Creating A Beautiful Smile

Posted Thursday, September 13, 2007 to PROCEDURES > Smile

Posted by The Original Anti-Aging & Cosmetic Surgery Magazine

A case study by Westwood cosmetic dentist Susan Goran DDS.

This case offered the challenge of creating beauty and harmony out of a conglomeration of old crowns and worn, chipped, misshapen and discolored teeth.

Analysis

As is obvious in picture, this patient's smile appeared tired, old and unappealing.

This was the result of a number of factors.

Evaluating the upper first, we can see that the patient's old crowns were inconsistent in color and lacked the opacity and texture of natural looking youthful teeth.

Her remaining natural teeth were discolored, worn and poorly shaped. A missing tooth left a gap and allowed the tilting of adjacent teeth, which was particularly bothersome to the patient. Less obvious, but an extremely important issue to resolve in order to obtain an optimum outcome, was the lack of harmony in her upper arch. Individual teeth were pointing in different directions, creating a narrow, inconsistent and "buck tooth" appearance.

The bottom teeth showed similar problems, the most obvious of which were seriously crowded, misaligned, discolored and chipped teeth with irregular lengths and biting edges. The lower arch also showed a lack of harmony. The color of certain lower teeth was compromised by large silver fillings that caused the teeth to take on a grayer appearance.

Restoration of the top teeth involved a combination of 9 porcelain veneers and crowns: These restorations changed the color, texture and opacity of the patient's teeth. The upper arch was reshaped and broadened. The bothersome gap was filled and adjacent teeth were aligned properly. Both front and lateral teeth were included in the evaluation and restoration process. It is not uncommon to see veneers on a few front teeth that give way to old discolored teeth that are visible when the person smiles. A natural looking, youthful smile requires consistency and harmony in the entire mouth.

A combination of 10 porcelain veneers and crowns were used to restore the bottom teeth. The teeth were realigned and made consistent in size and shape. The color, opacity and texture of these teeth were matched to the upper teeth. The lower arch was realigned and broadened and silver fillings were replaced with tooth colored fillings. The bottom front teeth that were leaning out were straightened.

The result of these cosmetic procedures was a revitalized and beautiful smile. The patient was enthusiastic about her beautiful, youthful new smile and expressed the fact that it gave her added confidence and enhanced her life, which is what the cosmetic practitioner hopes to accomplish with every patient.

Add Comment

To discourage SPAM, we ask that you type your code (displayed below) in the text box.

Your Code:
Enter Code:	*