Will whitening hurt my teeth?

This method of doctor supervised whitening will not harm your teeth.  However, whitening may make your teeth sensitive.  This will go away once you stop whitening. If it becomes severe, call Dr. Schapley.  You may need to modify your whitening or receive a prescription to help this sensitivity.

What is a crown?

A crown is a restoration that covers a tooth to restore it to its normal shape and size, strengthening and improving the appearance of a tooth.

Crowns are necessary when a tooth is generally broken down and fillings won't solve the problem. If a tooth is cracked, a crown holds the tooth together to seal the cracks so the damage doesn't get worse.

Crowns are also used to support a large filling when there isn't enough of the tooth remaining, attach a bridge, protect weak teeth from fracturing, restore fractured teeth, or cover badly shaped or discolored teeth.

How long will a crown last?

Crowns should last approximately 5-8 years. However, with good oral hygiene and supervision most crowns will last for a much longer period of time. Some habits like grinding your teeth, chewing ice, or fingernail biting may cause this period of time to decrease significantly.

What is a bridge?

A dental bridge is a false tooth, known as a pontic, which is fused between two porcelain crowns to fill in the area left by a missing tooth. The two crowns holding it in place that are attached onto your teeth on each side of the false tooth. This is known as a fixed bridge. This procedure is used to replace one or more missing teeth. Fixed bridges cannot be taken out of your mouth as you might do with removable partial dentures.

What is a Porcelain Veneer?

Porcelain veneers are a very thin porcelain material. Usually porcelain veneers require two visits and also require a dental laboratory to create the final tooth restoration piece.  They are made to replace missing tooth structure, change the shade, shape and overall look of the tooth.

What are dental implants?

Dental implants are fixtures of titanium which are surgically screwed into your jaw bone. The implant is an anchor for a naturally-appearing false tooth or a set of false teeth. The success rate of dental implants depends on where the implants are placed and their purpose. They are typically best placed in the front portion of your lower jaw. Implants are great for replacing missing teeth. It is important that you have enough bone in the area of the missing teeth for the implants to be attached to. Implants are not only used to replace one tooth, but rather people missing most, if not all, of their teeth benefit greatly as well. Implants are increasingly being used to replace certain types of bridges and removable partial dentures.

Why do my gums bleed?

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