“Janet” was 70 when she was referred to me by her dentist for aesthetic restorations to improve, in her words, “The unsightly and uneven appearance of my teeth.”
Janet came to us with several issues she wanted addressed. Her teeth were worn and uneven with many sharp edges. She had already undergone root canal treatment on several teeth and there were many old fillings from past decay. The extensive nature of root canals and fillings had resulted in an uneven bite and appearance. Additionally, due to a root canal treatment done years ago, one of Janet’s top front teeth appeared quite dark compared to those surrounding it. Overall, Janet felt that her smile was unsightly and wished for an improved appearance while also addressing the health and function of her teeth. Fortunately, Janet had not had any recent problems with decay due to good oral hygiene habits at home.
During her initial examination, I talked with Janet about her treatment goals – I would be restoring the function of her teeth, but how would they look? We discussed several options to determine the best plan for her unique situation while taking aesthetics, function and value into consideration.
Based on our discussion, I took several photos and created a “smile redesign” mockup using 3D dental software. This allowed me to give Janet a visual of what the final outcome could be. The ability to generate an aesthetic “preview” gave Janet confidence in understanding how her final restoration should appear, and in taking the steps required to achieve that ideal result.
As prosthodontists, we specialize in helping people with complicated dental issues and will work with your general dentist and other dental specialists to determine the best treatment unique to you. We feel it is important to not only restore function, but to meet the aesthetic demands of our patients in the process. If you feel that your teeth are not functioning well or that your smile does not look as nice as you would like, please reach out for a consultation. We look forward to working with you to achieve a healthy, happy smile!