Education of our guests about their treatment options, and the relationship of their oral health to their general well-being, is of paramount importance to us. Doing so allows our guests to make informed decisions and partner with us in creating treatment plans for their particular needs and desires. We excel in esthetic and restorative dentistry and delight in creating uniquely individualized smiles for our guests, which convey their own personality and lifestyle be it professional, sexy, athletic, bold, shy or showy…the possibilities are endless! Please choose from the options listed to see examples of our guests' beautiful new smiles and information on the choices they made.
Tooth whitening or bleaching is one of the most popular areas of cosmetic dentistry. Even subtle changes in shading can make someone look years younger. Several factors can contribute to the darkening of teeth, including the effects of age, certain foods and drinks, smoking, and medications.
Modern dental technology can reshape uneven teeth and veneer them with high-tech ceramic. The result will give the appearance and function of a symmetrical smile. The effectiveness of this approach can depend on how crooked and crowned the teeth are to begin with. What we can do is absolutely amazing. For many adults this option is better than traditional orthodontics, and treatments can be complete in as little as two visits.
Imagine being able to turn the clock back 20, 30, 40 years or more. Full-mouth restoration involves restoring the teeth, bite, muscles and self-esteem back to a natural looking and youthful feeling condition.
You do not have to be dissatisfied with the way your smile looks and feels. You do not have to be uncomfortable when you chew or not be able to eat hot or cold foods. You do not have to awaken in the morning with sore jaw muscles or live with recurring headaches. Our quality of life is greatly affected by our oral health. The older we get, the more important it becomes. Using computerized technology and an artistic eye, full mouth restoration may be the answer to many of these problems.
Of all the methods available today for changing and improving the look of your smile, veneers are among the most popular and successful with our patients. The process involves removing a small amount of tooth structure to make room for the veneers. The dental lab then fabricates the veneers from impressions. After placement, the veneers look like natural teeth. Some advantages of porcelain veneers over bonding include increased longevity, and resistance to staining.
The application of tooth colored filling material (composite) to the teeth has been a dental technique for many years. Recent advances have increased the strength, durability, and longevity of these restorations. Bonding material can be molded and shaped to achieve outstanding results including tooth lightening, closing spaces between teeth, making teeth appear straighter, and repairing chips and cracks. When polished it gives the appearance of natural tooth structure.
Many restorations are fabricated using a metal lining covered with porcelain. These types of crowns are used because they are cheap and easy to place in the mouth. They are opaque or flat looking because they do not let light pass through as a natural tooth does. There is often a dark or gray line next to the gum-line. We provide exclusively all porcelain-bonded restorations. When properly placed they are as strong, if not stronger then the porcelain covered metal crowns. Notice the appearance of natural tooth again.
Metal-free dentistry can restore your full dentition back to natural form and beauty.
A Bridge is a custom device anchored to neighboring teeth that replaces one or more missing teeth. When a lost tooth is replaced with bridgework, the teeth on either side of the missing one are prepared as crowns to serve as abutments to hold the prosthetic (replacement) tooth in place. Crowns and bridges are most commonly prepared from high quality materials such as semiprecious or precious metals, porcelain, or a fused combination of the two. Aesthetics, function, and tissue compatibility are considered when selecting the material most suitable for you.
Until recently, dental patients have been told that repairing teeth with white fillings was just for cosmetic purposes, and white fillings may not be as durable as the metal restorations. This philosophy is now passé. With the modern technologies of dental adhesion, resins, lasers, and state-of-art ceramics, the new porcelain restorations are close to rivaling nature in strength, wear, function, and appearance. There are now sixteen-year studies showing that with properly administered technique, these advanced restorations surpass traditional dentistry. With these new materials, it is possible to bond teeth back together, virtually restoring them back to their virgin strength without the invasiveness of full-coverage crowns. In the majority of circumstances, metal fillings or crowns can be replaced with techniques that are more conservative. It is therefore possible to preserve the healthy, remaining tooth structure, rather than whittling teeth down, as a pencil would be ground away by a pencil sharpener
Dr Alan Hinkle DDS - Providing services in cosmetic dentistry, porcelain veneers, full mouth rehabilitations, teeth whitening and non metal fillings to the areas of Washington DC, Arlington, Great Falls and McLean, Virginia.
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