My patient lost four teeth in a car accident over 30 years ago and had been wearing a removeable partial denture since then. He kept needing to get the partial denture replaced and he never felt satisfied with the comfort and appearance of them. He even told me that he had a couple of the teeth popped out during a business luncheon while biting into a sandwich. He grew tired and decided to come to me for help. So in just a few visits we were able to create him a smile that he could be happy with, and no longer have the discomfort of the denture moving around in his mouth and pinching his gums or embarrassing him.
Patient had moderate staining on upper teeth. Pre-treated with fluoride rinse for 1 week (to decrease sensitivity). Treated with Zoom! (one hour in-office whitening), and then wore take home trays for 1 week. Whiter teeth by 8 shades! Touch up whitening can be done every 6 months to keep them white and bright. Smoking, red wine, coffee, tea and soda are big stainers. They shouldn't be used during treatment and if they are resumed after, heavy use can cause the teeth to stain back quicker.
This patient had a very large composite resin filling and an amalgam(silver-mercury) filling. There was still good coronal tooth structure on both which allowed me to do more conservative restoration of them, but have the strength and durability of a full coverage crown. Porcelain inlays/onlays are becoming very popular for this reason, plus they look great!!!
