Cosmetic Dentistry
Using advanced cosmetic dental treatments and materials, your Tyler, TX cosmetic dentist, Dr. Hughes, can make a real difference. The skill, experience, and commitment of our practice — using a unique combination of science and artistry — can literally redesign your smile.
Even a subtle change in your smile helps you to project an image of self-confidence and high personal esteem. When you feel good about yourself, it shows in your appearance.
Select a topic to learn more.
Teeth Whitening
Having a beautiful smile may be even easier than you think. Many people achieve the look they’ve been dreaming of with our simple “bleaching” procedure.
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It’s safe, quick, and inexpensive. Just let us know at any appointment if you would like to whiten your teeth. You can lighten only your upper teeth or both the upper and lower, depending on how much you show when you talk and smile.
In only a day or two, your custom bleach splints will be ready for you to pick up. We provide you with a special bleaching agent that you put into the clear splints. With only a few hours of wear per day, our special bleaching agent bubbles stains right out of your enamel in a very short time without altering tooth structure or existing dental work in any way. When your teeth reach the desired brightness, only occasional treatment is needed to maintain your new smile. We’ll want to take “after” photos at your next appointment.
Dental bleaching can be used to correct tooth discoloration. Discolorations can be caused by staining, aging, or chemical damage to teeth. Using the latest in bleaching technology, we can offer a safe method for creating a beautiful “brilliant” smile. In cases of extreme tooth discoloration, crowns or veneers may be the only choice, but because of the low cost of bleaching treatments, bleaching is nearly always worth a solid try.
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How is teeth whitening done?
An impression is taken to make a specialized “mouthguard” or “stent” to hold the bleach against the teeth. The material is used each night for about 3-4 hours for a week or two, and at the end of this time, significant whitening will occur. In some cases, the change is nothing short of brilliant. For confidence in appearance, bleaching technology allows us to promise improvements in yellowing, aging, or stained teeth. For very severely stained teeth, crowns or porcelain veneers may be more appropriate.
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Traditional fillings can reduce the strength of a natural tooth by up to 50 percent. As an alternative, inlays and onlays, which are bonded directly onto the tooth using special high-strength resins, can actually increase the strength of a tooth by up to 75 percent. As a result, they can last from 10 to 30 years. In some cases, where the damage to the tooth is not extensive enough to merit an entire crown, onlays can provide a very good alternative.
Key Benefits of Teeth Whitening
Corrects brown, yellow, and spotted tooth staining.
Works on people of any age.
Is a near-permanent solution for a “dull” smile, restoring brightness and brings a smile alive
Porcelain Veneers
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Porcelain veneers are thin shells of ceramic that bond directly to the front surfaces of the teeth. They are an ideal choice for improving your smile and have become increasingly popular due to their simplicity and versatility.
Placing custom veneers requires a high degree of technical skill as well as attention to cosmetic detail. We place veneers routinely, and design each case individually to match and enhance the characteristics of each patient’s smile.
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When bonded to the teeth, the ultra-thin porcelain veneers are virtually undetectable and highly resistant to coffee, tea, or even cigarette stains. For strength and appearance, their resemblance to healthy, white tooth enamel is unsurpassed by other restorative options.
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With proper care, porcelain veneers will brighten your smile for well over a decade.
Dr. Hughes will ensure that your veneers are crafted from the highest quality porcelains and are bonded with the most advanced and proven materials available.
Refraining from using your veneers as tools to open and cut things will prolong their life, and if accidental breakage or damage occurs, it is usually possible to replace only the veneer involved
Bonding
Bonding is an alternative to veneers and can be used as a restorative procedure for teeth that are chipped, cracked, discolored or misarranged.
How does it work?
The tooth is prepared for the procedure by lightly etching the surface and applying a bonding liquid. Once the liquid sets, a plastic resin is applied and sculpted into the desired shape by the dentist. Once set, the resin is trimmed, smoothed and polished to a natural appearance.
Considerations
The bonding procedure can often be completed in a single office visit, and can improve the appearance of a tooth significantly. However, since the plastic resin used is not as strong as your natural tooth enamel, it is more likely to stain, chip or break than natural teeth. Bonding typically lasts three to five years before need of repair
CEREC®
CEREC® is an advanced dental restorative system that allows your dentist to restore decayed teeth, place crowns, remove defective amalgam fillings, or place cosmetic veneers in just one appointment. This allows you to have the highest quality, most lifelike dental restorations in just one visit to the dentist… in, out, and on with your busy life.
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Chairside: The technology is in the dental operatory and used while you are in the chair
Economical: The procedure is economical for both dentist and patient
Restorations: The procedure restores your tooth to its natural beauty, function, and strength
Esthetic: The restorations are metal-free and tooth-colored
Ceramic: High-strength ceramics are used that are close in composition to your natural tooth structure.
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Let’s face it, very few of us have perfect teeth, free of decay and fillings. You can probably see a filling or two in your own mouth, which do just that — "fill" a cavity, or hole, in your tooth left from the excavation of decayed tooth structure. In many cases, those fillings are made of metal material and can go bad, weaken the tooth, or get additional decay under or around it. In fact, 1.2 billion of these metal fillings will need to be replaced in the next 10 years. CEREC is a method used by thousands of dentists worldwide since 1987 not only to replace these fillings but also to restore any tooth that is decayed, weakened, broken, etc. to its natural strength and beauty. Better yet, it’s done with all-ceramic materials that are tooth-colored in a single appointment!
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First, your Dentist examines the tooth and determines the appropriate treatment. It could be a simple filling, or a full crown, depending on how much healthy tooth structure is remaining and the clinical judgment of your Dentist. Next, he or she administers an anesthetic and prepares your tooth for restoration, removing decayed and weakened tooth tissue. This preparation is just like he or she would do for many other restorative techniques.
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Then, your Dentist takes an Optical Impression of the prepared tooth. Instead of filling a tray with impression "goop" that you must bite into and hold in your mouth until it hardens, your Dentist coats the tooth with a non-toxic, tasteless powder. A camera is then used to take a digital picture of your tooth. This whole Optical Impression process takes only a minute or two.
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Next, the CEREC machine helps the Dentist create the restoration for your tooth. The CEREC 3D software takes the digital picture and converts it into a 3-dimensional virtual model on the computer screen. Your Dentist then uses his or her dental expertise to design the restoration using the CEREC 3D computer program. Within a few minutes, your Dentist clicks a button, and the restoration design data is sent to a separate milling machine in the office. A ceramic block that matches your tooth shade is placed in the milling machine. About 10 – 20 minutes later, your all-ceramic, tooth-colored restoration is finished and ready to bond in place. Finally, your Dentist tries the restoration in your mouth to ensure proper fit and bite. The restoration is then polished and bonded to the prepared tooth. Your tooth is restored with no "temporary" or return trip necessary. All of this is done in a single appointment! Ask us about CEREC today.
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The CEREC Acquisition Unit is mobile and houses a medical-grade computer and the CEREC camera. Your dentist uses the camera to take a digital picture of your prepared tooth. This picture is used instead of a traditional impression. This means no impression tray and material for you to gag on. The computer and CEREC 3D software converts the digital picture to a three-dimensional virtual model of your prepped tooth. Your dentist then designs your restoration right on screen using the software while you wait (and watch!). This software can assist your dentist with designing any single tooth restoration: crowns, inlays (fillings), onlays (partial crowns), and veneers. Once your dentist has designed your restoration (usually about 5 minutes), he or she clicks a button, and the design data is communicated via a wireless radio signal to the CEREC Milling Unit.
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Your dentist or dental assistant selects a ceramic block that matches the shade of the tooth being repaired. He or she then inserts the block into the Milling Unit. The data from the Acquisition Unit is used to direct two diamond-coated burs to carve the block into the indicated shape of the restoration. This process usually takes 8 to 18 minutes depending on the size and type of restoration. After the milling is finished, your dentist polishes the finished filling or crown and bonds it into place.
CEREC® is a registered trademark of Sirona Dental Systems
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Often, patients with amalgam fillings will exhibit amalgam breakdowns and damage to the tooth structure as recurrent decay creates stress fractures on the enamel. Unlike most laboratory-created crowns, CEREC inlay restorations stabilize the integrity of the tooth. CEREC materials ensure maximum bond strength and enhance appearance, resulting in your desired smile. CEREC inlay restorations form a smooth, tooth-colored replacement of dental material lost to cavities. Using ultramodern CAD/CAM technology, CEREC inlays mimic your tooth’s color and structure exactly.
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Silver amalgam restorations regularly result in unsightly crowns and the necessity of replacement over time from recurrent decay. Rather than replace the old amalgam, CEREC onlays are placed on the tooth to retain the original structure and create a more natural look. Onlays, or partial crowns, are more extensive than inlays and cover the bumps on the tooth surface. The enamel-like material of CEREC mimics the appearance and feel of real teeth.
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Patients who lose fillings often need replacement crowns, which can take up to three appointments to fill in. CEREC, however, mirrors the appearance and feel of a normal tooth and only requires one visit to install. Crowns, or tooth-shaped caps placed over teeth, restore the damaged tooth to its original shape, strength, size, or appearance. CEREC crowns preserve a healthy tooth structure while restoring your natural smile.
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Teeth that have been repaired with compacted composite material often break down, resulting in chipped teeth. CEREC veneers correct the incisal length and angle, restoring the tooth to its original appearance in only one visit. Veneers, or thin laminates of tooth-colored porcelain, are bonded to the front of teeth, covering the front surface and resulting in an improved appearance. The veneers produced by CEREC are custom-designed for each tooth to provide an exact match.
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In the past, patients with multiple failed restorations typically required several appointments to achieve a full restoration. With CEREC, however, multiple inlays and onlays can be fabricated, bonded, polished and installed at once. CEREC technology completes the multiple restorations in one visit, resulting in a beautiful smile in a fraction of the time.
WHAT IS CEREC® USED FOR?
CEREC® BENEFITS
| CEREC | AMALGAM | COMPOSITE | PORCELAIN FUSED TO METAL |
LAB-FABRICATED CERAMIC |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SINGLE VISIT | YES | YES | YES | NO | NO |
| NO IMPRESSION MATERIALS | YES | YES | YES | NO | NO |
| NO TEMPORARY | YES | YES | YES | NO | NO |
| METAL FREE | YES | NO | YES | NO | YES |
| LOOKS & FEELS LIKE REAL TEETH | YES | NO | NO | MAYBE | MAYBE |
| ESTHETIC | YES | NO | YES | MAYBE | YES |
| SAVES NATURAL TOOTH STRUCTURE | YES | NO | NO | NO | MAYBE |
| RESTORES TO ORIGINAL STRENGTH | YES | NO | NO | MAYBE | MAYBE |
| PERMANENT SOLUTION | YES | MAYBE | NO | YES | YES |
How does CEREC compare to other restorative materials?