Archives for March 2025

Treating Enamel Hypoplasia

Posted on March 31, 2025 by writeradmin.

I have enamel hypoplasia and am looking for a way to improve the look of my smile. My goals are uniformity of color and I’d like a slightly whiter color than I have right now. What do you recommend?

Carolyn

Dear Carolyn,

mild and severe enamel hypoplasia

For those who are unaware of what enamel hypoplasia is, it is a condition where the tooth enamel does not completely form. Sometimes this is a genetic condition. Other times, it is because of an illness during the formative years of tooth development.

Let’s start with the color. If you want the color of your teeth whiter, you would start with teeth whitening. Bear in mind that teeth whitening will whiten uniformly so that won’t be enough to achieve your goals, but it will be the first step.

What you do from there will depend the amount of hypoplasia you are dealing with. If it is mild hypoplasia you could just use dental bonding on the few affected spots. If the hypoplasia is over a larger surface area then you will want to do porcelain veneers. This uses tiny wafers of porcelain that will cover the entire surface of the tooth.

If there are other things you’d like to change about the teeth, like their shape or character, then I would do porcelain veneers. This is the go to procedure for a complete smile makeover.

Both of these procedures will require that you use a dentist with some post-doctoral training in cosmetic dentistry. They are advanced procedures that are not adequately taught in dental school. Take the additional precaution of looking at their smile gallery to make sure that they are able to produce beautiful results. If they do not have a smile gallery then they are not serious about cosmetic dentistry and you should look elsewhere to get your work done.

This blog is brought to you by Kalamazoo Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.

Where Should Dentures Be Placed?

Posted on March 19, 2025 by writeradmin.

Can you help me with something? I had all-on-four dentures placed for my anterior teeth. Should they be placed 2-3 mm from the gumline or should they exactly follow the gumline? Mine are not following the gumline and my lips feel and look bulky. Was this done properly?

Elena

Dear Elena,

This is a gumline.

I’m glad you wrote. I think we’re having a terminology issue, but I think I know what your question is really asking. When we’re talking about a gumline, it is where the gums meet with the teeth. If you’re talking about a complete denture with your all on four dental implant treatment, then that would be the acrylic that meets at the white “tooth” part.

The problem I suspect you are talking about is where the teeth “hit” in relation to the bony ridge that the denture is placed on. Where they are placed depends on whether you are talking about completely removable dentures or something that is anchored, like your all-on-four.

If you are in completely removable dentures, then the teeth need to be placed directly on top of the ridge. If they are more forward than that, your dentures will tip any time you bite down.

If, on the other hand, you are talking about an implant retained denture then they can be placed a little further forward than that because they are secure and are not going to tip when you bite. The 2-3 mm you mentioned are well within the range of acceptable placement. That being said, there are other things to consider besides chewing with denture placement such as appearance of the teeth, the patient’s speech, fullness of the patient’s lips, vertical dimension, and their bite placement for proper occlusion. There should always be a wax try-in of the dentures before the acrylic version is made to check all of these things. I’m wondering if your dentist did this.

If your denture is attached to the implants with screws, its position can still be changed. The denture can be removed and then reset into a different position. Your dentist may be willing to do this for free. If he or she isn’t, then the fee would not be much. I hope this helps.

This blog is brought to you by Kalamazoo Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.

Dentist Lost His License Before Finishing My Dental Implants

Posted on March 8, 2025 by writeradmin.

I paid for a full treatment of dental implants along with two Zygomatic implants because of my bone structure. The dentist required that the entire procedure be paid for ahead of time. He did get the implants placed, but then he lost his dental license. I do not understand the circumstances behind him losing the license. My big problem is that I do not have the dentures placed. I’ve been wearing temporaries for quite some time now. Is there a way for me to get a refund on the part that isn’t finished so I can afford to have another dentist to complete the work?

Adrian

Dear Adrian,

I am sorry that this happened to you. If the dentist lost his license, it would probably had sold his practice in order to get some money to live on while he comes up with a plan B for his life. The dentist that purchased that practice would also be responsible for the contracts of that practice, so they should be required to place your permanent dentures.

If that doesn’t work, I recommend you talk to the local dental board there in order to ask them what they suggest your next step should be. This has to be a situation that they have dealt with before.

Because you do not know the reason that he lost his license, I would feel better if you had the dental implants looked at before you see the new dentist that purchased your dentist’s practice. It’s possible that they are not properly placed. If that is the case, the new dentist may be hesitant to admit that because he’d be the one stuck with fixing them. This way if you get an independent second opinion you will be in a better position.

I hope things work out for you quickly with this situation.
This blog is brought to you by Portage, MI Cosmetic Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.

What Is the Best Way to Get Really White Teeth?

Posted on March 6, 2025 by writeradmin.

I’ve been using Crest Whitestrips for several months. While I can tell there has been just a bit of whitening, it’s not getting white very quickly. Is there a more effective way of getting really white teeth?

Stacey

Dear Stacey,

I’m glad you wrote. There are a few ways to get your teeth really white. Which one you use will depend on your goals. If you’re just wanting to get white teeth, then take home professional strength teeth whitening is very effective and less expensive than other options. The reason that the Whitestrips take so long is because their strength is well below what you would get through your dentist. If you are looking to whiten quickly, you can have Zoom Whitening done. It will give you a dramatic amount of whitening in one appointment. They won’t be the whitest they can get, but they will be significantly whiter. Then, if you want to go further, you can use take home trays and gel that your dentist can provide for you.

If, however, you are looking to do more than whiten your teeth, but get a complete smile makeover, then I would recommend you look into porcelain veneers. This is what celebrities turn to in order to get that Hollywood smile. They can change not just the color of your teeth, but the shape, size, and character as well. The one downside is that they are much more expensive than teeth whitening.

While teeth whitening is a very basic cosmetic procedure and just about any dentist can do it, you will need to find an expert cosmetic dentist to do porcelain veneers. Bear in mind that cosmetic dentistry is not a recognized specialty. That means any dentist is permitted to do the procedures AND it is up to them how much post-doctoral training they get. You will want to check out their smile gallery to make sure they get beautiful results.

This blog is brought to you by Kalamazoo Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.