Veneers

If you think movie star smiles come from teeth whitening or straightening alone, you’d be wrong.  The real secret to a white, bright, flawless smile is porcelain veneers. At our Smithville, MO dental practice, we utilize dental veneers to completely change your smile.  The results have added up to some dramatically beautified smiles.  Many of us would love a close-up-ready, celebrity smile, but how can you be sure if porcelain veneers are the right option for you?

 

Determining whether or not veneers are a sensible cosmetic option for you begins with understanding just what they are, which Dr. Matthew Garrison details during your first appointment.  Veneers are a thin ceramic shell that fits over the tooth and creates a new, customized smile surface. Each veneer is custom crafted according to an overall desired smile appearance.  We will take a mold of your teeth and have the veneers created at a third-party dental lab. Dr. Garrison uses this restorative treatment for patients who have significant tooth staining, cracked, gapped, misaligned or chipped teeth.

 

Smithville residents who visit the cosmetic and restorative dentistry practice are given comprehensive, one-on-one attention in determining which options are best for restoring and improving their smiles-- whether they’re seeking porcelain veneers or another one of Dr. Garrison’s services.

 

Give us a call at Garrison Family Dentistry for a consultation with Dr. Garrison to discuss porcelain veneers!

Dental Implants

When it comes to replacing missing teeth, patients have a lot of options. None of those options, however, are permanent like dental implants. Implants are widely considered the modern-day solution to missing teeth as they provide an aesthetically pleasing, permanent answer to a serious problem. We provide dental implant procedures to help our patients restore their smile and fix their bite after implant surgery.

 

When a patient loses a tooth, it is important to act quickly to fill the space. Apart from the cosmetic issues, patients who have missing teeth will often suffer from compromised chewing efficiency and tooth drifting. The space left behind from a missing tooth causes the other teeth to drift into that space which can lead to misaligned teeth. When teeth become misaligned, they become more difficult to clean, leaving unreachable pockets in the teeth that will collect bacteria. This will almost certainly lead to periodontal issues that will eventually lead to additional tooth loss if left untreated.

 

Receiving a dental implant is a surgical procedure and patients are put under a general anesthetic. A dental surgeon will make an incision into the patients gum line where they will insert the implant. The implant will be secured into the jawbone where it will need to sit for three to six months so the bone can grow around it, this process is called osseointegration. After the surgery, patients will visit us to receive a crown over the implant. This is done so the patient’s teeth do not drift and they can eat normally. Once the implant is secured, Dr. Garrison will place an abutment on top of the exposed implant that will support a permanent crown.  Dental implants are the only completely permanent solution to missing teeth.

Dental Crowns

We use dental crowns in order to create stronger teeth that function properly. Crowns are a great tool when a patient’s teeth become weak due to decay, cracks, discoloration and other issues.  A crown is essentially a “cap” that covers up your damaged tooth. Unlike removable devices such as dentures or a Snap-On-Smile’s, a crown can be used to improve appearance, shape or alignment.

 

Crowns are cemented onto existing teeth and should only be removed by the dentist. Dental crowns are used in many applications but mostly, they are used to protect a weak tooth from a fracture and to restore a fractured tooth.

 

Crowns are typically made from porcelain fused to metal or a full gold crown. A porcelain crown can be matched to the shade of your other teeth, allowing it to blend in and appear just as your natural teeth do. The process of installing a crown usually takes 2-3 visits. Dr. Matthew Garrison will start by reshaping the enamel of the broken tooth so the crown can be placed over it properly. Once the tooth has been reshaped, a mold will be created of that tooth and the surrounding teeth. A temporary crown will be set in place so the teeth do not shift while the permanent crown is being created. Once the crown is completed, it will be put in place and bonded with cement to assure it stays in place.

 

If you are interested in a crown because you’ve broken, cracked or lost a tooth due to decay, come in for a consultation with Dr. Garrison. Call at 816-532-8706 or visit us at www.garrisondentistry.com to learn more about dental crowns. 

Dental Bridges

Dental bridges are a great solution if you are looking to literally “bridge the gap” created by one or more missing teeth. We use dental bridges to restore smiles, improve talking and chewing abilities and help maintain the shape of your face. We utilize dental bridges to get your smiles back to its natural look.

 

Creating a bridge is quite simple. Dr. Garrison will create a base out of the existing teeth where the bridge will be attached. The existing teeth are reshaped to support the base of the bridge. After the abutments are created, a mold is cast of the area and sent to a dental lab. The lab uses the mold to manufacture a permanent bridge. Dr. Garrison will fit you with a temporary bridge in order to keep your teeth from shifting. The permanent bridge usually takes between 1-2 weeks to be created. During the second visit, Dr. Garrison will remove thetemporary bridge and the new permanent bridge will be checked and adjusted. The bridge will be placed on the abutments and an adhesive will be used to make sure the bridge is set.

 

Replacing missing teeth with a dental bridge will make eating easier. We recommend that our patients eat soft foods immediately following the procedure, but after a couple days patients can resume their normal diet. You will also see improved speech with dental bridges. The gaps caused by missing teeth often make speech difficult, by filling in those spaces, patients will drastically improve speech.

 

If you are missing teeth and considering dental bridges, give us a call at 816-532-8706 or visit us at www.garrisondentistry.com to learn more about this unique restorative treatment method!