Cosmetic Dental Services in Tempe

Invisalign is a method of orthodontic therapy promoted as an "invisible" way of straightening teeth without using traditional braces. It instead uses a series of clear custom-fabricated aligners designed to gradually and sequentially move teeth to their desired positions.

One advantage of Invisalign is cosmetic: the aligners are difficult to detect and virtually invisible; therefore it has become particularly popular among adults who want to straighten their teeth without the unflattering look of traditional metal braces, which are commonly worn by children and adolescents. Another advantage over traditional braces is that the aligners can easily be removed for eating and brushing teeth. The treatment typically requires fewer visits to the dentist.

The dentist begins by taking dental impressions, X-rays and photographs of the patient's teeth and sending them to Align Technology. The impressions are put through a CT scan from which a computer creates a three-dimensional model. Technicians then individualize the teeth in the computer model and move them to their final position as prescribed by the orthodontist. Custom software then simulates the movement of the teeth in stages. The dentist reviews the simulation online using Align Technology's ClinCheck via a web browser and approves the treatment. Once approved, a plastic resin aligner is manufactured for each stage of the computer simulation and shipped to the orthodontist. Average treatment time is less than a year, again depending on the complexity of the treatment. Simple treatments (minor crowding, minor spacing) may be as short as six months.

A porcelain veneer is a thin piece of porcelain placed over a tooth surface, either to improve the aesthetics of a tooth, or to protect a damaged tooth surface. A porcelain veneer is fabricated by a dental technician in a dental laboratory, and later bonded to the tooth, typically using a resin cement.

The advantages of using a veneer to restore a tooth are many. Very good aesthetics can be obtained,with minimal tooth preparation (i.e. drilling). Normally a reduction of around 0.5 mm is required for a porcelain veneer on a labial tooth surface. It can be very difficult to match the shade of an individual veneer to the remaining teeth, hence the tendency to place several veneers.

Veneers may be used cosmetically to resurface teeth such as to make them appear more straight and possess a more esthetically pleasing alignment. This may be a quick way to improve the appearance of malposed teeth without need to use orthodontics. However, the amount of malposition of teeth may be such that veneers alone may not be enough to correct the esthetic imbalance. Instead, orthodontics would need to be used, or orthodontics combined with veneers.

We provide our patients with two different ways to whiten their smiles. Zoom whitening is our most popular option. This whitening process is done in our office with the use of a Zoom light and is done in one hour. Patients leave the office with their new whiter and brighter smile. We also make custom made trays which are given to the patient to take home for future touch-ups. The other option for our patients is to bleach their teeth at home using custom made trays and bleaching solution that can only be received at the office.