5 Ways Same Day Smiles Are Revolutionizing Cosmetic Dentistry Feelin' Chipper When I was little, I had a bully at school push my head down while I was drinking out of the water fountain. With a resounding "clunk" my front tooth chipped in half and I watched solemnly as it drifted down the drain. To fix it, my dentist simply adhered a fake piece of tooth to my front, replacing the missing chunk. Over time, however, the piece fell out time and again, needing replacement at the most inconvenient of times (a month before my wedding, hello). Yet, because it was the most advanced way to correct an unappealing smile back in the day, I waited, while my cap was created and then adhered, sometimes weeks later.
Flash forward to today when this problem no longer exists. While many chipped teeth can be repaired using dental bonding, others are not so lucky. Depending on the severity, chipped teeth can require crown-like procedures to fill the missing part of the tooth. A few years ago, before dental technology hit revolutionary strides, this meant that you'd be toothless for weeks before your new crown was prepared and placed in your mouth. Yet, with the uprising of new state-of-the-art software and technology, dentists are finding the wait time to be less and less, even designing and fixing some problem areas on the same day as your visit. Whether you suffer from chipped, oddly shaped, crooked, or cracked teeth you might be surprised to find how the new and improved cosmetic dentistry procedures can improve your smile quickly. Same Day Smiles Let's be honest, we've all looked at Hilary Duff's smile and wondered how it was possible to have such perfect looking teeth. Okay, so maybe it's just me, but either way, her teeth are not far out of reach for the average person. What once required weeks of design, treatment, sensitivity, and travel between dentist offices, can now be done in as little as two treatments. Using cutting edge software called CAD Smiles, dentists and designers are able to create a full set of working veneers quickly and efficiently. Because this advanced technology is so new, only a handful of specialists are available throughout the country, making it a coveted experience. So What? I'll tell you what: it's less invasive. As mentioned above, Same Day Smiles cuts back on the inherently invasive nature of dentistry as a whole. Where before patients had to undergo gunky impressions, intrusive x-rays, and painful crown placement procedures, they now only need to have their dentition scanned by a Cone Beam CT Scanner. This scanner takes only seconds to produce a full, 3-D scan of each individual's head and jawline, providing the dentist and designer the opportunity to design their smile without the use of impressions. Not to mention, this technology is less uncomfortable for the patient, requiring no sharp, plastic films to be rammed in your mouth, or extra fingers prodding around your gums. Instead, the patient is able to sit comfortably as the machine takes pictures using less radiation and time than traditional dentistry technology. After these dental images are taken, CEREC technology takes over, creating the patient's new smile. What About Time?
Nevermind the CT-Scanner mentioned above that can take hundreds of clear photos in just seconds, but the actual amount of time required for a Same Day Smile makeover is practically none. It's in the name: Same Day Smile, and no, it's not a lie. Growing up, my mom owned a salon in Encinitas (just north of San Diego), California. Here, I would spend most of my days with her, hanging around the salon or visiting the neighboring shops, including an impression specialist. That's right, back in the day, impressions were sent to specialists who would carve and create identical versions of patients' mouths, before getting any kind of procedure done. Not only did this take a long time, it also asked patients to pick up their impressions when they were done. Now, with the advent of CEREC technology (used for Same Day Smiles), a full set of veneers is designed and milled chair side. That's an entirely new set of teeth created in as little as one day right before your very eyes! By communicating with the CAD Smiles' technology, CEREC is able to use porcelain to create natural--but better--looking teeth in barely any time at all. Because CEREC works quickly, depending on the procedure (a full set of veneers versus a crown), patients are able to leave the office, knowing that by the next day they can have their full smile back. This ground-breaking technology helps soothe the patient's nerves as they know exactly what is happening, when it will take place, and how long they will be required to sit in the dentist chair, before their new teeth are placed.
Added Convenience What about the insane amount of convenience that Same Day Smiles offer a patient? Like I said, back in the day patients had to physically drive out to impression specialists and pick up the impressions of their mouths for the dentist. This doesn't even include the amount of time that patients had to travel between their general dentist office and the cosmetic dentistry office, given that most dentists did not practice both fields. Now, as technology has boomed, so has the rise in the hybrid general-cosmetic dentistry field that is able to cut out travel time for patients. So long as your general dentist has invested in the CEREC scanner and has contact with a CAD Smile specialist, they are able to provide you with a Same Day Smile service. This means extra convenience for the patient and a better smile by tomorrow. Know Before "Go" Unfortunately, there are many "oopsies" that happen in the dental industry. Unless you see a specialist who knows what they're doing, you're likely to wind up finding yourself in the hands of someone who is not only mediocre at best, but willing to scam you and your wallet at the same time. Seeking the professional hands of a cosmetic dentist, who has a specialty in veneer placement and technology, will not only save you money but will spare you unnecessary strife as well. This isn't even including the many benefits that come with finding a veneer specialist who is also a CAD Smiles technician. With CAD Smiles, patients are given a clear understanding of what their smile will look like before they give the go-ahead to place the veneers. They will know exactly what fit their new teeth will have, how big they will be, and whether or not it is something that will look good on their face frame. Avoid a costly mistake by investing in a technician who understands the patient's wants and needs prior to adhering the porcelain veneers to the natural teeth.
Only a certified technician and dentist office containing CEREC technology are able to offer the luxury of the Same Day Smile makeover service. It is also important to realize that because of the service's "newness", many offices across the country do not include Same Day Smiles in their line up of things they can do for patients. However, many offices are jumping on board, including many across San Diego County. Finding a dentist who can provide you with top-notch technological services will not only save you valuable money, but time as well. Why wait? Jump on board the Same Day Smile service train today and see a better smile tomorrow. http://hubpages.com/style/How-Same-Day-Smiles-Are-Revolutionizing-Cosmetic-Dentistry