Starting Amanda's Smile Transformation!

Ok, Amanda is numb and we are ready to go! It is always an exciting time when we begin work on a cosmetic case. In this case, we will remove 6 existing veneers that are short and darker than what Amanda would like. She has had these veneers for 10 years. On either side of the 6 veneers she has, we will be including another tooth in our preparation. This is because Amanda's smile is wide and 8 teeth in total show prominently when she smiles! The preparation is done with a dental handpiece. This is used very gently for the time that it takes to lightly prep away the existing veneers. Amanda is experiencing some noise and a light mist of water during this procedure. Because of the noise, we have given her headphones and she is listening to her choice of music on AOL music. I think she has this cranked up loud because she seems to be very comfortable!

After the teeth have been prepared, we take an impression of her top teeth. This impression is done with a soft, rubbery material and goes to the lab. The lab will fabricate 6 new veneers and 2 crowns for us in the period of approximately 2 weeks. The lab that I typically use for smile enhancements like Amanda's is Eurodent Dental Lab. They are located right here in Kansas City and this allows for excellent communication between the lab and our office! It also made it easy for her to go the lab for a custom shade appointment. At this appointment, she went over photos with the lab technician and was able to give them her input on what she wants her teeth to look like, tooth by tooth!

After the impression is made, I made a temporary for Amanda to wear while her case is being designed. The purpose of this is to minimize sensitivity and this temporary simulates what the final veneers and crowns will look like in terms of color, length and contour. Amanda loves the look of the temporary! I can't wait to show her what her final restorations will look like! The temporary restoration is cemented with temporary cement and Amanda is free to go! What a great appointment! At our next visit, we will try in the final restorations and bond these into place! If I can't wait, I wonder how Amanda feels!

Below you will see a couple of photos that show the difference in Amanda's gum contour before and after the gingivectomy procedure she had done in Dr. Walter's office. Once the gums had healed, we were ready to start our procedure today.

Before

After

Stayed tuned for more photos on Amanda's dental case!

Today is the day! My appointment with Dr. Byars to start my smile transformation!

Now we're ready for the next step! Dr. Walters, the periodontist, gave us the okay to continue with my case, noticing that my gum tissue is evenly contoured and healed. Now its Dr. Byars turn!

Today I will have my 6 old veneers removed, and two more additional teeth will be prepared so that the lab can design and fabricate my veneers and 2 crowns. I will now have a total of 6 veneers and 2 crowns. I have chosen to have 8 front teeth included in my case because I have a wide smile and at least 8 teeth are visible in my smile.

You might be wondering, what exactly is a veneer? A veneer is a thin shell of porcelain, made by a dental laboratory. Veneers are custom made and bonded to the front side of the tooth. A veneer can be used to treat dental conditions such as a slightly crooked teeth, discolored teeth, chipped teeth or they can even be used to close spaces in between the teeth. This is an example of a veneer.

I personally have small teeth. I chose to have veneers to change the size of my teeth and to enhance my smile. I also liked the idea that I could choose the shade of my veneers. I wanted a shade that was even lighter than my existing veneers and natural teeth. Everyone knows that whiter teeth are much more youthful! As we all age, teeth tend to darken and can chip and stain. I really like the thought that the veneer shade will not change color, so the shade that I choose, is the shade that I will have for life!

On with the procedure. Now, I am going to be honest, I was very nervous about this next step. I knew I would need to get numb and working in a dental office, I know what this involves! My worst fear with this is to feel pain. Even worse, to lay there and anticipate the possibility of pain. Dr. Byars knew that I had concerns about this and was very understanding about this. After having the opportunity to discuss every detail about my treatment and what I could expect, Dr. Byars really put me at ease! He used a topical anesthetic gel on my gum tissue for at least 2 minutes. I was so numb after the topical gel was applied, that I felt minimal discomfort when he gave me a few drops of anesthetic. What a pleasant surprise! This made all the difference in the world!

I've waited for several minutes and I'm really feeling numb! All of my fears have been put to rest. I'm ready to go!!! Dr. Byars is ready to begin!

Check back in a few days. I will continue taking you through this great experience of mine!!

Follow this series of blog posts to "experience" Amanda's smile transformation!

I have had the opportunity to work in Dr. Byars dental practice for the past 3 years. During that time, I have been able to see many of our patients enjoy dramatic smile transformations.

For quite a while now, I have had the desire to replace the veneers I have had for 10 years. I was always happy with my veneers, but after seeing the quality of work that Dr. Byars provided, I was motivated and ready for a change!

After consulting with Dr. Byars, he was more than happy to take on my case. However, he told me that if he was going to replace my veneers, there were a few simple steps to take to insure that this was done right! His first recommendation was a procedure called crown lengthening. This procedure is typically done by a periodontist or an oral surgeon. The idea is to reshape some of the gum tissue and to expose more of the tooth structure to create proper symmetry, making for a more attractive smile.

It was recommended to me ten years ago to have this procedure, but I was really hesitant and had many fears. I made my appointment, and went for a consultation with Dr. Douglas Walters. Dr. Walters agreed with Dr. Byars recommendation and we scheduled for the procedure.

I will admit, I was extremely nervous when it came time for my appointment. I even almost backed out! I was somewhat relieved when I arrived at my appointment and to find out that Dr. Walters actually scheduled some extra time because he knew that I was pretty anxious.

The crown lengthening procedure was actually much easier than I expected. After I was numb the procedure took less than an hour. I was even more surprised that I didn’t have much swelling or pain. Dr. Walters asked for me to check back in with him in three weeks so he could check on my healing progress.

After three weeks, Dr. Walters was pleased with the results and asked for me to wait three more weeks until the next step!

Check back again soon, as I will be blogging and posting photos about the next steps in my cosmetic smile transformation!