Our case of the month for March is a simple but great one- we love it so much! It features composite bonding which is a favourite treatment of ours. People often ask what is cosmetic or composite bonding. Well the answer is simple. For many years, dentists have been using adhesive technology to bond fillings inside of teeth. The same technology can be applied to the outside of teeth to make them look pretty! In essence, if a tooth is worn down, fractured, uneven or discoloured then composite bonding can be used to enhance the tooth without having to cut the tooth down or destroy healthy tooth enamel. After all, dental enamel is the hardest tissue in the body for a good reason. It is there to protect teeth- why on earth would we cut it all away? The old days of Extreme Makeover (remember that show) are over. 

Often cosmetic bonding can be used for very subtle treatments such as our case. In this example, we treated the front teeth using Social 6 lingual braces to straighten the teeth first and then use composite bonding to enhance the smile line to even the edges, make pointed teeth look natural and camouflage the canine teeth which were quite pointed. There was absolutely no drilling of the underlying teeth, no needles were required, an entirely pain free process. Take a look at the difference:
 

Our case of the month for last month February 2021 is a stunning case which involves a smile transformation using three techniques:

1. Lingual Braces

2. Tooth whitening using a take home whitening kit

3. Cosmetic bonding 

We like to call this a Progressive Smile transformation as there is no drilling, no injections, no pain and the process is affordable and easy to maintain. In contrast to porcelain veneers or crowns which require drilling away of healthy tooth enamel to cover the teeth with the ceramic. Granted, this may look good to begin with but what about in 10 years? Biologically, removing the enamel means that the hardest tissue in the body can no longer protect the underlying tooth which could lead to bacterial leakage and infection. Why risk this? 

Our case of the month for November is cosmetic bonding or teeth bonding which is one of our favourite treatments. For those of you unaware of the process, let us explain for you.
 

It's the end of October and we have not posted our case of the month for September! We have been so busy and time flies but here it is; a fabulous case involving Philips ZOOM teeth whitening followed by bonding or cosmetic bonding.
 

Time is flying by! Kids are back in school, days are getting shorter but at least the sun is still shining. We have been so busy, that we have not posted our case of the month for August. However, the wait has been well worth it with a superb smile transformation using Invisalign clear aligners, tooth whitening and composite bonding or teeth bonding. 

Initially, our patient came to us with quite short, yellow and crowded teeth. The brief was to be as minimal as possible and try to maintain the teeth as much as possible which was music to our ears. For those of you that know anything about us will know that we are minimally invasive at heart and hate to destroy natural tooth for cosmetic reasons. 

One of our favourite treatments is that of ABC:

A is for alignment or straightening teeth

B is for bleaching of tooth whitening

C is for cosmetic or tooth bonding 

Our case highlights this treatment philosophy beautifully. The before photo highlights the issues at hand:
 

It's been a while since our last Case of the Month! Something called Corona Virus stopped us from working for a couple of months and we have been working extremely hard since then catching up and sorting out the dental health of Fulham residents and Londoners in general. In fact we have had clients from Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Dorset and even the USA coming to see us post lockdown. 

The case we would like to post to cover the last 5 months since our last one is one that really personifies what we do here at Progressive Dentistry. The treatment involved lingual braces, teeth whitening and teeth bonding. There was no drilling of the teeth, no needles, no pain and all at an affordable price scale.

The initial problems we were faced with included some crowding of both the upper and lower front teeth, quite severe wear and tear and discolouration:
 

Our case of the month is a simply stunning one involving cosmetic bonding. We have posted many cases of bonding before but for those of you who are unaware of the procedure, here are 7 factors about cosmetic bonding:
 

1. It is a great technique for creating symmetry, enhancing aesthetics, closing spaces and repairing chips
2. The tooth enamel is not drilled away like for veneers
3. The process is reversible
4. Highly aesthetic composite (white filling ) materials are used which look natural
5. Maintenance is required over the years but this is simple and stress free
6. Bonding to enamel is extremely reliable. A volume of 1cm3 can elicit a weight of approximately 90kg
7. The process is cost effective and requires NO needles

Our case involves enhancing the symmetry of the lateral incisor teeth.
 

Our case of the month for August is a beautiful one involving a very natural smile transformation using minimally invasive dentistry. For those of you who have not read any of our case of the month articles, we believe in the least invasive techniques to produce stunning smiles. After all, we are all born with teeth that should last a life time. If the healthy tooth enamel is drilled away for cosmetic reasons, the tooth may not last a life time which would be a travesty. Our client was told to have a set of 6 veneers to produce the 'perfect smile'. Understandably, she was not happy with this solution which would mean cutting all of the enamel off the front teeth. Her aims were that of a natural smile rather than perfection and a treatment that involved keeping her teeth intact. The presenting situation showed uneven, crowded front teeth with some spacing present:
 

It's early in June but we could not wait to post our case of the month. As you may be aware, we believe in the least invasive techniques to create stunning smiles which look natural and healthy. After all, it is pretty obvious when a smile is false- just look at various celebrities on TV (no names mentioned!) 

Our patient requested a drastic improvement on his smile using lingual braces as he did not want the brace to be visible for work reasons. The treatment was a great success and the improvement as profound. We discussed the need for teeth whitening and cosmetic bonding after treatment to enhance symmetry. Often, teeth are asymmetrical due to tooth wear, grinding at night, genetic reasons or past treatments. 

Pre treatment: