A healthy, attractive smile conveys health, confidence and strength to others, and for good reason. For one thing, feeling good about your smile helps you have confidence in yourself, which automatically draws people to you in a positive way. The way we see it, that helps you have more fun in your life as well as in our office!

Even more importantly, the condition of your teeth can impact your overall health, as well as your ability to chew and enjoy your favorite foods. Your teeth also affect your speech and comfort in talking with others.

Cosmetic dentistry encompasses much more than glamorous "makeovers." While looks are important, the function that cosmetic dentistry can restore to you is what we consider to be a most dazzling improvement. Missing teeth, gaps, cracks or chips in teeth, stains, and much more can be corrected with cosmetic dentistry. The results are a terrific smile…and so much more.

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Teeth Bleaching

Over time, even the best of teeth can begin to yellow or show stains. Bleaching can gently reverse those problems, leaving you with a whiter, brighter smile.

Teeth become discolored for many reasons:
— Frequently drinking coffee, tea, or colas
— Use of tobacco products
— Frequently eating certain foods, such as apples or potatoes
— Use of certain antibiotics (tetracyclines) in children whose teeth a are still developing
— Advancing age
— Injury or trauma to the tooth
— Certain diseases
— Treatments such as head and neck radiation or chemotherapy
— Poor dental hygiene
— Genetics
— Excessive fluoride (from overuse or environmental conditions)

If you are interested in bleaching, talk to us. We’ll only recommend what is most appropriate for you, and we’ll let you know how your particular stains or yellowing typically respond to bleaching. If your teeth and gums are healthy, we may suggest at-home bleaching with a mild product. We will make molds of your teeth to create custom-fit vinyl trays that hold the bleaching gel snugly against your teeth. You’ll receive detailed instructions on how to use the trays and gel. Results vary with each patient, but your teeth should begin to look whiter within a few days. If you have other teeth or gum issues, we’ll let you know what treatments are needed before you can consider bleaching.
Some conditions don’t respond well to bleaching. If this is true for you, we’ll help you explore any other available options. In addition, if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding, bleaching will have to wait.

"All my life, my teeth were yellowish. One treatment of the whitening changed my yellow teeth to white! I was amazed and so were family members and friends. Possibly the best investment I ever made." - Bill Rodgers

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Veneers

If you don’t like the appearance of your teeth, veneers may very well be your answer. Veneers can correct a multitude of problems, including teeth that are worn, chipped, discolored or crooked, as well as gaps between teeth. A veneer is a thin porcelain or resin coating that we can apply to the front of a tooth to improve its color, size, or shape. If you and Dr. Friedman decide this is the right restoration for you, he can typically provide the veneers in only two visits:

First: He lightly reduces your tooth structure and takes a mold of your teeth to send to the lab for custom veneers. Before you leave the office, Dr. Friedman makes temporary veneers for you to wear until your permanent ones arrive, about two weeks later.

Second: Dr. Friedman fits the permanent veneers on your teeth, checking for correct color and accurate bite. When he is sure that everything is right, he bonds the veneers with special cement and a high-intensity light. Finished veneers should feel as comfortable as your own teeth, and Dr. Friedman can make any adjustments to ensure proper fit and comfort.

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Crowns

If the tops of any of your teeth have decayed, broken or cracked, crowns (or caps) may be the answer for you. Crowns protect the top of a tooth and restore or preserve damaged teeth. Crowns can also correct some bite problems and cosmetic tooth problems. You may be advised to get a crown if you have any of these conditions.

Dr. Friedman will explain your options if he recommends one or more crowns for you. He usually prefers to use porcelain crowns, which are strong, attractive and show no lines along the gum tissue, which often happens with other types of crowns.

Restoring a tooth with a crown typically involves only two visits:

First: Dr Friedman prepares the tooth by reducing its structure and removing any decay. The tooth may also need rebuilding if large parts are missing. He takes a mold of the prepared tooth and surrounding teeth to send to the lab for a custom crown. Before you leave the office, Dr. Friedman makes a temporary crown for you to wear until your permanent one arrives, about 2 weeks later.

Second: When the permanent crown comes in, Dr. Friedman removes the temporary crown and places the permanent crown. He fits it to your bite, making sure everything feels normal. When he is satisfied that everything is right, he bonds the crown with special cement. Finished crowns should feel just like your own teeth.

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Implants

If you’re missing one or more teeth due to decay, injury, or any other cause, it can compromise your eating habits, speech, appearance, and self image. Since tooth loss leads to bone loss in the jaw, it also can change the original shape of your face and cause a look of premature aging.

In the past, traditional false teeth presented many problems and did nothing to prevent bone loss. Now, dental implants provide a much better option. For a dental implant, Dr. Friedman places a metal tooth "root" into your jaw to anchor a replacement tooth, bridge, or denture. The implants help preserve bone mass that was previously provided by natural tooth roots, which helps maintain the integrity of your facial structures. Bone cells grow around this substitute root and integrate with it. This forms a stable foundation for a permanent replacement tooth that looks, feels and functions like a natural tooth.

Dental implants offer many advantages over other treatment options. There’s no grinding down adjacent teeth for a bridge. No clasps are needed to secure a partial denture (that can eventually loosen natural teeth). Patients report increased confidence in eating foods they enjoy and far fewer problems than with traditional false teeth.

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Invisalign® Teeth Straightening

If you have ever considered braces, Invisalign® may be an option to explore. Invisalign can help correct a broad range of dental and orthodontic issues, such as overly crowded or widely spaced teeth, crossbite, overbite, and underbite. It is a virtually invisible way to straighten your teeth using a series of custom-made clear aligners that move your teeth little by little. Unlike traditional metal braces, Invisalign aligners can be removed to eat, drink, brush and floss, and the edges are smooth, so they don’t cause mouth irritation. In addition, the aligners are clear, so most people won’t even know you are having your teeth straightened!

If you and Dr. Friedman decide this is an appropriate option, he will take impressions of your teeth and customize a plan just for you. Each customized aligner will then be worn for a period of about two weeks, before being replaced by the next aligner, until the final position of your teeth has been achieved. The overall treatment time varies, and will be determined by Dr. Friedman based on your specific needs.

Information gathered from www.Invisalign.com

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