Smile Gallery
Have you been considering a particular dental treatment but you aren’t quite sure? It may help to see the results achieved by other patients with similar concerns. Take a look through our before-and-after smile gallery and imagine the possibilities for your own smile!
This patient came to see us because of a broken tooth. The before pictures show that the tooth has had 1) significant acid erosion damage (the yellow-brown circles); 2) a fractured cusp; 3) a crack down one side of the tooth; and 4) 2 large fillings already present in the tooth. We showed the patient the pictures and explained that if we attempted to repair the tooth with another filling, the tooth would be mostly filling material and the part of the tooth between the fracture and the crack would likely break off next. The patient decided to treat the broken tooth with a crown. The crown covers the whole tooth and protects it from future fractures. This patient also has new decay, a crack, and a leaking filling in the tooth behind the crown tooth. Ideally, we’ll repair that tooth before it breaks.
This patient was having problems with wear, cracks, and fractures of his back teeth. In this case, the front teeth were too worn to separate the back teeth when the jaw slid side-to-side. In order to relieve destructive forces on this patient’s back teeth, Dr. Gray needed to rebuild his front teeth to develop ideal function and distribution of forces. Although the patient was primarily motivated by improved function, it just so happens that teeth that are shaped to function properly also look great!
Invisalign
This patient was frustrated by a drifting front tooth that rotated and started to overlap the neighboring tooth. Dr. Gray discussed options and the patient decided to use Invisalign to move the tooth back into its correct position.
Repaired a Chipped Tooth, We Suggest Athletic Guards For Physical Activities
This patient chipped his front tooth in a bike accident. Dr. Gray was able to repair the chip so that the tooth looks entirely natural again. We’re hoping he comes back for an athletic guard to protect his teeth from any accidents in the future. Some research even shows that athletic mouth guards can prevent concussions in blunt force chin traumas. If you have chipped front teeth, or participate in exhilarating activities that could damage your teeth, give us a call to discuss repairs and athletic guards!
Replaced old filling with new Tooth-Colored Cosmetic Filling
This patient had an old filling that started to leak. This allowed new decay to develop between the tooth and the filling. Dr. Gray removed the decay and replaced the filling, which will allow this tooth to work well and look good for many more years.
Tooth-Colored Cosmetic Filling
There are a number of reasons for replacing fillings including an opening, or leaking, where the filling meets the tooth, new decay, or fracture of a filling. Appearance is another good reason to replace fillings. Over time your teeth change shade, and fillings that used to match your teeth can really stand out. Or you may decide to bleach your teeth and older fillings that used to match are now too dark. With advances in filling materials and the ability to bond filling material to the teeth, it’s possible to get a much better match between teeth and fillings than ever before. You don’t need to live with a conspicuous mismatched filling in a front tooth anymore!
Invisalign
Invisalign treatment addressed the patient’s primary concern and made improvements in a non-invasive and conservative way.
Porcelain Crowns
This patient had been unhappy with the color of her teeth for many years, and due to a non-ideal bite and a grinding habit, had worn and chipped her front teeth. Following discussion of treatment options, she decided to treat the teeth with porcelain crowns on the top teeth, veneers on the bottom teeth, and a bite guard to wear at night. This treatment allowed us to change her bite to a more ideal relationship between the upper and lower teeth as well as provide a beautiful, long-lasting new smile.
Fluorescence Cavity Detection
Using fluorescence to detect decay allows much earlier diagnosis and treatment. We have found that when we treat cavities detected with fluorescence, they are small and shallow. When we wait until there is a soft spot in the tooth (a “stick” with our instrument) the cavities are often quite advanced, and large, deep fillings need to be placed. Larger cavities require removal of more tooth structure and cause more inflammation inside the tooth. This can lead to sensitivity, a weakened tooth, or the need for root canal treatment. Those risks are significantly reduced by early detection and repair of decay.
Silver Filling Replacement
This patient had multiple teeth with large, leaking, silver-colored amalgam fillings. The teeth also had multiple deep cracks, putting them at risk for fracture or extensive decay under the fillings. The patient decided to treat the teeth with crowns to prevent the spread of decay and prevent the teeth from breaking.
Implant Ceramic Crowns
This patient had a retained baby canine tooth that was loose and developed decay and could not be repaired. The patient was interested in an implant and crown to replace the tooth. However, there were space problems that had to be addressed. The patient decided on orthodontic treatment (braces) to provide space for implant and crown placement.
Dr. Gray worked very closely with the orthodontist (the doctor who placed the braces) to ensure an appropriate amount of space would be made. He also discussed the position of the implant placement with the periodontist (the doctor who placed the implant) to make sure the crown attached to the implant would be in the right place to make the final smile look natural. As you can see, good communication between the three doctors resulted in a great-looking and functional outcome for the patient.
Tooth-Colored Cosmetic Fillings
This patient had very good dental work that lasted around 20-30+ years. However, just like tires on a car, eventually, even great dental work wears out. After decades of use, these fillings were leaking and the teeth had cracks and new decay present. The patient decided to treat the teeth with crowns to protect them long-term from breaking and new decay.
Tooth-Colored Fillings
This patient has a number of old “tooth-colored” fillings in their front teeth. The patient has gotten many good years out of these fillings, but over time they have stained and one of them developed new decay. Not only was Dr. Gray able to remove the decay and repair the tooth, but he also achieved a much better esthetic result for the patient.
Sedation Dentistry
This patient had multiple molars with cracks and leaking fillings. She was extremely anxious about dental work and chose to have the procedures completed under sedation. She had all the work she needed completed in just a few visits and without any anxiety.
Emergency Dentistry – Broken Tooth
This patient was concerned about her broken tooth. Dr. Gray found that her upper molar was broken and new decay was present. Ideally, the tooth should be treated with a crown. However, this patient was unable to have a crown placed right away, so Dr. Gray removed the decay and placed a large tooth-colored filling to protect the tooth until the patient could have a crown placed. If this patient had waited to come and see us, the decay may have been extensive enough to require a root canal procedure, or even make the tooth impossible to repair.
Implant Crowns
This patient was concerned about the loss of his upper front teeth. Dr. Gray discussed a variety of options with the patient and he decided to replace the teeth with two implants and a porcelain bridge. Dr. Gray takes a very careful and deliberate approach to these cases to ensure the end result is fantastic, and the patient is thrilled to have his smile back.
Sedation Dentistry
This patient had multiple molars with cracks and extremely large fillings. The patient had been anxious about long dental appointments and chose to have the procedures completed under sedation. She was able to get all her work done in two appointments without worry, anxiety, or realizing she was in the chair for a long appointment.
Veneers
This patient wanted to improve the shade of her teeth, the appearance of the small malpositioned tooth next to the front teeth, and the alignment of the lower front teeth. We discussed a number of options and she decided on upper and lower veneers. With careful planning, we were able to provide a beautiful result that addressed all her concerns and gave her the smile she really wanted. She likes the look of the front teeth so much that now she’s planning to replace the existing yellow crowns on her lower left.
Emergency Dentistry – Broken Tooth
Front teeth break for a variety of reasons. Sometimes there is a single traumatic event that causes a fracture. Many times, the tooth is subjected to a non-ideal force from other teeth when the bottom jaw moves around. This small force is repeated numerous times and eventually leads to fracture of the tooth. Fortunately, such damage can be repaired so that no one can tell the tooth was broken. We also examine how the other teeth may affect the filling and may reshape them slightly to prevent the fracture from recurring.
Emergency Dentistry – Chipped Teeth
It’s not uncommon to chip a front tooth. Fortunately, using the best modern dental materials, these chips can usually be repaired in such a way that no one will notice the tooth has a filling in it. Sometimes we can even make the repair without numbing the tooth!
Implants and Abutments
This patient had a fixed bridge that failed and decided to replace the non-restorable teeth with Dental Implants to support a crown and a fixed bridge. This photo shows the implant abutments, which join the crown and bridge to the dental implants. The patient was excited to have the missing teeth replaced and even chose a slightly lighter color for the restorations and has sinced bleached his natural upper left teeth to match.
Crown
This patient had an old fixed bridge which developed new decay. She also had an old crown on her front tooth that had held up well, but did not have the same natural look we can achieve with modern materials. Following discussion of a variety of treatment options, the patient decided to replace the failing bridge with an implant-supported fixed bridge and to replace the old crown on her front tooth with a new, natural-looking crown. The patient wanted to match her new crowns to her natural teeth on her left side and will replace the old crown on her right side to match the others when she is ready.
Emergency Dentistry – Cracked Teeth and Damaged Restorations
This patient fractured his front tooth. The tooth was repaired with a tooth-colored filling. The filling will provide a great restoration until the patient is ready for a porcelain veneer
Dental Implants and Crowns
This patient sufferred a falling accident which resulting in traumatic loss of two of her front teeth. One of her back molars had a severe bone defect which resulted in loss of that tooth as well. The patient decided to restore the open spaces with dental implants and crowns and is very excited to have her beautiful smile back and the ability to chew food the way she did with her natural teeth.
Anterior Implant
This patient lost his front tooth. Following discussion of options, he decided to replace the tooth with a dental implant and crown. The new crown looks great and allows the patient to chew and function as though he has a natural tooth in that location.