THINK COLOR & HARMONY - Look younger with translucent veneers

Dr. Thomas L. Meyer′s SMILE FILE: Spring 2006 Newsletter

People who can't see other colors can usually see yellow. Sometimes that's good - think sunshine, daffodils, and Post-it® notes. Sometimes that's bad - it's discouraging to think that even the dyschromatopic notice stained yellow teeth. But you can replace your not-so mellow yellow with a melodious tone of white - with ultra thin, translucent porcelain veneers.

The art of dentistry is about more than color. Dentists consider esthetic principles to enhance smiles that harmonize with your age, lifestyle, ambition, and physical appearance. A too-white smile can look out of place in the prime of life when teeth tend to get shorter with wear and when laugh lines and wrinkles make their appearance. Did you know that hand-sculpted veneers can help you look younger by:

• Plumping our wrinkles;
• Adding volume to your smile;
• Restoring length and balance to worn-down teeth;
• Rejuvinating discolored teeth;
• Concealing chips or gaps

How do veneers do all that?

Porcelain veneers are hand-sculpted layer by layer to your teeth's exact dimensions. They reflect inner light and show fine detail of natural tooth enamel so that they look completely natural when bonded to your teeth. The entire process can be completed in just two or three appointments.

Porcelain veneers are well worth the investment to restore sparkle and youthfulness to your smile and to restore the proportions your face was meant to have.

SPORTS DENTISTRY - Mouthguards save smiles

The well documented benefits of a healthy lifestyle have been embraced by intelligent adults everywhere. The benefits of wearing a custom-fitted, professional mouthguard have also been well documented. Here is just a sampling:

• An athlete is sixty times more likely to sustain damage to teeth when not wearing a protective mouthguard.
• A properly fitted mouthguard reduces the chanced of sustaining a face, neck, or head injury like a concussion from a blow to the jaw.
• The cost of a fractured tooth is many times greater than the cost of a custom dentist - or hygienist- made mouthguard.
• Non-customized off the-shelf sports mouthguards could dislodge, obstructing the airway.
• The majority of dental injuries are preventable through the use of mouthguards.

Be a good sport. Call us to arrange for your custom-fitted mouthguard.

REWARD YOURSELF - Cosmetic dentistry can put the sizzle back into your smile

A symbolic pat on your own back is nice, but a real reward is better. You alone have been brushing, flossing, and maintaining a good oral care regimen ... even when you'd rather just flop into bed. Don't you think you deserve some smile sizzle? Give yourself the gift of a great- looking, ego-boosting cosmetic dental procedure!

Teeth Whitening is by far the most popular way to make over a smile. Daily indulgences like drinking tea, coffee, and red wine will gradually stain your teeth. Your toothbrush alone can't combat ageing, medication, or heredity.

Bonding and veneers are completely natural looking and can correct the appearance and function of cracked, chipped, or unevenly spaced teeth without surgery or braces. Today's materials are so well-crafted and so translucent that they reflect light like enamel you were born with.

White fillings can make your teeth look like you've never had a cavity filled, and they may make your teeth stronger as well as immaculate looking.

Your smile can communicate natural even if your teeth have lived life to its fullest. Dentists use crowns to repair severely damaged teeth, and bridges and implants can replace gaps. Non-surgical tooth- lengthening can reveal your beautiful enamel to re-balance too-short or worn-down teeth.

Go ahead. Reward your great behavior. Ask the dentist about putting some sizzle back into your smile!