack of skills on the patient being “too demanding”. It’s not asking for too much to have your front teeth to match.

The problem here lies in the fact that your dentist has very little, if any, training in cosmetic dentistry. She may have placed hundreds of dental crowns during her career, but crowns on a front tooth are more challenging. They’re harder to match because the light hits them more directly so all the little variations are obvious.

Even an expert cosmetic dentist will have several try-ins before perfectly matching one. This brings me to another issue your dentist doesn’t understand. She is not doing a try in. She’s having the dental crown made and then bonding it on. A true cosmetic dentist would use a temporary try-in paste, look at it carefully up against the other teeth to make sure it matches, then let you look at it to be certain you are completely satisfied before bonding it on.

If any adjustments need to be made those are noted and sent to the ceramist to re-work the crown.

Getting Front Teeth to Match

color map on a tooth

Your dentist is obviously more used to placing crowns on back teeth where you can pick a single shade, such as A1, and it will be close enough. That is because there isn’t as much light hitting our back teeth so you can’t make out the subtle differences in the shades. For a front tooth, a cosmetic dentist would take the basic shade and then create a map for the ceramist of where to place different types of tints to bring out the right coloring of the crown. They wouldn’t be satisfied until it was a perfect match. You shouldn’t be either.

As for your dental implant coming out, if she did that right it will be strong enough to withstand another crown being placed. After all, it is supposed to be strong enough for you to eat with several times a day, right?

In your place, I would ask for a refund on the dental crown. The implant seems fine, so don’t ask for a full refund. Tell her you appreciate the work she tried to do on the crown but she hasn’t been able to match the tooth so you’ll have the crown finished elsewhere.

This blog is brought to you by San Antonio Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Imam. Ask about our digital smile design.

Starting to Doubt the Maryland Bridge Idea

July 4, 2020 by Admin

I have a daughter who has a congenitally missing tooth. We’ve already gone through a round of orthodontics in order to get space open and ready for a new tooth. Our dentist suggested we get a Maryland Bridge until she is old enough for a dental implant. Here’s the problem we are having. Our dentist gave her a zirconia bridge, which we liked. However, it fell off two days later. He decided to try a different cement and we got that one done, but it fell off as well. Now he’s talking about a metal-backed one. Before we go through this again, I want to get a second opinion and some questions answered.

First and foremost, will the metal bond any better? Second, will the metal show through? These are visible teeth which is why we want to get her a dental implant when she is old enough. Third, will the metal damage her teeth?

Loraine

Dear Loraine,

I’m going to steer you in a completely different direction and then answer your questions. What I would get for your daughter is called a partial dental flipper (pictured left). Not only will this last the length of time she needs, but it is also significantly less expensive, and requires no structural changes.

What Not a Maryland Bridge?

I’ll answer your questions one by one. The metal will be much harder to bond than the zirconia was. In fact, this is why most dentists are switching to zirconia. It makes it much easier to bond. Your dentist seems to be in over his head. He may be a great general dentist and he obviously is trying to find a solution, but he doesn’t understand this procedure.

Maryland bridge tooth preparation In order for a Maryland Bridge to stay on properly, there needs to be some tooth preparation, like you see in the picture to the left. No matter what cement he tries or what backing, without that groove, the bridge will not stay.

Secondly, the metal will darken the appearance of her tooth. There is no way around that. Finally, It’s not as much that the metal will damage her teeth as the proper preparation of the tooth requires permanent structural change. Of course, if you decide to go that route, you could fill the space with composite resin. But one of the reasons to get a dental implant, to begin with, is so you don’t have to do anything to the healthy teeth.

As I mentioned earlier, I highly suggest the dental flipper. It will look fine, cost less, and protect her adjacent teeth. Then, when her jaw is developed enough, you can get the dental implant, which is a fantastic tooth replacement.

This blog is brought to you by San Antonio Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Imam.

Maryland Bridge Before a Dental Implant

January 14, 2020 by Admin

My “tween”ager is in need of replacing a congenitally missing tooth. After doing some research, I felt like a dental implant is the best replacement option. We have already had the orthodontic work done to open the space and have a temporary splint there to keep everything in place. Our orthodontist said the next step is to put a temporary replacement there. He recommended a Maryland Bridge. Our family dentist is doing it. He tried to do one with the ceramic wings but the bridge has fallen off twice. Now he is talking about doing one with the metal wings. This has brought some questions to mind. First, will the metal wings hold better? Second, will they show? Three, will this damage her adjacent teeth?

Cameron

Dear Cameron,

dental implant diagram

Your research was correct. Getting her a dental implant is the best procedure to replace a tooth. It will be most like her having a healthy natural tooth there. That part is fine. The temporary replacement your orthodontist suggested isn’t the best idea. The whole idea behind a temporary replacement is not to do any damage to the adjacent teeth.

A Maryland Bridge Isn’t a Temporary Replacement

Maryland bridge tooth preparation When it comes to a Maryland Bridge, in order for it to stay in place there have to be some grooves placed into the teeth on order to secure the bridge. This is likely why your dentist is having trouble keeping it on. Switching to metal wings won’t make this any better. In fact, it is usually harder to keep metal bonded. Plus the metal will darken the teeth. As to your third question, yes, it will damage the adjacent teeth.

Getting a More Appropriate Temporary Tooth Replacement

Instead, I would recommend a dental flipper. It will not affect the adjacent teeth in any way. Plus, it has the additional benefit of being significantly less expensive than the Maryland Bridge you’ve been trying to get to work.

This blog is brought to you by San Antonia Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Imam.