Smile makeover dentistry principles up until recently have usually focused on dental treatment procedures and products popularized by TV programs, veneer dentistry and the massive teeth whitening product offerings that are available just about everywhere.
Individual teeth, patients have learned, can be resized, resurfaced, realigned and whitened or brightened to nearly any degree imagineable.
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| Reverse Smile Line Denture |
Smile Line design (changing the curvature of the biting edges of upper teeth) became the domain of cosmetic dentists who were expert at placing crowns and veneer products in a fashion that created what has become defined as the "Perfect Smile" wherein the curvature matches the curve of the lower lip in a patient's natural smile.
Smile Line Design for Prosthetics
More and more of today's consumers are expressing an interest in having denture replacement teeth that don't look or feel like dentures. Because of this burgeoning demand, established cosmetic dentists have started using smile rehab principles that, at one time, were not available to denture wearers.
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Reverse Curvature Smile Line
Aging Effects |
Hybrid Products
Consumer demand has led to the development and availability of specialty products that enable Dr. Pohl, like many other cosmetic dentists, to create dentures that can look and function as good as many porcelain teeth replacements or bridgework.
Cosmetic denture dentists have access to prosthetic fabrication laboratories that enable the patient and the dentist to individually select each tooth in a denture product. Size, shape, contour, color shading and translucency values can now be chosen for denture teeth as they are for premium crowns and veneers.
Unhappy Denture Wearer
The before and after pictures presented here demonstrate why many patients are unhappy or dissappointed with normal denture products. The patient represented here came to our office with the complaint that her dentures made her look sad and feel older, despite being a generally happy person.
Aesthetics
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| Crowns? ... Veneers? .. Denture? |
The first and second before photos readily show a smile line that is not natural. Instead of curving up... it curves down.... creating the appearance of a smile that "frowns"... an unusual effect that the patient hated.
In addition, the front-most (anterior) teeth were too short which caused her bite to over-close, also creating an incorrect occlusal plane. This is commonly known as collapsed vertical dimension.
Function
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| Smile Line Correction |
Our patient also wanted the best function possible with denture prosthetics. She had difficulty eating many favorite foods naturally and comfortably. In many situations she had to bend forward while eating to control unwanted denture movement.
Because of bone characteristics of the patient's lower jaw, immmediate load Nobel Biocare dental implants were used instead of mini implants. Custom locator attachments enabled the patient to have a rock solid secure denture that functions like normal teeth.
Cosmetic and Functional Outcome
The treatments, procedures and products used to fabricate "correct" proportional sizing, contouring and color shading values for her replacement dentures produced dramatic changes in her bite height (vertical dimension), lip movement and her overall "smile behavior."
Her broad smile, as seen in the comparison between the full face before and after pictures is quite dramatic. The upper and lower jaws no longer over-close, creating the net effect of having a younger, rather than older, appearance.
Lots of bright teeth and natural lip movement coupled with an implant secured denture makes her feel, in the patient's own words, 10 years younger.
Questions?
Schedule a Complimentary Evaluation today with Dr. Pohl to learn more about cosmetic denture prosthetics that can offer opportunities for a cosmetic and/or functional makeover that weren't possible just a few years ago.
Advances in implant dentistry products and denture design fabrication provides treatment options that are almost infinite and can be made to fit nearly any budget.
Questions can also be sent directly to Dr. Pohl with our online Inquiries form. Dr. Pohl will respond to you directly with the answers you need for making informed treatment decisions.
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