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Hollywood and the Cosmetic Dentist

Hollywood's most fortunate faces often rely on the skills of their cosmetic dentist in ways that may surprise you.

Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep have perfectly nice teeth on their own. But, to meet the challenges of demanding roles in films, both used cosmetic dental appliances (dentures) to change the looks of their natural teeth.

Since women have smaller, rounder teeth, Hoffman, (who played a woman in "Tootsie") used a partial denture to make his teeth look more feminine.

To suggest the brutality of life in a concentration camp, Meryl Streep's teeth and mouth were altered for her role as Sophie Zawistowska, the poignant heroine of "Sophie's Choice."

More commonly, actors see their cosmetic dentists long before they get in front of the camera. In an image-conscious industry, it's no secret the camera is a harsh critic. And a mouth with missing teeth, or a mouthful of stained or broken teeth never helped an actor's image - or the image of a banker, doctor or secretary for that matter.

Few of us face a camera at work every day. But we all face an audience and it's the same audience that goes to the movies. The movies tell us successful people look good, failures don't. Ugly teeth can tell the tale.

Hollywood uses dentistry to make villains out of heroes - you too can use cosmetic dentistry to get a "winning" smile. Restorative dentistry is available to anyone who wants to look better.

Techniques such as dental veneers and tooth bonding have joined the traditional process of dental caps as ways to improve smiles. Orthodontic braces aren't just for children anymore, they're also available to adults who want straight teeth. In some cases, you can opt for teeth bleaching, or have your teeth lengthened or sculpted. If you think you would benefit from these treatments, ask your cosmetic dentist. Not all the new techniques will work for everyone, but he or she will be glad to discuss the best plan for your smile.

With today's new cosmetic dental techniques, you can cast yourself successfully in a competitive world with an award-winning smile.

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.

Cosmetic Dentist: Do Teeth Bleaching Before Dental Crowns

If you require a dental crown to be placed, it is a good idea to talk to your cosmetic dentist about how you feel about the color of your existing teeth before beginning the process. If you like the color of your teeth, your cosmetic dentist will then find a color that matches the crowns.

On the other hand, teeth bleaching may be an option for you. If you feel you would like to whiten or lighten your teeth, it is a good idea to communicate this to your cosmetic dentist beforehand. Once the final restorations are made, it will not be possible to change their color without redoing them.

At-Home Teeth Bleaching

If you desire whiter teeth before the cosmetic crowns are placed, the best way to achieve this is to talk to your cosmetic dentist about at-home teeth bleaching. With this procedure, custom-fitted plastic trays will be made for your teeth and you will be given some small tubes of teeth bleaching material.

Your cosmetic dentist will show you how to place a small amount of teeth bleaching material in the tray and then place the tray in your mouth. If any excess material squirts out of the tray onto your gums, you will want to remove it with your finger or a toothbrush.

The tray is then worn for one to two hours in the evening, depending on the type of teeth bleaching material. The biggest advantage of this method of teeth bleaching as compared with procedures that are done in your cosmetic dentist's office is that you are the one that can control how white you want your teeth to be.

Since you are the one in control, you can stop the teeth bleaching whenever you feel you have achieved the desired color. The typical teeth bleaching time is one and one-half to two weeks, but it may be longer.

Sensitivity to Tooth Bleaching

You may experience that your teeth become sensitive to cold air or liquids during the teeth bleaching process. This is normal and will subside and finally go away when you stop the teeth bleaching.

There are a couple of things you can do to decrease this sensitivity if it arises during the teeth bleaching process. One is to only bleach every other night. By taking a break after each night of teeth bleaching, your teeth will not be as sensitive.

The other is to have your cosmetic dentist prescribe you a fluoride gel that you can place in your custom teeth bleaching trays every other evening. The fluoride acts to decrease the sensitivity by coating or sealing the tooth surface and it will not affect the color of your teeth. This is the most reliable way to decrease sensitivity while you bleach.

Once you get your teeth to the desired color , your cosmetic dentist will have you wait about three to four weeks before taking a color match of your teeth in order to make the final restoration. During this time, the color of your teeth is stabilizing.

Once the Restorations Are Placed, What Can You Expect?

Teeth bleaching is very predictable, but the results will not last forever. Since the restorations were placed when your teeth were at their whitest, you will most likely find that in one and one-half to two years, the restorations may begin to appear lighter than your natural teeth.

This result is to be expected. It is not caused by a change in color of the restorations, but rather by your own teeth getting darker. At this point, all that is required is to, once again, bleach your natural teeth until the color is evened out. Usually, this only requires teeth bleaching a couple of times.

After the color is evened out, you can then expect to have the color stability last for another one and one-half to two years. On the other hand, if no restorations were placed by your cosmetic dentist after your teeth bleaching, you will most likely not notice the teeth changing color because there is no reference to help judge this change.

By Greggory Kinzer, DDS, MSD

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.