Our case of the month for September 2022 is a lovely smile transformation done the Progressive Dentistry way with invisalign full, teeth whitening & a new front dental crown. When we plan these types of treatments, we often will look at whether the teeth are in the right place first. Why is this so important? Well the reason is simple. If the teeth are not in the right place or well aligned, any cosmetic treatment will be a big compromise. For instance, in the days gone by, there was a fad for porcelain veneers and crowns. If the teeth were wonky to start with, this would mean having to cut a lot of healthy tooth to make the ceramic veneers or crowns. This is not a good idea! For every heavily prepared tooth, around 17-20% of the nerves die. This means root canal treatment and a risk the tooth will not last a life time.
 

Our case of the month for August 2022 was a fabulous one! A real smile transformation done correctly. Forget 'Turkey Teeth'! A smile transformation should involve minimal or no biological damage to the teeth and gums to enhance the aesthetic and functional issues. The term 'Turkey Teeth' comes from social media posts where a smile makeover is done over a weekend by hacking away natural healthy tooth structure and placing multiple crowns and veneers. These are often linked together with no means of cleaning between them. This is a recipe for disaster with not only a high risk of nerve death and root canals but also gum disease and infection. The cost of rectifying this treatment will far outweigh the 'savings' from going abroad and also lead to life long maintenance.

Anyway, back to our case and happier news. We first started with careful planning to straighten the teeth using Invisalign full. One of the main issues was that the dental arches were very narrow which is why you cannot see the back teeth on smiling. This is called the buccal corridor. With expansion, we have the opportunity to create space and correct crowding without IPR ( in between teeth filing and slimming) which we always strive to achieve. Invisalign is simply the best at arch expansion in our opinion. After only 8 months, we had lovely straight teeth ready for the next stage.
 

Missing a front tooth is the thing of nightmares! A study done by Yu in 2012 showed that 39% of the population have had a dream about losing a tooth or teeth which is huge considering losing a front tooth is not a particularly common dental issue. However, accidents happen and in our case study our patient lost his front tooth whilst at school in a playground accident.
 

Our case of the month for March 2022 is a true smile transformation in every sense of the word. In this case, we successfully corrected a complete reverse overjet or underbite using Invisalign Full. We then enhanced the overall aesthetics using a home whitening kit (Philips ZOOM) and bonding.
 

Our case of the month for February 2022 is one involving 2 dental implants to replace 3 missing back teeth. Dental implants are considered the gold standard to replace missing teeth but what are dental implants? Well, essentially implants are the replacements for the roots of the missing teeth. They provide the foundation to allow us to place new teeth on top. Simple? Not really! Dental implant treatment is complicated and requires a huge amount of training, experience and ongoing education. Of course, some cases are more complex than others but in general, here is our workflow from missing tooth to replacement:

1. Full case assessment and records including x rays and CBCT scans.

2. Diagnostic planning on digital software.

3. Manufacture of surgical stent.

4. Surgery - placing the dental implant(s) using the surgical stent.

5. Allow healing of 12 weeks.

6. Take new records.

7. Place implant tooth/ teeth ( try in stage needed for several teeth).

Our case had lost several teeth over many years which meant she was unable to eat on the right side of her mouth. By using 2 dental implants, we were able to provide 3 teeth by 'bridging' the gap. A lovely end result and the ability to chew again! Life changing? Maybe not but certainly life enhancing.
 

Thankfully January is over! Longer days are on the horizon and Spring time not too far away. Our case of the month for January involved quite a complex one to replace a missing front tooth using a dental implant. Unfortunately, our patient had an accident causing severe trauma to his front tooth. The tooth could not be saved and required removal. This is a nightmare scenario for most of us but thankfully we have the technology and options available to replace the tooth with a long term solution- a dental implant. In the past, we the option of a bridge was the main method of replacing teeth. This is where the adjacent teeth are cut down to size to literally 'bridge' the gap. However, this is extremely destructive and removes almost all of the supporting structures of the tooth which will almost certainly lead to issues in the future. Of course, there is also the option of a removable partial denture! Realistically, this is not a long term option especially for a young adult.
 

Our case of the month for December was a stunning one involving the replacement of old porcelain veneers and a dental implant crown for a front tooth.
 

Our case of the month for November 2021 was a classic tooth bonding case involving severe tooth wear. Tooth wear is an increasing problem with grinding at night becoming an ever increasing problem coupled with acid in the diet. The combination of these two factors can lead to the softening and dissolving enamel leading to thin edges, chipping, fractures and exposure of the underlying dentine which can be very sensitive. 

The beauty of cosmetic bonding is that we can treat the wear, protect the teeth and improve the aesthetics in one visit. We do not need to cut the teeth down at all, there is no need for any needle, the procedure is pain free and easy to maintain.
 

Our case of the month for October 2021 was a simple yet effective one involving three of our favourite techniques: Invisalign, tooth whitening and cosmetic bonding.

Crowding of teeth is so common, we would probably say the majority of the population suffer some form of mis alignment of some sort. Luckily, modern day treatments mean that teeth straightening is actually a simply and pain free process. In our case, we used Invisalign Lite which is the 'middle of the road' version which typically takes less than 6 months. We have access to 14 initial aligners and then 2 sets of additional sets of up to 14 each for fine tuning.

Once this was complete, tooth whitening was done at home using our favoured Zoom gel followed by some expert cosmetic bonding. All treatment was carried out by Dr Nissit Patel. Please take a look at the before and after photos. Quite a transformation!