When you look and feel your best, people notice the difference. Modern cosmetic dentistry can totally transform your smile if you want to change your image. If you are considering more than one procedure, you may want a smile makeover, a comprehensive combination of cosmetic dental procedures intended to enhance your smile’s beauty and appearance. The makeover will focus on correcting various problems, including broken, chipped, crooked, missing, or discolored teeth.

The Esthetics of a Smile
With a smile makeover, your dentist can also fix uneven, unsightly gums. The makeover process can also dramatically change the length, width, color, and shape of your teeth to produce a uniform, vibrant appearance. Your dentist will talk with you about whether you want a more feminine look, a more attractive smile line, or whiter teeth. A smile makeover, however, is not just cosmetic in approach. During the evaluation, your dentist will also check for functional problems such as a bad bite or malocclusion.

Benefits of Making Over Your Smile
The advantages of having a smile makeover include:

• Consistency. Having multiple cosmetic procedures preformed by the same dentist, will help you avoid variances and differences that can occur when several dentists with different techniques and materials perform the same procedures over a longer period of time.
• Minimizing Office Visits. With a comprehensive smile makeover, the dentist can group the cosmetic procedures in a more efficient manner so as to save you time and minimize office visits.
• Saving Money. Because a smile makeover is intended provide a comprehensive solution, patients can avoid redundant dental procedures.

FAQs about Smile Makeovers

I want to change my smile. What do you suggest for a smile makeover?
No two people are exactly alike, and no two smiles are completely the same. To start the smile makeover process, the first thing you need is a consultation appointment. At this visit, the dentist will listen to your ideas, show examples of possible changes, examine your mouth, and craft a custom plan to update your smile.

Won’t a smile makeover cost a lot of money?
Every case is different. Until you meet with a dentist, it’s hard to estimate price. However, not taking care of your teeth can result in additional expenses to repair damage and improve your appearance.

How can I get straighter teeth without braces?
In some cases, porcelain veneers can cover front teeth and give your smile a more even look. To actually straighten teeth, many adult and teen patients choose Invisalign clear braces. This system uses a series of clear, custom aligners to move teeth in to the correct position without the inconvenience of traditional metal braces.

What options are available for smile enhancement?
You deserve a smile that matches your style and personality. For a smile makeover tailored to fit your needs, your dentist may suggest porcelain veneers to close gaps, teeth whitening to remove stains, and porcelain crowns to replace old restorations. If you are missing teeth, dental implants can give you back a complete smile. Call us today and schedule an appointment for a cosmetic consultation.

At Smolarek Dental Care, we welcome our new patients to our Elma dental office. Our friendly staff is dedicated to caring for you and your entire family’s oral health and well-being. Our dentist provides a comprehensive new patient exam and consultation to assess your dental health and create a customized treatment plan for you. To understand what to expect from your first visit to our practice, please read through this page. You’ll find all the practical information you need. For more detail, contact us at 716-668-8101.

Dental Exam
A clinical exam is more commonly referred to as a routine check up. A new patient exam lets your dentist essentially take inventory of the overall health of your mouth and teeth and diagnose any potential problems you may have.

A. The first thing your dentist will check during the exam is your face and neck. Checking visually, your dentist will look for any abnormalities, such as lumps, bumps or swelling.

B. Checking inside your mouth is next on the agenda. During this part of the check up your dentist will be looking for any abnormalities in the soft tissue, such as discolorations or ulcers on your lips, gums, tongue, palate and cheeks. Your dentist will also perform an oral cancer screening and will check your bite and your jaw joint for any problems.

C. Next your dentist will check your gums and jawbone, as they are the foundation for your teeth. Your dentist will check them for any signs of gingivitis, gum disease and bone disease.

D. Checking your teeth comes next. Your dentist will be checking them for cavities and other problems. Finally, your dentist will be sure to look specifically at any areas where you may have symptoms or concerns.

X-rays
In most cases a clinical exam by itself is not sufficient to completely diagnose all potential problems with your mouth. In fact, the majority of problems with your teeth and the jawbone are not visible to the naked eye. That is why x-rays play a key role in allowing a better, and more accurate look at what is really going on inside your mouth and below your teeth and gums. By using x-rays your dentist can check for any bone loss and determine the severity of the gum disease.

In addition to revealing any problems that were not visible during the clinical exam these initial x-rays will also provide your dentist with a benchmark with which to compare against during your future visits.

At Smolarek Dental Care we provide dental crowns and bridges solution to our patients in Elma. We create customizes dental crowns and bridges for those patients with missing, fractured, damaged or decayed tooth. Dental crowns and bridges look and feel like natural tooth. These treatments are used for a long-lasting correction of major dental problems. No matter how complex your dental condition, we are here to improve your dental health and appearance of your mouth with a dental crown or bridge. Schedule an appointment with us or contact us to discuss your cosmetic goals and perform a comprehensive examination of your dental health to ensure that you receive exactly the care to restore your attractive and natural smile.

What are Dental Crowns?

A dental crown is tooth-shaped cap that is permanently cemented over a tooth, in order to restore the tooths strength, shape and size, and improve its appearance. The crown will cover the visible portion of the tooth above and right at the gum line, once it is cemented into place.

Crowns are used to hold weak, broken or cracked teeth together to avoid further fracturing. Crowns are also used to support large fillings, attach a bridge, or cover discolored or deformed teeth. Crowns may also be placed over dental implants.

The dentist usually requires two dental visits to install a crown. First, the dentist needs to prepare the tooth or implant for the crown. The dentist will grind and shape the tooth so that the crown can be fitted over it. Then, the dentist makes an impression of tooth and surrounding gums, which is then sent to a dental laboratory so that the crown can be created. The dentist fits a temporary crown over the tooth, until the permanent crown is ready. During the second visit, dentist will remove the temporary crown and cement the finished permanent crown onto the tooth.

Crowns generally last about five to eight years, and with good oral hygiene most crowns last longer. Certain habits such as fingernail biting, chewing ice, and grinding teeth can do damage to the crown, and should be avoided.

What are Dental Bridges

Dental bridges are used to replace one or more missing teeth in your mouth. Dental bridges are fixed, in that they are cemented on the supporting teeth, or in some cases fixed on the dental implant that has been placed next to the missing teeth. 

Importance of Replacing the Missing Teeth
Replacing the missing teeth will restore your ability to properly chew and speak besides its cosmatic advantage; in addition the space caused by the missing teeth may allow the surrounding teeth to shift into that space. This shifting could cause a misalignment in your bite that can result in problems with your jaw joint. These shifted teeth are harder to clean, making them more susceptible to gum disease, decay or even additional tooth loss.

The Dental Bridge Treatment
It normally takes two or more visits for your dentist to complete your bridge. On your first visit the supporting teeth, which are typically the ones on either side of the missing tooth, are prepared. This is done to make room for the crowns that will slide over the supporting teeth. These crowns also serve as holders of the pontic, which is the missing tooth’s replacement.

Next, an impression of the supporting teeth is made so a dental laboratory can custom fit the bridge. Finally a temporary dental bridge is inserted to protect the supporting teeth as well as the space between them.

On your second visit the permanent bridge is placed and adjusted to insure proper fit and function.  If the fit of the bridge is satisfactory your dentist will proceed with permanently cementing the bridge into place.

Dental Bridge Post Treatment Expectations
After the successful completion of the bridge you may feel some discomfort, mild pain when biting or sensitivity to temperature changes for a few days. As advised by your dentist, you can take over-the-counter pain medicine, such as Advil that contains ibuprofen, to alleviate the discomfort. If these symptoms persist more than a few days, visit your dentist.

Cleaning Your Dental Bridge
The longevity of your dental bridge depends in large part on the quality of the material in the bridge, as well as your oral hygiene, diet and the health of the supporting teeth and gums. Please ask your dentist for proper brushing and flossing techniques.

What Is A Cavity? & Why Did You Get One?
Cavities, as their name implies, are essentially holes in your teeth caused by decay. You can sometimes spot a cavity, as the area surrounding the hole generally looks dark brown or gray.

The main culprits to blame for your cavity are certain types of bacteria in your mouth. These bacteria are contained in plaque and they interact with the carbohydrates and sugars in your food creating an acidic environment that dissolves the protective enamel on the outer layer of your tooth. Once the acid succeeds in eroding the enamel, your tooth is exposed, leaving just the softer dentin layer, which will ultimately cause the formation of a cavity. At this point the decay process rapidly speeds up and spreads deeper into the tooth.

Why Do I Need A Filling?
A filling is necessary to treat your cavity because if left untreated the decay will eventually grow and will enter into your nerve canal. And yes, this can be as painful as it sounds. It can also lead to more serious problems such as infection or abscess.

A filling may also be needed to replace or repair an old worn down existing filling or to fix a chipped tooth.

In addition to potential pain and discomfort and possible tooth loss, if you wait to have your cavity filled it may end up requiring a more difficult process, such as a root canal, to save your tooth. And it could also cost you a lot more money to fix. The bottom line is you should get your cavity filled as soon as you can.

Composite Fillings

(Tooth Color Fillings)
Composite is the filling material of choice when it comes to matching your tooth color. Composite fillings consist of plastic and glass particles. They have become the most popular filling materials because they can match your existing tooth color and they also solidly bond or glue to the tooth.

After the decay in your tooth has been cleaned a cleansing gel is applied. Next a bonding solution is applied, finally followed by the composite filling material. Composite is hardened by applying a high intensity blue light. It only takes a few seconds for the materials to harden.

Once the tooth is filled and the composite has hardened, the filling is checked to insure the proper shape and look. At this point any necessary adjustments are made and then your filling is complete.

New Composite Filling Expectations
Following the filling procedure 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 that contains ibuprofen. If your symptoms persist then you should visit your dentist.

In some cases the decay could be quite deep and close to the nerve of the tooth. In these instances the nerve could already be infected with bacteria. Even though a filling has been placed, there is still a good chance that the tooth may need to go under root canal therapy to relieve the discomfort.

Also, composite fillings may change color over time and can sometimes chip away from the tooth.

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.