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Porcelain Veneers

Chips, stains, or gaps between teeth don’t have to mean an end to your vibrant smile. Porcelain veneers, thin shells of ceramic material placed over the natural tooth surface, can remove these flaws and restore your smile’s appearance. Designed to mimic the natural translucency of enamel, porcelain veneers look and feel like your natural teeth.

Reasons to Choose Porcelain Veneers

If you want to straighten crooked teeth, repair cracks, or remove deep discolorations, porcelain veneers can completely transform your smile. Blending artistry and science, your dentist will select veneers that compliment your other teeth, facial features and personality. Many patients select porcelain veneers because they:

Look completely natural
Offer strength and durability
Cost less than other options
Renew your image and boost confidence

Revitalize Your Smile with Porcelain Veneers

Veneers are used to cover discolorations and imperfections. These restorations can also serve as an effective substitution for crowns on the front teeth because they can aesthetically change the size, color, and shape of your teeth. Often, your dentist can mount the veneers using little or no anesthesia. Resistant to staining, porcelain veneers last for years and are not affected by things like coffee, tea, and cigarettes.

To prepare your teeth, the dentist will first remove about half a millimeter of the natural enamel, which allows for the thickness of the veneer. Next, the doctor will take a mold of the teeth. These models are sent to a lab where a skilled technician will fabricate your custom veneers. Finally, your dentist will permanently bond the veneers to the natural teeth.

Common Questions about Veneers

For anyone who wants to consider improving their images with porcelain veneers, we have provided frequently asked questions and answers to offer more information about these restorations. If you want to discuss your options, call your dentist and schedule a consultation appointment.

How do veneers work?
Crafted from solid dental porcelain, veneers cover your front teeth to remove flaws that hinder your beautiful smile. Traditional porcelain veneers are customized to fit the size, shape, and color of your teeth so that you achieve a gorgeous appearance and natural-looking restorations.

What do porcelain veneers cost?
We can’t give you an estimate on the price because each set of veneers is specifically designed for that individual patient. During your consultation appointment, the dentist will discuss your visions, evaluate your mouth, and create a complete plan for updating your smile. At that time, we will review costs and payment options.

Can I remove the veneers at a later date?
If you choose custom veneers, the restorations are permanent because your doctor will remove a thin layer of enamel to prepare your teeth for the porcelain veneers. Little or no-prep options like Lumineers do allow patients the flexibility of returning to their original smiles. However, Lumineers don’t work in all cases, so you will need a consultation and exam to determine the best option for your smile.

Why can’t I just whiten my teeth instead?
In some cases, professional teeth whitening can brighten your smile and revive your appearance. When you have gaps, permanent stains, or chips, bleaching your teeth won’t address the issues. Porcelain veneers literally cover the teeth and create a straight, attractive smile.

Does it take a long time to get veneers?
Most of the time, patients complete the whole process in four to six weeks. During this time, you will have an initial exam, take impressions for the veneers, and return for final placement.

Invisalign

Smolarek Dental Care is an Invisalign preferred provider in Elma. Our Elma cosmetic dentist are all experienced and expert in teeth straightening using the Invisalign technology. Invisalign technology has been available for more than 15 years and has proven to be an effective teeth straightening method. Invisalign with our best dentist in Elma, means careful supervision and attention to detail.

To schedule an appointment contact us or call our Elma dental office at 716-668-8101.

Many adults or older teens would like to improve their smiles but hate the idea of traditional orthodontia. Invisalign is an orthodontic treatment that is a great alternative to metal braces. Unlike traditional braces, patients don’t have to endure painful, ugly metal wires or bands. Virtually invisible, the Invisalign system works through a series of custom aligners.

The Clear Alternative

Because Invisalign uses a series of clear trays to shift teeth, patients avoid irritating brackets and the unsightly appearance of metal orthodontia. An estimated 1,000,000 people have chosen to straighten their teeth with Invisalign. Benefits include:

Gradual movement of teeth
Imperceptible treatment option
Less inconvenience
Removable aligners
Shorter treatment time frame

Invisalign Treatment Overview

During the first step, the dentist will take impressions of your teeth and digitized them. From these impressions, your doctor can create and manipulate a computerized image of the teeth. Using the 3-D model, the dentist will plan out the movement of the teeth. Custom aligners are then generated to fit your specific case. Every couple of weeks, patients change the aligners as prescribed by the dentist. The aligners gradually reposition the teeth little by little until you can enjoy a straight, attractive smile.

FAQs about Invisalign

What are the benefits of Invisalign?
With Invisalign, adults who want to maintain their mature images don’t have to deal with the embarrassment of metal braces. Another obvious advantage of Invisalign is that the aligners are removable, so patients can take them out to eat, brush, and floss.

Invisalign in Elma

Will Invisalign aligners straighten my child’s teeth?
Because they still have baby teeth that need room to come out, dentists don’t recommend Invisalign for young children. As well, most kids don’t have the discipline needed to wear, care for, and keep up with the Invisalign aligners.

How long does treatment last?
Although the actual length of time depends on the individual case, usually Invisalign will straighten your smile in 6 to 18 months, often less time than with traditional orthodontic therapy. Your dentist will see you every four to six weeks to monitor your progress.

Since the aligners are removable, can I take them out whenever I want?
Most patients love the fact that they can take their aligners out for eating, brushing, or on special occasions. For optimal results, you need to wear the aligners about 22 hours a day on a consistent basis.

Porcelain Crowns

As you age, your teeth age too. Decay, fillings, trauma or even just normal chewing habits can make your teeth break down over time. A porcelain dental crown or a cap is a cover that is placed over a tooth to protect a weakened tooth from further fracturing or deteriorating. A Porcelain crown could also be used to replace a discolored or badly shaped tooth or protect a tooth that has had a root canal. Lastly, a new porcelain crown is necessary to simply replace an old worn down or defective crown. All porcelain crowns are generally considered the most aesthetic choice since they closely resemble the color and appearance of your teeth. Porcelain continues to improve and in fact, there are newly developed porcelain materials, such as zirconium and empress 2 that can better withstand the forces of chewing.

The Dental Crown Treatment
It normally takes two visits for your dentist to complete your crown. On your first visit, your dentist will shape and prepare the tooth so the crown can properly fit over it. Next, an impression of the tooth is taken and a temporary crown is inserted to protect the prepared tooth. This impression is then sent to a dental laboratory where a custom-fit permanent crown is made.

On your second visit the permanent crown is placed. If the fit, shape and color of the crown are satisfactory your dentist will proceed with permanently cementing it into place.

Porcelain Crown Post Treatment Expectations
After the successful completion of the crown it is not uncommon to feel some discomfort, mild pain when you chew, or sensitivity to temperature changes for a few days. Also, if your newly cemented porcelain crown feels too tall or your bite doesn’t feel right, you should contact your dentist.

Cleaning Your Crown
Please keep in mind that the longevity of your crown depends in large part on the materials in the crown, as well as your oral hygiene, diet and the health of the supporting tooth and gums. It is important to maintain all of your teeth with proper brushing and flossing.

Oral Cancer Screening

Did you know that every day, every hour one American dies of oral cancer? With an estimated 30,000 Americans diagnosed each year, oral cancer has a higher mortality rate than cervical cancer, Hodgkin’s disease, liver cancer, and kidney cancer. When found early, oral cancer has a 90 percent cure rate. You are at increased risk for oral cancer if you use tobacco in any form, consume heavy amounts of alcohol combined with smoking, are over age 40, and/or have prolonged exposure to the sun (lip cancer).

Early Detection is Key
Because 25 percent of the people diagnosed with oral cancer have no risk factors, an oral cancer screening should be a routine part of dental maintenance. Regular check-ups, including an examination of the entire mouth, are essential in the early detection of cancerous and pre-cancerous conditions.Common symptoms of oral cancer or pre-cancerous cells include:

A change in the way the teeth fit together
A color change in the oral tissues
A tiny white or red spot/sore anywhere in the mouth
Any sore that bleeds easily or refuses to heal
Difficulty chewing, swallowing, speaking or moving the jaw or tongue
Lumps, thickenings, rough spots, or crusty areas
Pain, tenderness, or numbness anywhere in the mouth or on the lips

Screening for Oral Cancer
During an oral cancer exam, your dentist will carefully examine the tongue, inside of your mouth, and your lips to look for spots or sores that are flat, painless, white, or red. Many of these spots or sores are harmless, but some aren’t so you will likely need a test to determine if a problem exists. Your dentist may choose to perform a brush test, which involves scraping a miniature brush across the suspicious sore or discolored area in the patient’s mouth. The cells collected on the brush are sent to a lab for analysis. If the results show suspicious cells are present, a biopsy can then be performed.

Common Questions

I don’t drink or smoke. Why do I need an oral cancer screening?
Even though certain elements, like lifestyle, age, and heredity, can play a role in your risk for developing oral cancer, people with no known factors can still develop oral cancer. Routine checkups and screenings allow your dentist to catch problems before they escalate.

I noticed a few small sores in my mouth. Should I be worried?
If you notice any unusual spots, sores, discolorations or bumps in your mouth, you should contact your dentist right away. Oral cancer treatment is very successful when the cancer is detected early.

Does an oral cancer screening hurt?
No. During the initial exam, your dentist will look inside your mouth, checking the gums, lips, and other soft tissue for any strange spots or sores. In some cases, the doctor may use special equipment such as VELscope or ViziLite to highlight any areas of concern. If an area looks suspicious, the doctor can perform a brush test, gently scraping cells to be sent off to the lab for further assessment.

Porcelain And Composite Inlays

Inlays are custom fit fillings made in a laboratory. First, the decay is cleaned from your tooth and then an impression of the tooth is made and sent to the lab. In the interim a temporary filling is used to fill in the space and protect your tooth from fracture or further deterioration.

There are several types of materials to fabricate an inlay. Which are porcelain and composite inlays.

The first type of inlay is a porcelain inlay, which is colored to match your tooth. In addition to being aesthetically pleasing the other benefits of porcelain inlays are that they are also quite stain resistant and hard.

The second type of inlay is made of tooth colored composites. Like the porcelain inlays, composite inlays are also very aesthetically pleasing. Both types of inlays are bonded or glued to your teeth with special cements.

Porcelain Inlay & Composite Inlay Post Treatment Expectation
Following the inlay treatment it is very common to experience some discomfort, normally at the site of the anesthetic or at the tooth itself. To alleviate the discomfort you can follow your dentist recommendation on taking an over the counter pain medication such as Advil. If your symptoms persist for more than few days, you should visit your dentist.

In some cases and due to variety of reasons your inlay could become loose. In this case you should contact or visit your dentist.

Please keep in mind the longevity of a filling depends in large part on your oral hygiene and diet. Be sure to maintain your filling with proper brushing and flossing.

If you have any additional questions, please consult with the dentist.

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