Cosmetic dentistry advice

tiamaria

Hi, my OH has made an appointment with a private dental practice with a view to having some cosmetic work done. he has an NHS dentist he sees regularly and already wears a brace as he's got a lot of teeth already missing.

His top front teeth are pretty bad, large and very uneven with a gap on one side, we're talking about half a dozen teeth i guess.

What will the private dentist likely offer him? Are there any pitfalls we should be aware of? We don't want to start a chain of forever having work done, just to straighten the front teeth and hide the gap.

Last but not least, what sort of price are we talking?

Any help appreciated.

Toothsmith

Without actually seeing him and having an idea of what fits where and how, this is a 'How long is a bit of string' question.

Even with full x-rays and photographs, without the patient sitting in front of me, it would be very difficult to come up with a plan.

I suppose the only helpful thing I can do is to ask how he has picked the dentist he has?

Is it through recommendation of other people who he knows who have been there - or did he just pick a place based on a nice website or Yellow Pages advert. (The first way is far and away the best)

tiamaria

Thanks Toothsmith

Well, we found them through their radio advert:o

There is another place locally which is connected to the local hospital which may be another option.

Don't know anyone who's had cosmetic work done on their teeth.

Are there any treatments they may offer which are a big "no no", we need to be wary of?

He's willing to spend up to £1500 to improve the appearance of his teeth, is he likely to get something done for that or is he wasting his and their time?

Sorry, I know it's not a simple answer!

brook2jack

The very first thing to consider is how did he lose the teeth in the first place and why are his front teeth so bad? No dentistry lasts forever and if his diet and cleaning patterns don't change he can spend alot of money to get his teeth looking nice, only to have it all replaced on a very regular basis.

If he has gum disease then it's important to sort this out and make any lifestyle changes ie give up smoking , change diet etc before embarking on any cosmetic treatment.

He really would be better off spending some money on getting the basics right ie hygiene visits , getting teeth and gums healthy , changing diet, flossing/using tepe brushes daily rather than launching into cosmetic treatment which will fail the way his own teeth have as teeth that have dental work done on them are never as strong as your own teeth.

I would be very wary on choosing a dentist just on the basis they do "cosmetic " work. Choose a dentist who has been recommended who will ensure you not only have a nice smile , you have a healthy smile.

Toothsmith

All treatments are valid in the right situation, and wrong in the wrong situation.

You will have people posting here telling you veneers/crowns/post crowns/whitening/implants are the worst thing they've ever had done, and others telling you that the same treatments have changed their lives and they now are far more beautiful than they could ever have imagined!

The only thing that is important though, is what's right for your OH. He needs to have a discussion with a dentist that he trusts to have his best interests at heart, and between them they will come up with what can be done, how much it will cost, and how long it's likely to last. Also, what it will take in terms of regular maintenance both by him and the dental team to keep it looking good.

Step one though, is to find the right dentist.

welshdent

Whats wrong with his own dentist? Just because someone markets themselves as a "cosmetic" dentist doesnt mean a great deal. Sure they may have been on some courses but the technical work is largely the same its just the lab fee that may vary. Plus I know I would be annoyed if I was maintaining a patient for a while and then they take themselves off for a load of possibly unrecommended treatment and expect me to look after it all for them afterwards (extensive dental work is NOT buy now and forget about it).
If your OH is really concerned about their appearance go back to their usual dentist with their concerns. Even if that dentist is not happy to take it all on they will more than likely know reputable practitioners to refer on to. An NHS dentist is not a specific breed of lesser dentist. All it means is that we agree to see you and someone else pays the bill (the NHS). We all have exactly the same training from the outset. Not blowing my own trumpet but I know I particularly better trained and experienced in a number of aspects of dentistry than quite a few of my "private" and "cosmetic" friends. I am not saying they arent good just pointing out that basing a dentists ability on if their are NHS or not is probably not the best gauge you can use.

tiamaria

Thank you all for your input.

I'd like to point out that his teeth aren't rotten or decayed just very crooked. The lost front tooth was through playing rugby. His tooth care and diet are very good (He does bodybuilding so very fussy about what he eats). He probably should have had a straightening brace as a child but he grew up with a parent who couldn't care less but that's another story..

I didn't actually realise he could get cosmetic work done by his own dentist, he has mentioned that he wasn't happy with the look of his teeth to him briefly a few years back and the dentist did him a new denture brace/plate (sorry if that's the wrong term), of course this won't change the look of his natural teeth. I think the dentist is reluctant to mess around with what are likely healthy teeth although very misshapen.

Is there any dental work that will fill a gap? That itself would make a great difference.

Thanks

welshdent

We are multi talented beings The problem is both sides get in to the NHS mindset of whats available and not on the health service. Due to the fact we have to pay for the treatment from a limited budget, unless people draw our attention to things we focus on whats clinically necessary not cosmetics/aesthetics. 95% of the patients I see in a day usually want that anyway plus people generally dont like being "sold" things and mixing the 2 systems up. BUT if you come in with an issue you want addressed we can still do a lot if you want to step outside the standard NHS approach and I know I certainly know some superb restorative dentists that can work wonders who I refer to. I am sure I am not alone in that. The problem with going to see someone specifically for "cosmetic" work is they have not had chance to build an understanding of your history and they are going to be focussed on the problem you present with. They have no idea how you got to that point or how motivated you really are etc. Also they are frequently not the people that will be charged with attempting to maintain expensive private work within the confines of a limited NHS system.

There are a few ways to fill a gap however, depends on many factors such as location, size, neighbouring teeth, regional anatomy, tollerance, motivation etc.

brook2jack

tiamaria wrote: »

Thank you all for your input.

I'd like to point out that his teeth aren't rotten or decayed just very crooked. The lost front tooth was through playing rugby. His tooth care and diet are very good (He does bodybuilding so very fussy about what he eats). He probably should have had a straightening brace as a child but he grew up with a parent who couldn't care less but that's another story..



Is there any dental work that will fill a gap? That itself would make a great difference.

Thanks

But in another post you have said he has a denture because he has lost "alot of teeth". Body builders and sports men very often have a diet that is ruinous for teeth due to the high intake of isotonic drinks, bulking supplements etc which are ruinously high in sugars. I treat a few top line cyclists whose teeth are a disaster because of the diet they have to undertake and colleagues who treat serious sportsmen say the same.

The problem is when you are missing many teeth a denture or implants is probably the best way forward as if the remaining teeth are fairly healthy or unfilled it is not always a good idea to cut them down to support the missing teeth. An implant to replace one front tooth would normally be around £2000.

Does he still play rugby? Then spending alot of money replacing teeth when they could be damaged again is a waste. Does he wear a dentist made gumshield if he still does?

There are many things that can be done but he needs to make sure everything is healthy first and he is not in any danger of loosing more teeth soon due to whatever reason.

tiamaria

Hi Just spoke to OH to clarify I've got things right, he said when he mentioned it previously to his regular dentist he told him he was being silly as he's seen much worse teeth than his! - the only solution he offered was to pull out the 4 crooked teeth in front and have them all on a plate/denture (he already has 7 on a plate atm).

He hasn't played rugby since he was a teenager and he doesn't drink isotonic drinks btw but he does take low sugar whey protein. He didn't look after his teeth when he was young which is why he lost them, he does now though.

brook2jack

Low sugar whey protein supplement has 1 to 2 spoons of sugar per glass. Flavoured whey protein has loads more. No added sugar whey protein supplement still has slightly less than half a spoon of sugar per glass.

A few glasses of low sugar whey protein drink a day made up with water will easily cause tooth decay problems if taken inbetween meals. If you add in say fruit juice then decay is inevitable.

Front teeth can easily be and non destructively made to look better without taking them out. But no one can tell what is best without seeing him, his xrays and general tooth and gum health.