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A Beautiful Smile and Your Cosmetic Dentist

Everyone knows Mona Lisa's smile, but who knows what she meant by it?

Why do we smile?

Psychologists tell us that, in our ancient past, a smile was a gesture of appeasement. They also believe that, to modern man, a smile signals many different messages - recognition, sympathy, apology, lessening of tension, confusion, embarrassment, doubt, joy, delight. A smile, social observers agree, is a mask behind which we can hide our true feelings.

This mask is a complex gesture. First the corners of the lips curl upward. Then, as the smile grows, front teeth are exposed. In our culture we consider people with glistening white teeth and a beautiful smile to be "good" people. Bad teeth, on the other hand, tend to distort the smile "message" because, curiously, we subconsciously judge others by their teeth.

The Eyes Don't Have It - The Teeth Do!

Some people believe that teeth are a more important element of beauty than the eyes.

Have you noticed that, in the movies and on TV, the "good guys" never have broken teeth or a missing tooth? The "bad guys" almost always do.

What Does Cosmetic Dentistry Have to Do With Facial Beauty? Everything!

Nearly all dentistry affects our appearance, and our appearance affects our sense of personal worth. Among the many things that a cosmetic dentist can do to give you a beautiful smile are:

• Teeth bleaching to remove stains caused by plaque, coffee, cigarettes
• Teeth Whitening
• Covering worn teeth (ground down by age or deformity or chipping) through application of dental crowns, dental bridges, or other cosmetic dental techniques
• Teeth Straightening (orthodontics) for adults as well as children, to improve appearance and to provide better chewing surfaces
• Shortening a long face, realigning a protruding jaw, correcting a cleft lip through dental surgery

So … cosmetic dentists are scientists, clinicians, artists and image-makers!

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.

Do I Need an Extreme Makeover? Why Do My Dental Crowns Look Fake?

The most common complaint associated with crowns is that they look "opaque," "lifeless," and "fake" compared to natural teeth. Do you need an expensive dental makeover to solve the problem? No!

The appearance of a crown is affected by many factors, but ultimately, the final result is determined by how the crown reacts with light. Natural teeth have a high degree of translucency, which means a certain amount of light passes through the tooth. The result of this is that the tooth appears to have depth and vitality.

Porcelain Dental Crowns With a Metal Substructure

Traditionally, crowns are made of two materials:

• porcelain, which gives it the tooth-colored appearance
• metal substructure, which gives the crown its strength

Generally, it is this type of crown that can appear opaque. The reason for this is that while porcelain is very translucent and lets light travel easily through it, no light can pass through the underlying metal. In order to prevent the metal color from showing through the porcelain, which would make the crown seem dark or gray, the metal has to be "masked out" with an opaquing material. It is this masking or opaquing that can affect the final appearance, giving rise to the opaque or lifeless look.

Do All Porcelain Crowns With a Metal Substructure Appear Lifeless?

The answer is no. One thing that can be done to improve the appearance is to remove the metal margin that goes around the crown. By keeping the metal inside the crown and having porcelain at the junction between the crown and the tooth, the "black line" appearance at the gum line can be eliminated, thereby increasing the translucency in this area. It also is necessary to have an adequate thickness of porcelain over the metal substructure. If the metal that has been masked out is too close to the outer surface of the crown, the appearance of depth is lost. What it mostly comes down to, however, is the skill level and artistry of the technician who is making the crown. When done correctly, porcelain crowns with a metal substructure can give you the best of both worlds without the expense of an extreme makeover. They can be made to exactly match your other teeth while still appearing lifelike, and since there is metal in it, they have increased strength.

Dental Crowns

Today, there are dental crowns available that do not require a metal substructure and are made of only porcelain. Depending on the specific type, they get their strength either from the bond to the remaining tooth structure or from a dense tooth colored substructure. Since there is no metal, these types of dental crowns allow more light to pass through, which enables them to have more depth and vitality, much like natural teeth. So why isn't this type of crown used all the time? The main reason is that they are not as strong as crowns with a metal substructure. So, if a person grinds their teeth, these crowns have a greater risk of fracture. Another reason why an all-ceramic dental crown cannot be used in all situations is if the underlying tooth structure itself is dark. Very dark teeth are difficult to mask with these types of crowns because of their translucency. In these instances, the dark color may show through the crown. So, for situations where a lot of force will be placed on the teeth (such as grinding habits) or if a tooth is really dark, a well-made porcelain crown with a metal substructure may be a better restoration.

By Greggory Kinzer, DDS, MSD

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.