Cosmetic Dentistry
Smiles matter, probably more than we realize. Volumes of research confirm the influential role of smiles in our relationships and our self-esteem. If you're confident, you smile more. If you smile more, you feel more confident. But what if you don't want to flash those pearly whites because you're embarrassed? The effects of a bad smile may ripple through your life. Fortunately, a growing range of options enables anyone to enjoy a stunning new smile. Dr. Hala Salama's passion for enhancing smiles brings you the best in modern dentistry.
Cosmetic dental treatments can:
Brighten stained or discolored teeth
Repair cracks or fractures
Fill gaps between teeth
Correct overcrowding
Reshape teeth
Replace missing teeth
Replace old metallic restorations, such as fillings and crowns
Veneers and Lumineers
At Clarity Dental, watching patients see their brilliant new smile for the first time highlights our days. Veneers can dramatically transform a smile, sometimes referred to as “instant orthodontics.” A set of veneers can correct chips, stains, and even deeply discolored teeth. But they can also alter the length and size of teeth or help give the appearance of a straight tooth where there is not. While it may sound dramatic, it isn’t. Veneers provide a highly conservative approach to esthetic smile makeovers.
Veneers are one of dentistry’s ultimate combination of dental art and science, handcrafted and customized to fit your smile. These paper-thin pieces of porcelain bond to the outside of your natural teeth. But just because they’re thin, don't be fooled. Veneers are highly versatile and can replicate all the complex nuances of a natural tooth.
Good Planning Paves the Way There’s a lot of diagnostic work and careful planning that goes into a treatment plan that includes veneers. Models, photographs, and digital x-rays allow you and Dr. Hala Salama to create a perfect blueprint to guide your treatment from start to finish. Like all successful projects, this planning can't be compromised. Dr. Hala Salama will consider your input and incorporate your desires into your veneer case, from color to shape and everything in between.
The Next Steps
Once Dr. Hala Salama plans your case, it will take around two appointments before you leave with a stunning new smile. At the first visit, the teeth are gently prepared to allow space for the ultra-thin porcelain to be crafted by a master lab technician. Dr. Hala Salama will create temporary acrylic restorations that mimic the veneers, which you’ll wear for up to three weeks. These temporaries provide a preview of the general appearance of your new smile and lets you see try it out to see if any further changes are needed.
Delivering the Magic
After your veneers have been masterfully crafted to you and Dr. Hala Salama's specific instructions, you'll return for a second appointment. Dr. Hala Salama will try in each veneer and evaluate the appearance and fit, giving you an opportunity to preview the new look. She will go through several steps to precisely bond the thin veneers to the surface of your teeth, creating an incredibly strong bond between tooth and porcelain. Minor adjustments to your bite and a final polish will leave you with a smile that may have you wondering why you waited so long to find Clarity Dental.
Composite Fillings and Bonding
Cavities and small fractures can cause much larger issues if left untreated. In the past, metal restorations called amalgam fillings (or silver fillings) served a need but left many teeth discolored and strained from the wedging effect of the metal. Today, tooth-colored composite resins blend into the tooth structure and are chemically bonded to the tooth providing a strong, permanent restoration. Composites serve both functional and aesthetic roles, often at the same time. For example, a cavity invading the front of a tooth along the gum line may be visible in your smile line. By gently cleaning out the soft, discolored area and replacing it with a tooth-colored filling, the tooth is restored and looks better than ever. Composites contain a mix of liquid resin embedded with finely ground glass particles. After being molded to the prepared tooth structure, a blue light applied directly to the composite hardens the filling material within seconds. Once it’s shaped and polished to a high shine, the restoration is complete.
Teeth Whitening
If you're confident, you smile more. If you smile more, you feel more confident. But what if you don't want to flash your smile because you're embarrassed by yellow teeth? Sometimes a new smile emerges from the simplest steps. Teeth whitening removes years of dingy stains from your teeth. Coffee, tea, wine, tobacco, and chocolate dull white enamel surfaces. A brilliant boost along with some gentle polishing and reshaping of chipped, uneven edges can create an easy transformation. Simple and safe, most patients don't realize how much discoloration embeds into their teeth until they see a new shine emerge. Numerous products crowd supermarket shelves. While we don't discourage these methods, you may want to consider the advantages of professional whitening: Customized system: We offer in-office whitening that removes years of stain within an hour or less. We also can make trays that fit your teeth like a comfortable glove for whitening at home. Together we'll find the right system for your situation and the best results, sometimes even combining the two methods for maximum short and long-term benefits. Controlled gel formulas: We use the highest quality whitening formulas available for safety and consistency: professional strength with careful quality control from known sources. Beware of temperature-sensitive gels stored in uncontrolled environments or made in an unknown setting.
Sensitivity management: You may experience temporary sensitivity in your teeth while whitening. We have specific strategies for you to use, and will customize the product and method to help you have a comfortable and safe whitening experience. Long-term results: Buying a box of whitening strips every few months adds up. A session with us in the office can provide an instant effect that may take days and multiple boxes of strips to obtain. Alternatively, you'll have a system that should fit for years if you leave with custom trays. A simple refill syringe of gel picked up occasionally from our office allows you to keep your smile fresh for years to come. Teeth whitening offers a predictable boost to your confidence through the power of a smile. Numerous factors need consideration and evaluation before starting any whitening procedure. Your Clarity Dental team draws on years of experience to help deliver a smile boost safely and comfortably.
Porcelain Crowns Lab Based
Modern dentistry offers more options than ever to help you restore and maintain an optimal level of health. While the strength and beauty of materials continue to advance, the skill of the practitioner makes a significant difference in every outcome. Dr. Hala Salama focuses on utilizing the best techniques for comprehensive care, returning even the most damaged mouths to full health.
Sometimes teeth undergo significant damage due to cavities, heavy bite forces, trauma, or even normal functioning. If a root canal is needed to salvage a severely compromised nerve, the tooth may be especially fragile. Many situations can leave teeth in danger of loss if treatment is bypassed. Dental crowns, or caps, allow these teeth to be rebuilt and covered with materials that mimic nature. Not only are most “capped” teeth indistinguishable from natural teeth, but they're also extremely secure and comfortable.
Crowns can be crafted to repair a single tooth, multiple teeth (including the entire mouth), or in conjunction with dental implants to fill a space. In fact, when missing teeth enter the equation, special consideration might be given to placing a dental bridge or implants.
One
Simple Step
Once your case is planned, two appointments leave you with a restored tooth. At the first visit, the teeth are gently prepared to allow space for crafting porcelain over the tooth by a master lab technician. Dr. Hala Salama provides all the information to a specialized lab that's needed to create a masterpiece. A temporary crown allows you to function normally until the crown arrives for placement typically within 2-3 weeks.
After hours of custom craftwork in the lab, you'll return for a second appointment. Dr. Hala Salama will try-in and evaluate the appearance and fit of the crown, before bonding it strongly into place. Minor adjustments to your bite and a final polish leave you with one of the finest restorations in dentistry.
Porcelain Crowns (CAD/CAM BASED PRACTICES)
Modern dentistry offers more options than ever to help you restore and maintain an optimal level of health. While the strength and beauty of materials continue to advance, the skill of the practitioner makes a significant difference in every outcome. Dr. Hala Salama focuses on utilizing the best techniques for comprehensive care, returning even the most damaged mouths to full health.
Sometimes teeth undergo significant damage due to cavities, heavy bite forces, trauma, or even normal functioning. If a root canal is needed to salvage a severely compromised nerve, the tooth may be especially fragile. Many situations can leave teeth in danger of loss if treatment is bypassed. Dental crowns, or caps, allow these teeth to be rebuilt and covered with materials that mimic nature. Not only are most “capped” teeth indistinguishable from natural teeth, but they're also extremely secure and comfortable.
Crowns can be crafted to repair a single tooth, multiple teeth (including the entire mouth), or in conjunction with dental implants to fill a space. In fact, when missing teeth enter the equation, special consideration might be given to placing a dental bridge or implants.
Today's technology allows us to simplify the delivery of a crown into just one appointment. After gentle shaping of the tooth, detailed digital images captured by a computer give us the data we need to design your new restoration. Powerful software coupled with our training leads to a crown milled from the finest porcelain available, within a few minutes. We bond your new crown firmly into place, and you'll be on your way! We look forward to introducing you to the difference advanced dental techniques make in your experience!
Onlays
When we consider the options to preserve even a single broken tooth, we take a conservative approach. Fortunately, modern dental materials allow us to rebuild teeth to full function while maintaining as much natural tooth structure as possible.
Sometimes teeth suffer damage because of normal function over time, cavities, heavy bite forces, and trauma. While teeth may need to be fully “capped” with a dental crown, some smaller fractures can be perfectly restored with an onlay. A crown requires a little more tooth preparation, but onlays allow the unbroken portions of a tooth to be left uncut. A custom piece of porcelain, like a partial crown, is bonded to the damaged area.
Onlays blend seamlessly with the natural enamel and enhance both function and appearance. When the most conservative option fits your treatment plan, Dr. Hala Salama may suggest an onlay for ultimate restoration.
Gum Contouring
Many factors come together to create a perfect smile. Healthy pink gums form a stark contrast to the white teeth, framing their appearance. Gums wrap around the neck of each tooth in a scalloped fashion. Variations in texture, thickness, height, and color tone all influence the appearance of the gums serving their vital supporting role.
Sometimes one small area of gum can detract from an otherwise pleasant smile. The scalloped flow may be uneven, or a thick area may protrude unnaturally, causing a visual distraction.
Just as a piece of art benefits from reframing, gums can be contoured to complement the smile. Fortunately, laser technology often makes this procedure quick, painless, and dramatic. The results can be observed immediately, and after a few days of healing, your gums look perfectly natural. In some cases, more extensive contouring may be discussed. Dr. Hala Salama evaluates numerous factors before deciding which approach will give you the finest smile.