Color of Your Teeth

Tooth color is most commonly what people see first. As you get older, your teeth get darker. The reasons for this include normal changes that occur within the tooth and repeated insults from environmental conditions (coffee or tea stains, for example). Generally, then, darker teeth are associated with older age. The easiest way that aesthetic dentistry can correct this is by teeth bleaching. But this alone may not entirely create a natural-looking appearance.

Size and Shape of Your Teeth

Size and shape also are major factors that define the appearance of teeth. The most common cause of changing tooth size and shape over time is tooth wear; and the most common cause of wear is tooth-to-tooth contact, or grinding. Wear on the edges of the teeth can give the appearance of aging because you do not show as much of your teeth when you smile. Another factor that affects how much of your teeth show when you smile is the loss of skin tone as you age.

This loss of tone causes your face to sag, thereby showing less of your upper teeth and more of your lower teeth. Aesthetic dentistry has given us the tools to make the teeth longer and fuller and allowing more teeth to show. Dr. Hollar’s unique use of the “Trial Smile” allows her and her patient’s insight and feedback to determine if this type of aesthetic restoration is right for you.

Wear on teeth also will make the edges of the front teeth very flat. As this occurs, the edges of the front teeth will form a straight line rather than the more youthful appearance when the two front teeth are slightly longer than the teeth next to them. Also, as they wear, the proportion of length to width will be altered. Teeth will start to appear more square in their shape rather than rectangular.

Basically, any treatment that counteracts the above-mentioned appearance changes has the ability to enhance the appearance of your teeth and smile. The aesthetic dentistry treatment can vary from teeth bleaching, gum leveling, tooth re-contouring, to Cosmetic Bonding, or Porcelain Veneers. Depending upon the severity, other forms of treatment such as braces and gum surgery also may be indicated to enhance the appearance and function of your teeth. It is important to remember that all areas need to be addressed. If treatment for teeth that are worn and dark only involves teeth bleaching, the final result will be whiter teeth that are still worn and short. The teeth will not appear natural, as there will be a conflict between white teeth (youthful) and worn teeth (aged) that do not work together. Instead, it is necessary to correct the color, size, and shape to create a more natural appearance.

For more information about cosmetic and restorative dental procedures, please visit our website www.susanhollar.com .
Here is one of our recently completed masterpieces: Dentistry by Susan Hollar, D.D.S., porcelain restorations by Brad Patrick.

Before

Trial Smile

After

A cavitron is a dental hygiene tool that uses high frequency sound waves to clean teeth. The cavitrons used in our office are state of the art instruments that have proven to be a very successful tool in removing tartar from both above and below the gumline. Instead of scaling the teeth with bulky hand scalers, the cavitron ultrasonic cleaner uses oscillating sound waves to gently vibrate the tartar away from your teeth. The cavitron unit is so gentle that it can even be used for deep cleaning and gum therapy without the need for anesthesia. Having your teeth cleaned with a cavitron is a safe effective and painless alternative to traditional cleaning methods. Some of the advantages of the cavitron include:

• Faster than traditional teeth cleaning methods
• A pleasant alternative to hand scaling
• Safe and effective method to clean teeth

For more information about cavitron ultra sonic scalers visit www.dentsply.com.

There are times when a person’s teeth are in such a severe state that full-mouth rehabilitation becomes necessary. Common reasons for such major treatment are severe wear, bruxism, extensive decay, tooth loss, periodontal disease, replacement of old dental work, a bad bite, crooked teeth, enamel erosion, retained deciduous teeth, genetically small teeth, trauma, and tetracycline stain. Treatment in such cases can be very complex, often utilizing one or more specialists such as a periodontist, endodontist, oral surgeon, or orthodontist.

Dr. Hollar’s interdisciplinary approach and extensive training in treating full mouth cases, make her office the ideal place to experience major dental reconstruction. A Pankey-trained dentist and one of only 43 Pankey Scholars in the world today, she works quite closely with the finest specialists in Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington and the surrounding D/FW area to help ensure treatment success. Utilizing an in-house dental laboratory, renowned ceramists from around the country, and a talented caring staff, she has created hundreds of amazing full-mouth rehabilitation results – all backed by our World-Class Ten-Year warranty. Here are a few of our incredible cases:

For more information about full mouth rehabilitation and restoration, please contact our office for more information.