Teen’s Invisalign in Plano, TX
Your Child Deserves a Perfect Smile
If you are in your junior year of high school, it is time to think ahead to your senior pictures. These are the pictures that will remain in infamy in your school yearbook and looked at by all your friends for decades. This is not your casual selfie, but something you want to really look amazing in. Your smile is the first thing people will notice in your senior pictures, so visiting the dentist is the best way to improve how you look.
At Plano Family Dental, we can examine you in our cosmetic dentistry office and discuss what you don’t like about your smile. If you have gaps between your teeth or they are crooked, stained, or misshapen, we can fix them in our Plano, TX dental office. There are several ways we can address most aesthetic issues, so we will conduct an examination, take x-rays, discuss the timeframe we are working with, and then present you and your parents a variety of options to choose from. Since some have set time constraints, it is best to schedule your appointment with our Plano office as soon as possible. You can do so by calling.
Invisalign® To Straighten Your Teeth
If your biggest concern is that your teeth are crooked, we can straighten them using Invisalign®. This is the best way for you to straighten your teeth if you are worried about the appearance of traditional metal braces. The Invisalign® aligners look like a full plastic retainer, and they surround your teeth completely. By placing pressure on specific teeth, they gradually move them into the right position. Each aligner is worn for around two weeks before being switched out for the next one in the series, and since you can do that at home, you will spend less time at our Plano dental office. The reason that our teenage patients love this option is because the aligners are removable. You can take them out to eat, brush your teeth, play sports, go to a school dance, etc. This means you are in complete control of your treatment and can still enjoy being a teenager without constantly worrying about your teeth. As long as you wear the aligners for at least 20 hours a day, your treatment will progress on schedule.
When you visit our Plano dental office, we can examine you and let you know how long your Invisalign® treatment will take. At Plano Family Dental, we find the average treatment time to be around a year and a half. The good news is that if your teeth are not perfectly straight before your senior pictures, they will at least be straighter and your smile more beautiful. Since the aligners are removable, simply take them out for your photos.
Dental Bonding To Improve The Appearance Of Your Teeth
If your senior pictures are just around the corner, the fastest way to improve the appearance of your smile is with dental bonding. Unlike dental veneers, which can take a month, or Invisalign®, which can take a year, dental bonding can be completed in one appointment. This is a non-invasive procedure that is completed chairside, meaning without help from the dental lab.
When you come in for your initial consultation, we will discuss the concerns you have about your teeth and then strategize as to the best way to correct them. For example, if one tooth is longer than the rest, we could shave off a portion of it and use dental bonding to contour it. If your teeth are yellow and severely stained, we can place dental bonding material on top of them to cover these deep stains.
We can even use bonding to close small gaps in between your teeth, to restore teeth that have been cracked or chipped, and to change their overall shape and size. Dental bonding material is incredibly diverse because once applied to prepared teeth, we can shape it right then and there. Once it looks exactly right, we will harden it with a special dental light and you will be on your way. You can have your senior pictures taken that week, and your smile will look amazing.
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FAQs
This is perhaps one of the most common and obvious first questions to ask before dental implants. A dental implant is not an actual tooth but rather a prosthesis used for replacing missing teeth. It is a small titanium fixture the dentist inserts into your jawbone, on top of which the dentist can attach a:
- Fixed bridge
- Single crown (cap)
- Full denture
- Partial denture
After the implant integrates to the bone, the dentist connects a structure known as an abutment to your implant and then attaches your artificial tooth or teeth. There are three parts to the process — the implant, the abutment, and the artificial tooth.
The dentist surgically places dental implants in your jawbone. Implants serve as your missing teeth’s roots. Since the titanium in the dental implants fuses with your jawbone, the dental implants won’t make noise, slip or cause bone damage like dentures or fixed bridgework may. Plus, the materials don’t decay like your natural teeth supporting regular bridgework could.
Tooth loss is a prevalent issue. Because of this, dental implant use is also a common practice. There are various reasons why so many individuals are turning to implants to replace their missing teeth or those the dentist can’t save, including:
- To replace individual missing teeth: Many individuals find themselves with a broken or decayed tooth that restorative dental work, such as root canals, crowns and fillings, can’t save. They end up needing to have the tooth removed before infection begins spreading.
- To replace multiple teeth: Since dental implants are incredibly sturdy, they’re successfully used for stabilizing dental bridges.
- For their reliability: One dental implant that’s taken care of properly can last the patient’s lifetime. Dental implants typically last a lot longer than other dental restorations.
- For their appearance: Implants are made to look like natural teeth, making them very aesthetically pleasing.
Dentists have used dental implants for many years, and implant technology continues to advance. Today, dental implants are sophisticated devices that highly trained professionals put in place. They’re one of the most reliable ways to replace missing teeth.
While discomfort can vary between people, most individuals report getting their dental implant was much less uncomfortable than they anticipated it to be. During the surgical, dental implant procedure, the dentist will give you an anesthetic, so you should feel minimal discomfort if any.
They’ll use gentle techniques, and since the environment they’re working in is clean, there’s little risk of infection. If you follow the dentist’s post-operative instructions and take the prescribed antibiotics, you should experience minimal discomfort. Your dentist will likely prescribe you pain medication as well, but many individuals don’t use them.
A few factors determine the dental implant procedure timeline. They are:
- Your dental health
- Which teeth are replaced
- The number of teeth involved
- If you’ll require a tooth extraction before the implant placement
The dentist restores your mouth with an implant in two phases and the entire process can take around three to nine months. It could take even longer if you have an extraction that has to heal, or if you needed bone grafts before the dentist implanted the posts.
The dentist places dental implants in your jaw by making precise holes in your bone so that they fit snuggly. They do this where your teeth are missing but where you have adequate bone to hold the dental implants. In some cases, it’s possible for them to place dental implants on the same day your dentist extracts your teeth. Typically, however, it takes around three to six months of healing before you can have your implant placed.
Very rarely does an individual’s body reject an implant. The jawbone usually readily accepts the dental implant. The very few rejections are due to rare allergies to the titanium alloy that make up the implant. Another reason why an implant could fail is if you don’t take proper care of it after your surgery. Without excellent oral hygiene, natural teeth fail and fall out eventually. Dental implants are no different. When you take good care of your teeth and your implants, it will help prevent gum decay and structure failure later on.
The average implant process occurs in multiple steps. You may require more than one healing stage. So, there’s a varied healing period, depending on your health, how many teeth you need replacing and other factors. However, the healing process generally takes anywhere from six to 12 weeks.
To be a good candidate for implants, you need to have good oral and general health. You also need to have adequate bone in your jaw to support the dental implant, be free of periodontal disease and have healthy gum tissues.
In general, you may be a good candidate for dental implants if you:
- Have one or more teeth missing
- Have enough bone for securing the dental implant or can have a bone graft
- Have a fully grown jawbone
- Have healthy oral tissues
- Are unwilling or unable to wear dentures
- Don’t have a medical condition that would affect bone healing
- Would like to improve your speech
- Can commit a few months to the process
- Don’t smoke or are willing to quit
No, dentures can’t be “made into implants.” Dental implants are metal screws the dentist places into your jawbone to help support and anchor your artificial teeth (dentures). It might be possible for your dentist to place the implants beneath existing dentures to help stabilize and support them. However, the dentist can only do this if your existing dentures are in excellent condition. The dentist will examine your existing dentures to determine their condition.
Dental implants can last a lifetime if you take care of them properly by regularly brushing, flossing and following your dentist’s recommendations. While your dentist can’t guarantee the lifetime success of an implant, they can provide you with suggestions and guidelines on how to take good care of your teeth. They’ll base these guidelines on:
This is a complicated question since the answer will depend on your specific situation. In obtaining this answer, you’ll learn more about your specific needs. Your dentist can give you a more accurate assessment of the costs of your procedure.
The cost of dental implant treatment will depend on various individual factors, including:
- The amount, quality and location of bone
- The number of dental implants you’ll need to support the teeth
- The number of teeth that need replacing
- The type of artificial teeth the dentist will use
- The types of dental implants used
This is something you can discuss with your dentist during your initial consultation.