Why would I need porcelain laminates?

Porcelain laminates can be a terrific way to get a new smile. In a relatively short amount of time, with out the need for extreme tooth preparation, the dentist can create a new more pleasing smile. This is especially good for people with worn or miss positioned front teeth. Also If after attempting bleaching you are still unhappy with your teeth's color laminates can be used to change the color as well as the shape and position of your teeth. A dentist can specify a highly gifted and artistic technician to create your new teeth and there numerous success stories attesting the value and length of service of well done porcelain laminates.

What is bonding?

Bonding is process where the dentist etches your tooth to create microscopic nooks and crannies into which he can place a liquefied plastic coating and adhere to that a modified composite filling material. Bonded fillings and tooth modifications using bonding can be exceptionally aesthetic, especially when the dentist has artistic talents. Sometimes bonded teeth can look even more natural than porcelain laminates. If a dentist alters only a small portion of your smile, then most of what people see when viewing you smile is indeed natural and your own and the bonding enhances your smile without appearing false and man made. Although porcelain laminates can and do look great, sometimes they also appear to be an artificial enhancement. Hair coloring, Highlights, rhinoplasty all are done to enhance appearance, but often can appear artificial to the trained eye. Bonding when well done and only covering small percentages of your tooth surface can be harder to detect.

What are abfractions?

These are "wear" points at the neck of the tooth , where the enamel has disappeared and dentin is exposed. Dentists used to say that this was strictly caused by toothbrush abrasion and ask people to use a softer toothbrush and not brush so hard, but that is not the primary cause. Enamel at the neck of the tooth is very thin or nonexistent to start with. Teeth tend to experience all sorts of forces (vertical, horizontal,sheer,compressive )including bending forces which are focused at the neck of the tooth where the enamel is thin. So actually the neck is like an expansion joint in a long span bridge. These forces over time cause some loss of enamel adjacent to the neck of the tooth and this allow exposed dentin to erode. The erosion associated with the abfraction continues as long as the dentin is exposed and tends to further undermine the tooth's enamel covering, which leads to further enamel loss. In my office the most frequently placed fillings are done to seal these abfractions and slow down this destructive process.

My gums are receeding. Is there anything I can do?

There are three reasons for receding gums,either you have periodontal disease or you have recession due to the occlusal forces (specifically bending forces at the neck of the tooth) applied to the tooth or lastly your teeth are in a position where they partially lack bone covering the root(possibly from orthodontics) People who have or have a history of periodontal disease usually have recession between the teeth and have "black" spaces where the gums are missing. Many people have a combination of both these problems. The cure for periodontal disease often is to improve you hygiene and increase the frequency of your cleaning to 4 times a year. Often patients disease slowly goes away and the mouth heals itself(we dentists like to take the credit). Still the gums do not grow back, they just get healthy! Occlusal forces recession or post orthodontic recession can be cosmetic corrected using a periodontal technique called connective tissue grafting and this procedure can work well and the results last.Fixing the black holes between the teeth is more problematic and most successful is reshaping the teeth with bonding or crowns. The bone between the teeth can be regrown with forced eruption which is a orthodontic procedure ,but most patients do not opt for this technique do the expense and time involved. Of course your best option is to visit your dentist so he can help you determine the reason for your recession and what the best course of treatment would be.