How do dentists make dental veneers look natural?

Dental veneers are an excellent way to cover up imperfections on your teeth, such as cracks, discolouration or gaps. When done well, veneers can instantly change the quality of your smile and hence are often used in smile transformation processes.

However, many patients often end up with unnatural looking veneers in their quest to achieve the perfect smile. Veneers, as with all other procedures in cosmetic dentistry, must be done not just by a dentist with a good eye but also a realistic expectation of what looks nice.

How do I choose veneers that look natural?

When you look at veneers, there are a few factors to look out for:

Colour of teeth

When designing dental veneers, something important to keep in mind is the colour. Veneers can look very natural, mimicking the colour of natural teeth or very opaque and as white as a wall. Realistically speaking, the latter is not the most ideal as the colour of your veneers should match the rest of your natural teeth as well as the whites of your eyes and skin colour. Also, keep in mind that natural teeth do not have just one colour; dentin and enamel change with age and wear. The dentin of younger teeth is lighter, while older teeth are darker and more opaque at the edges. Remember — the point of aesthetic dentistry is to present a smile that’s both pleasant and natural to look at; so how your teeth gels with the rest of your face matter a lot.

This will come down to the texture of the veneer and the skill work of the ceramist making the veneer. In general, porcelain veneers are the veneer of choice as they carry a realistic texture and are able to mimic the way natural teeth reflect light. Porcelain veneers are also slightly more expensive as they are far more stain-resistant compared to other materials.

Size and shape of teeth

The size and shape of your dental veneers should complement your face and even your body. For example, a petite woman will most likely not have the same teeth shape as a bigger sized male. You also want to make sure your veneers do not have a reverse shape when you smile. What this means is that the edges of your teeth should follow your lower lip line; they should incline upwards instead of backwards following the lower lip. That way, you actually look like you’re smiling instead of frowning.

Face shape

Most faces fall into four categories: heart, square, oval and round. Each type of face shape has an optimal tooth shape and size to balance out features naturally.

Heart shaped
Heart shaped faces work better with rounder and shorter veneers.
Oval shaped
Oval shaped faces work better with squarer veneers. This helps to add fullness to the face.
Round shaped
Rounder faces look better with longer and more pronounced veneers.
Square shaped
As square shaped faces have more defined jawlines, they would do better with rounded veneers to soften features.

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How do we make dental veneers look natural?

At Dental Designs, we go through the following processes to ensure you are happy with your veneers.

Digital Scan

Digital scans allow us to understand your dental condition and create a virtual framework of how your future smile will look like. The scans will give us insight to the size, volume and shape of your teeth. We also use the Smile Design tool to aid us in your smile makeover.

Lab preparation of veneers

We create all our veneers in an in-house lab to ensure full quality control. They are also milled from a single block of feldspar using a delicate milling strategy to reduce cracks and microfractures. To bring life to your veneers, our dedicated dental lab technician introduces textures and colours to the veneers to make them look as natural as possible.

Please note that in order to make sure your veneers suit you, it is vital that we test-run your smile first. As such, we will make a temporary set of veneers or smile prototypes for you and have you wear them on for about a week. If you are satisfied, we will go ahead with bonding your permanent porcelain veneers.

References

Silva, B., Stanley, K., & Gardee, J. (2020). Laminate veneers: Preplanning and treatment using digital guided tooth preparation. Journal of esthetic and restorative dentistry : official publication of the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry ... [et al.], 32(2), 150–160. https://doi.org/10.1111/jerd.12571
Bennani, V., Ibrahim, H., Al-Harthi, L., & Lyons, K. M. (2017). The periodontal restorative interface: esthetic considerations. Periodontology 2000, 74(1), 74–101. https://doi.org/10.1111/prd.12191

Why you need a Root Canal Treatment

When a tooth has undergone heavy damage from decay, and bacteria has infected the tooth, a root canal treatment is performed to remove the bacteria infection and save the tooth, as opposed to removing the whole tooth. This article explains everything you need to know about root canal treatment.

What is Root Canal Treatment?

A root canal treatment is a complex procedure that is performed to remove inflamed or infected dental nerve tissue from the inside of a tooth, thereby stopping any pain.

When is a Root Canal Treatment Performed?

The dental pulp is the innermost layer of a tooth, and it contains the nerves and blood vessels. On the outside, our teeth are protected by a hard, mineralized layer known as the enamel. Between the enamel and the pulp is the softer dentine, which contains nerve endings originating in the pulp.

When a tooth has extensive cavities or if it gets damaged as a result of an accident, the nerves and blood vessels in the dentine and pulp become exposed to the oral environment, which may cause sensitivity to cold or hot. This problem, if it is superficial, can be treated by simply restoring the tooth with a filling.

However, if this situation persists, damage to the tooth continues and ultimately the pulp tissue becomes inflamed. When this happens, there tends to be severe, continuous pain which does not go away, even after taking pain medication. At this stage, in order to save the tooth from extraction, an option would be to perform a root canal treatment.

What are the Signs that you Need a Root Canal Treatment?

If you are having some or all of the following problems, then you may need a root canal treatment:

Pain – the pain associated with inflammation of the pulp tissue is severe and continuous. In most cases, the pain is so severe that forces the patients to visit their dentists in an emergency.
Chewing Pain – in advanced cases, patients may feel severe pain whenever they bite on food with the affected tooth.
Swelling – inflammation of the pulp tissue can also lead to swelling of the soft tissues around the affected tooth.
Pus – in some cases, pus can be seen oozing out of the soft tissues surrounding the damaged tooth.
Loose Tooth – when the infection from the pulp travels to the structures surrounding the damaged tooth, the periodontal tissue, which anchors the tooth to the bone gets destroyed. As a result, the tooth becomes loose and may ultimately fall off if treatment is not sought.

If you feel that you are suffering from some of the above-mentioned problems, then you should visit us immediately to avoid permanent damage to the tooth.

How is Root Canal Treatment Performed?

Root canal treatment is usually performed in 2-3 appointments of 1 hour each. Some of the steps involved in root canal treatment include:

Imaging and Treatment Planning – first, your dentist will perform a clinical examination, and test the tooth as well as the neighbouring teeth to rule out any other issues. X-ray images of your teeth may be taken to visualize the extent of the infection as well as shape and number of the roots of the affected tooth.
First Root Canal Visit – Under local anaesthesia, the dentist will access the pulp chamber to remove the pulp within the tooth. At this point, we will put an antibacterial medicament inside the tooth, followed by placing a temporary filling to seal the area while the medication takes effect.
Cleaning the Root Canals and Pulp Chamber – during the next appointment, we will remove the temporary filling and the medicament to assess the healing. We will also use special instruments to remove the infected pulp from the tooth crown and root canals. Afterwards, we will thoroughly wash and disinfect the tooth’s interior. If required, our dentists will place the medicament again to ensure proper healing.
Obturation – once sufficient healing has taken place, we will thoroughly clean and dry the tooth’ interior, and then seal it up with an inert material. This is done to prevent future chances of infection.
Permanent Restoration – finally, when the surgical site has healed completely, our dentists will restore the tooth with a permanent core buildup which serves as a foundation for the final crown restoration. A post may be necessary if the tooth is badly broken down, and it is used in order to support the core.
Crown restoration – This can be done at the same time as the Obturation visit of the root canal treatment. We usually recommend a ceramic or zirconia crown as they preserve more of the tooth structure compared to metal ceramic crowns. Read more on crowns here.

Reinforcing the Tooth

Teeth that require root canal treatment tend to have very little tooth structure remaining, due to the previous decay or damage. Therefore, they must be reinforced by using a crown, which covers the entire top and sides of the tooth. Reinforcing the teeth with crowns becomes even important for the back teeth, which undergoes very high chewing forces. Otherwise, weakened teeth may fracture as a normal filling is not strong enough to protect the tooth. If the tooth fractures and exposes the root canal filling, the whole root canal may need to be redone as infection may have penetrated the tooth. Therefore, we always recommend for the crown to be done immediately after the root canal treatment to protect the tooth.

At Dental Designs Clinic, we make every attempt to save each tooth from extraction, so that you may continue to use your teeth. In some cases, if the tooth is too badly broken down, extraction may be necessary. We can help with the replacement of the tooth by using a dental bridge, or a dental implant.

Cynergy Care Network Provider - Dental Designs Clinic

Have a Cynergy Care dental card but not sure where you can use it?

Dental Designs Clinic is a Cynergy Network Provider on the Cynergy Care Dental Clinic list. As a Cynergy Care Clinic, you will get to enjoy dental coverage for your dental treatment with us.

We are located near an MRT Station (Telok Ayer on Downtown Line). Find our dental clinic on Cecil Street conveniently located within walking distance to Tanjong Pagar and Telok Ayer.

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What Is Covered Under Cynergy Care?
Enjoy claiming your yearly insurance benefit through us. As your Cynergy dentist, we cover you fully for regular checkups, scaling and polishing. Other dental treatment are mostly covered as a co-payment with Cynergy Care dental insurance.

How Do I Claim my Cynergy Dental Insurance?
As an Cynergy Care Dental Clinic, you will get to enjoy Cynergy Dental coverage for your dental treatment with us.

Please ensure you specify "Dental Designs Clinic" when you make your appointment through Cynergy Care Network. For your appointment, Please bring along your Cynergy membership card for us to claim your treatment costs with Cynergy Care.

In pain and need an emergency appointment? Please call us as we will try our best to slot you in on the same day, to see you as soon as possible.

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Have a cracked or chipped tooth?

We understand that this is a priority that needs to be fixed quickly, as this affects your daily life very much. The good news is, our clinic is able to provide same day restorations and crowns, which are permanent and able to fix your problem quickly. Same day crowns are as strong as or even stronger than conventional crowns which usually take two weeks to manufacture.

Dental Designs Clinic is an AIA Panel Dentist on the AIA Group Dental Panel List

Looking for an AIA Dentist near Raffles Place and Tanjong Pagar? Dental Designs Clinic is a AIA Panel dentist located in the CBD of Singapore.

We answer some commonly asked questions about AIA Panel Dentist and how you can utilise your employee benefit or AIA insurance coverage fully with us.

I am covered under the AIA Group Dental Insurance, how do I utilise my AIA dental benefit?

We are a AIA Dental Panel Dentist in CBD near Telok Ayer MRT on Downtown Line. Enjoy convenient regular checkups and treatment with our AIA dentist near Tanjong Pagar. You can even come during lunch hour with us, as we are located near to Raffles Place, Marina Bay, Chinatown and Shenton Way.

What Is Covered with AIA Panel Dentist?

Enjoy claiming your employee benefit through us. As an AIA dentist, we fully cover you for regular checkups, scaling and polishing, x-rays and fillings, as well as other treatment, which can often be direct billed to AIA.

How Do I claim my AIA Dental Insurance with an AIA Panel Dentist?

As an AIA Dental Provider Clinic, you will get to enjoy AIA coverage for your dental treatment with us.

Please bring your AIA card for your first appointment in order for us to process your claim with AIA. Whenever possible, we direct bill your treatment charges to AIA for your convenience.

In pain and need an emergency appointment?

Please call us as we will try our best to slot you in on the same day, to see you as soon as possible.

...Click Here to Make an Appointment

Have a cracked or chipped tooth?