It is always fun to participate in a smile makeover with porcelain veneers. Closing spaces between teeth, called a diastema, can be a challenge if not planned right.
This is an example of a case that went very well, as our patient did a great job with their home care to ensure that everything well perfectly.
If you would like a free smile evaluation call 206-241-5533 today!
Dr Timmerman is asked often to simply do 6 anterior veneers, or do a little at a time (2 this year, 2 next year, etc). Depending on the goal, this is usually NOT a good idea. After hundreds of smiles, there has NEVER been a case where a person only shows 6 teeth. When doing veneers, people usually want a whiter smile. As shown in the photo, this is a bad idea.
Porcelain veneers are hand crafted, custom made restorations unique to each case. Even if the same lab is told to create the veneers from the same material, the shades will not match if done “a little at a time”. This is similar to buying carpet for a small area years after the initial install. While the brand is the same, it won’t match. Bolts of fabric are the same. If close counts or is “good enough” then sequenced treatment would work, but most people want the best result for this level of investment.
Experienced dentists that do a lot of cosmetics know that 6 is the magic number. The number NOT to do. Dentists that say otherwise are revealing that they don’t do smile makeovers very often or have no training in veneers.
It all comes down to goals. If you are trying to make your smile the best, then doing 6 and doing a few at a time will NOT do the trick.
If you would like to know what can be done for YOUR smile, call 206-241-5533!
Many people have seen the marketing efforts of companies that make “No Prep” porcelain veneers, or in many cases minimal prep. These CAN be done very well and look nice, but many clinicians use this material or technique in ways that it was not designed.
When choosing a dentist, be sure to ask for examples of THEIR work and not that of the company. All too often, Dr Timmerman is replacing OTHER dentists attempts at a cosmetic upgrade.
Be sure THIS doesn’t happen to you!
Call 206-241-5533 to see what can be done for YOU!
In years past, crowns and fillings were made entirely from metal (gold or a mercury alloy) or porcelain fused to a metal core. They were useful in their time, as non metal alternatives were prone to fracture. Technology has changed everything, and crowns and fillings no longer need to have metal in them AT ALL.
By bonding porcelain or composite resins to teeth, Dr Timmerman can be more conservative and fabricate restorations that are more biocompatible. With the absence of mercury, common side effects can be avoided as well as teeth are less prone to fracture.
If you would like dental restorations that do not contain any metal, call today!
People want a new smile, but they don’t want to wait or don’t want others to know their plans. Products like Invisalign allow clandestine improvements and well planned porcelain veneers can improve your smile in the very first visit. Sometimes this veneer process is called “instant orthodontics”.
Dr Timmerman doesn’t use the phrase “instant orthodontics” often, because it can be misleading. Orthodontics is a term used to describe moving teeth, either with brackets and wires, with retainers or with Invisalign. “Instant orthodontics” is in quotes, because while the results are instant, the teeth are not actually moving.
By placing porcelain veneers, teeth can appear straight when in fact they didn’t move at all. Veneers allow the illusion of alignment as well as gaining proper shapes and desired color. If done right, the first visit can be so drastic that it looks like an instant change.
Porcelain veneer smile makeovers can be completed in as few as two visits, so if you would like to know more, call 206-241-5533 today!
Dr Timmerman knows that everyone loves a beautiful smile. Popular shows like extreme makeover showcase how a nice smile can transform a person. People that work in sales report that their confidence increases and their sales improve. People in the dating scene share that prospects improve. Many people report that their self esteem increases. The value of a smile is personal and hard to measure.
So how much does that cost? The short answer is “It depends”.
Veneers take time and have lab costs involved. Less time and less lab means less fee. A truly artistic dentist with a fantastic lab, displaying their care and skills, take more time and have a higher fee. Materials used play a factor, as some veneers are made out of one material and yet other veneers are made from layering materials, creating works of art.
Dr Timmerman likes to give people choices. If someone simply wants a NICER smile, but not the BEST, there IS an option for them. No-prep veneers that take no time at all to create will have a lower fee, but they will NOT look as nice as layered porcelain veneers that required some removal of tooth structure.
Some people ask how much per tooth, yet smile makeovers are not only a factor of teeth involved. The fee to restore ONE tooth is not 1/10th of the fee to restore ten. The case complexity and lab work involved to restore ten teeth is exponentially more than one.
Depending on budget, number of teeth involved, materials, goals and expectations, you should plan to spend between $4000 up to $30,000.
Dr Timmerman wanted to share a recent case, showing a simple combination of porcelain crowns, porcelain veneers and a porcelain bridge. Bonded in place, metal free and life changing!
Call 206-241-5533 to see what can be done for YOU! Read the rest of this entry »
Dr Timmerman doesn’t always treat multiple teeth when restoring a smile. Quite often it only takes a single tooth to be restored to get a smile “back on track”. But that can be a challenge. One of the greatest challenges (for all dentists) is to restore a single front tooth. Surface texture, if not done well, can be too smooth, so when the light interacts with the smile (like during a cocktail party or other social gathering) the appearance is less than desirable. Matching the color of one front tooth can be difficult, as the shade on one side of the tooth is often different than the other side. Material selection is important as well, since light reacts with different mediums in a variety of ways. Old fashioned crowns are made with a metal substructure that can block light and make a tooth look opaque and lifeless.
Here is an example of a single front tooth restored. Can YOU tell which is fake?
An enhanced smile does not always mean restoring multiple teeth, especially if one is satisfied with how everything looks in the first place! If you would like to know more, call 206-241-5533 today for a free consultation!
-What is a smile makeover?
A smile makeover is when we change the look of a smile using cosmetic dentistry. A smile makeover is usually done after determining how many teeth show in a smile and then treating them in the desired fashion. Some smile makeovers can be simple, when whitening can be done, and some are more involved, as in when porcelain veneers are placed. Most smile makeovers are 8-10 teeth, however, some people smile broadly and can show 12-14 teeth on top and perhaps even some of their lower teeth.
Many of Dr. Timmerman’s makeovers are done with two visits, usually 2-3 weeks apart. Most patients report no pain or discomfort during the entire process but get to experience life improving effects.
Many patients in Dr Timmerman’s Seattle office tend to ask how many teeth they should replace with porcelain veneers to do a smile makeover. Though every person is different, there are strong indications, in our opinion, that 8 or 10 teeth make the best cosmetic appearance. We have had success by restoring 4, 8, especially 10 teeth.
6 teeth however, becomes the number that we are usually against for aesthetic purposes. Restoring 6 teeth with the porcelain veneers becomes a distraction and does not allow for a cosmetic dentistry success, as was the case with the other numbers. The smiles that were created from these replacements tended to stick out and not be as seamless aesthetically.
Dr Timmerman feels that every patient is different and we would love to discuss the options with you. Your teeth deserve to be a cosmetic success and will enhance your smile to share with everyone. Call us at 206-241-5533 and take the next step to creating that perfect smile with porcelain veneers.
