A smile is perhaps the thing that, in the fullest sense of the word, makes us human. In modern, dynamic and stressful life, a beautiful and healthy smile is not just an aesthetic fad, but a ticket to conquering new horizons and peaks. It is the first indicator by which people perceive, appreciate and remember us, our calling card.
With the help of all the innovations in modern dentistry: veneers, ceramic and zirconia crowns, it is possible to quickly, easily and painlessly make this dream a reality.
But what do they actually represent?
Veneers are thin translucent ceramic plates,which are placed only on the front surface of living teeth. They are a micro-invasive approach, which does not file the tooth, but only shapes the front, visible part of it. This shaping is within 0.3 to 0.7 mm, i.e. the thickness of an eye lens. The unique thing about dental veneers is that they can correct all the imperfections of the dental crown: color, shape, size, while at the same time being extremely strong.
In addition to their undeniable aesthetic qualities, veneers are an indispensable treatment tool in the fight against some common diseases and conditions: dental abrasion, enamel cracks and fractures, tooth sensitivity, etc. By placing these thin ceramic plates, we can protect teeth from destruction by the appearance of carious defects or various periodontopathies (gum diseases) that inevitably accompany crooked tooth rows.
Due to their micro-invasiveness, veneers are not the treatment of choice for some more severe defects. All dead, fractured teeth are protected over time by crown constructions. “Why” you may ask, the explanation is very simple. In order for the tooth pulp(nerve) to need to be removed, either the tooth has been severely fractured, or more commonly, the carious lesion has destroyed most of its crown. Consequently, thin tooth walls are left,which over time lose their elasticity, become more fragile, more brittle, and at the same time, we do not stop loading them with about 80 (up to 300) kg. per sq.cm. at each meal. This goes on until overwork occurs and the tooth tissues split. Unfortunately, in some cases, the split is along the entire root of the tooth and then the only alternative is extraction. This is why it is extremely important to protect these teeth with crowns. In this way, the so-called “hoop effect” i.e. circular coverage of all tooth walls in one piece is carried out.
Modern crown constructions are made of special reinforced ceramics or zirconia scaffolding covered with ceramics. Both types of crowns have outstanding aesthetic and biological qualities due to the fact that they do not contain metal. With the old metal-ceramic crowns there were a number of problems such as: allergic reactions, receding gums from the crowns, greyish staining, pathogalvanism, etc. All of these were due to the constant irritation of the metal.
Therefore, modern constructions replace it with zirconium oxide, which does not react with human tissues and shows very good biocompatibility. Another significant advantage of zirconium crowns over metal-ceramic crowns is their high aesthetics. Natural teeth have characteristic optical properties. The dentin is opalescent, i.e. opaque, dense, and the enamel is translucent, transparent. Due to the combination of these tissues, the teeth have a characteristic translucency when exposed to light. It is these qualities that are reproduced by zirconia, giving crowns an extremely vital and natural appearance. With metal-ceramic crowns, it is impossible to achieve this effect, as the metal in them is an absolute barrier to light.
Zirconium constructions are distinguished by their exceptional strength and durability, as no corrosion processes occur in them. Scientific data shows a high success rate and a crown life of 10-15 years. This does not mean that they should be replaced after this period, but simply that the success rate decreases. They do not change with the years and with adequate maintenance (regular brushing, flossing, twice yearly checkups) they are practically eternal. It is this strength and durability of zirconia that justifies the higher price.
Many people are afraid of the unknown end result, of whether they will like the new smile. In fact, with modern CADCAM technology, the whole process is computerized and controlled by the dental team (dentist, dental technician) all the time. This innovation allows us to perform the treatment process within two to three visits. At the first visit, a blueprint of the future design of your smile is always made, through which we aim to achieve the ideal aesthetic proportions, refracted through the prism of the individual in each person.
Thanks to this, you can get an idea of the final result in advance and inform us exactly how you would like the designs to look. To fine-tune the process, we prepare temporary plastic teeth until the permanent ones are made. These, in turn, also give us important information about the details of your future smile. It is important to specify that even the permanent constructions can be changed in color, shape, and length, so that the patient has the opportunity to participate in the healing process until the last moment.
The Hollywood smile is no longer the privilege of only the rich and famous, but an easily achievable reality for all people.
We hope the information has been helpful to you. If you have any further questions, the team at SHABAB DENTAL CLINIC will be happy to answer them, because your health is our mission.