Monthly Archives: January 2012

Dental Implants, Snap-On Smile

Will Snap-on Smile Work With Missing Teeth?

I am missing several teeth and I was wondering how many teeth are required for a Snap-on Smile?

– Dana in Texas

Dana,

There are several different factors involved that will vary from person to person for a Snap-on Smile.

It is difficult to estimate an exact number of teeth required, but theoretically you may be able to support the appliance with as little as two teeth per arch. If those two teeth were angled in just a way that the Snap-on Smile was able to snap over them. The issue here is that the appliance may end up placing additional stress on these two teeth. So another factor to consider is what two teeth they are. It is difficult to provide a specific answer without having actually seen your case and knowing how many teeth you are missing.

The Snap-on Smile is a temporary solution for a straight, white smile. Depending on how many teeth you are missing, you may have other issues to deal with. When you are missing teeth your body resorbs the bone and minerals to be used elsewhere in the body. So you may have some additional shifting or even jawbone loss if you are missing a lot of teeth. Dental implants are a permanent solution to missing teeth. Or a dental bridge or partial denture may be options, again depending on what teeth you are missing.

This post is sponsored by Gilbert dentist Vista Dorada Dental.

Related links: Affordable dental implants, affordable dentist

Affordable Dentistry, Teeth Whitening

A more affordable treatment

I am looking for ways to make my dental care more affordable and I was wondering if dental bonding will save me money over porcelain veneers?

My teeth are very yellow even though I brush my teeth after every meal. It seems that you can see through the ends of my two front teeth. I’m unhappy with my smile but I don’t want it to look fake.

After the research I’ve done, I don’t think I want to have porcelain veneers done. They seem like they may not look natural and they are extremely expensive. I guess I’m wondering if simply whitening my teeth will work or if tooth bonding is a better choice for me. Or maybe I should get the bleaching done first and then the bonding? I don’t want to spend a lot of money and then have my teeth turn yellow again either. Can you explain how bonding works and let me know your thoughts.

Thanks,

– Tanya from Florida

Tanya,

After hearing your case, I don’t think dental bonding is the alternative that is right for you just because you are looking to save money on porcelain veneers. Teeth whitening sounds like the best solution from what you have described. This is because good dental bonding will end up costing almost as much as veneers and it won’t last as long. In fact it would probably only last about one-tenth as long as veneers.

Teeth bleaching will take care of the yellow color of your teeth and they will not return to their original color. Your teeth will pick up stains as time passes, but you can always do some touch up bleaching to keep your white new smile.

This post is sponsored by Glibert dentist Vista Dorada Dental.

Related link: affordable dentistry