what to expect:

BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER MY IN-OFFICE WHITENING TREATMENT

Our smiles are what introduce us in a first impression. They are how we express ourselves and often a reflection or impact how we feel about ourselves and view ourselves. When you truly love how your smile looks, you will radiate confidence and smile more freely. In essence, this is what I love most about the gift of an enhanced smile procedure.

Professional teeth whitening treatments help you regain and retain confidence in your smile by eliminating the stains that cause build up and discoloration over time.

Our in-office whitening treatments are gentle and safe on your teeth, yet provide strong whitening power, allowing us to brighten your smile by several shades in a single visit and treatment. But if you have never had one of these treatments before, you may be wondering what to expect. To ensure your visit goes as smoothly as possible, this blog will provide a breakdown of what you can expect at every step.

preparing your treatment

Our teeth whitening treatments are safe, quick and straightforward. To ensure the best results, we encourage you to schedule a regular exam and cleaning before any cosmetic procedure. This will ensure that your teeth and gums are healthy enough to receive the desired treatment. Seeing Dr. Jivan before your treatment will allow him to catch and treat any other issues you may have early on.

While maintaining a good brushing and flossing routine is ideally part of your typical hygiene, in the days leading up to your treatment, try and be extra diligent in your routine.

If you have crowns or veneers, it is a good idea to consider them before you receive your treatment. The porcelain material of dental restorations won’t change shades along with your natural teeth. Your teeth my have collected new debris or staining that has now yellowed your natural teeth since you got your crown or veneer, in which case a natural whitening to bring you back to a matching shade may be appropriate.

If you have any questions about your shade or how your crowns or veneers will look once your whitening treatment is complete, feel free to schedule a smile enhancement consultation with Dr. Jivan any time!

Receiving Your Whitening Treatment

Before receiving your treatment, our expert hygienists will perform a deep cleaning to remove any tartar and plaque built up on your teeth. We do this to ensure that any surface staining is removed to ensure that your teeth are as clean as possible to get you the most of your whitening treatment. Once we ensure that your teeth are clean, we will gauze your mouth to keep your mouth comfortable and dry. Our whitening gel solutions are harmless to your teeth but can irritate sensitive areas like your gums, lips, and cheeks. To maximize your comfort, we may use a reactor (think bite-block) to help you relax your jaw during the procedure. We will then paint your gums with a protective barrier before applying the whitening gel to the front surface of your teeth.

We will then use a medical grade light that is specialized to activate the whitening gel. This is much stronger than any at-home whitening program lights and will require you to process for an hour. During your treatment you can stream your favorite shows from your personal TV using sanitized headphones for you to keep after your appointment.

Your treatment is completely painless but you may experience slight tingling or warm sensation from the light, but this is painless and should not cause any pain at all. Once your teeth whitening treatment is complete, your teeth will be given a good rinse and you’ll get to preview your new smile!

Caring for Your New Smile

One of the most common side effects of in-office whitening can be tooth sensitivity. This is a temporary side affect that will subside within a few hours or days. In the meantime, we will send home a specialized tooth paste that can help reduce any sensitivity.

As a reminder, your whitening treatment only removes existing stains and cannot prevent future staining or discoloration. We will make sure to educate you about the foods and drinks you can consume over the days following your procedure to ensure you get the most out of your new smile! In general, you will want to avoid acidic or colorful foods and stick to light colored fruits and veggies, plain yogurt and chicken.

After a few days pass you can go back to your regularly programmed eating and drinking! Still, you want to be conscious of your choices and limit drinks like coffee, wine and sodas. Foods to avoid still include tomato sauces and blueberries. Using a straw is an easy fix to enjoying some of your favorite dark beverages. Brushing with whitening toothpaste and maintaining regular cleanings with Dr. Jivan is essential to keeping your bright smile protected.

Touch-up treatments are available for a periodic refresh to bring your smile back after a few months. How often you may need a touch up will depend on your habits, hygiene routine and discoloration or build-up of stains. With good hygiene, you’ll be able to ensure long-term whitening and maybe get a touch-up just once a year.

Your Records

We will end your session with a photograph of your beautiful new smile to keep in your file for your baseline reference. This allows us to follow your progress and needs between your whitening touch-ups.

Invest in our professional whitening to bring your smile back to life!

Dr. Jivan’s whitening treatments are a safe and effective way to whiten your teeth several shades in just a single appointment. Knowing how to properly care for your teeth is key to preserving your investment and will help your smile last much longer!

If you’d like to schedule a whitening treatment, feel free to call our office at any time!

Dental veneers: Porcelain vs. composite

It’s not too late to get the smile you’ve always wanted! We offer several different cosmetic procedures that can help you get the smile of your dreams! The premiere of which are our veneer options!

We offer two different types of veneer procedures- porcelain veneers and composite (also known as bonding or same-day veneers).

WHAT ARE PORCELAIN VENEERS?

Porcelain veneers are a wafer-thin outer shell made of porcelain that creates the shape of your new smile. These shells get cemented onto the front of your teeth.

These veneers are custom designed for your current smile and your smile goals.

WHAT DOES THE PROCESS FOR GETTING PORCELAIN VENEERS LOOK LIKE?

Getting porcelain veneers takes a few more steps than the composite alternative. To make room within your smile for the veneers, the front and sides of the existing teeth are reduced.

We then take impressions and scans of your current smile to determine your custom veneers’ exact specifications (down to the millimeter!). The new veneers will take time to be made since they are being made to such precise detail, so in the meantime, we’ll outfit you with some temporary veneers.

After a few weeks, we’ll bring you back in to remove the temporary veneers and secure your permanent veneers with a permanent bonding agent.

Porcelain veneers are the most common metal-free choice for patients who are looking to restore their smile!

WHAT ARE COMPOSITE VENEERS?

A composite veneer is made of a composite resin that gets bonded to the front surface of your tooth to create the desired shape and color.

This composite material is available in a wide variety of shades and can even be custom-colored to match your desired shade!

WHAT DOES THE PROCESS FOR GETTING COMPOSITE VENEERS LOOK LIKE?

Getting composite veneers is a relatively quick process- hence their nickname, same-day veneers.

First, we roughen the tooth’s front surface, and if needed, we will also contour the edges of the tooth. After that, we’ll apply a few prepping solutions onto each tooth and ensure that the surface is clean.

Then, we’ll select and create the perfect shade for your new smile and get to work! We’ll place the composite resin over each tooth and mold it to create the ideal shape. Once the desired shape is achieved, we cure and harden the composite resin with a special UV light. The last step is to smooth, then polish the composite veneer, and after that, you have the smile of your dreams!

WEIGHING YOUR OPTIONS – PORCELAIN VS. COMPOSITE VENEERS

Porcelain veneers are much stronger than composite veneers, so if you are looking to cover several teeth, this may be the way to go! Porcelain teeth are also much more difficult to stain, as opposed to composite veneers. Lastly, porcelain veneers reflect the light in a very similar way to your natural teeth, which gives them the most natural look possible.

That said, porcelain veneers cannot be used to repair broken or weaker teeth, which means they are not an option for everyone. Composite veneers also come with a much lower price tag and quicker turnaround time because they aren’t as involved as their porcelain counterpart.

Call our office today to schedule your consultation to see which option is the best fit for your smile!

Composite Veneers

Pros and Cons

Make your smile your Valentine this February and treat yourself to the smile you’ve always wanted!

Dr. Jivan is trained in an incredible variety of cosmetic procedures to enhance your smile including brightening, straightening and even replacing teeth, but the service that sits far and above the others is our cosmetic veneers!

ARE THEY REALLY WORTH IT?

In short, YES! Cosmetic veneers are extremely versatile and capable of improving on any issues or concerns that you may have. But let’s break it down some more…..

SO WHAT ARE COSMETIC VENEERS?

Cosmetic Veneers, also known as composite veneers, offer you the most customization of your smile, with the most natural results! This procedure can help lengthen, straighten, whiten and even close gaps or change the shape of individual teeth all in just one office visit.

Cosmetic Veneers are essentially an outer shell added on top of your existing smile to protect your teeth and make any additional cosmetic improvements you’re looking for!

In our office we take the customization one step further! We take in-depth, highly detailed scans and measurements of your current smile and utilize the most cutting-edge technology to craft several different options of your new smile for you to choose from. Each of those options are 3-D printed right here in our own offices so you can try each option on before you commit to your new look!

HOW DO THEY WORK?

The process of getting cosmetic veneers is both quick and simple!

First, we roughen the front surface of the tooth, and if needed, we will also contour the edges of the tooth. After that, we’ll apply a few prepping solutions onto each tooth and ensure that the surface is clean.

Then, we’ll select and create the perfect shade for your new smile and get to work! We’ll place the composite resin over each tooth and mold it to create the ideal shape. Once the desired shape is achieved, the composite resin is cured and hardened with a special UV light. The last step is to smooth and polish the composite veneer, and after that, you have the smile of your dreams!

Perfect your smile in one visit

Composite Veneers 

Are you one of the millions of people dealing with feeling insecure about your smile? Do you avoid showing your teeth when taking pictures with friends and family? Are you self-conscious about your smile while meeting someone new?

Dr. Jivan has the solution – and it is a procedure that can be completed during a single office visit. Whether you want to straighten, restore, brighten or refresh your teeth, there are many cosmetic treatment options that Dr. Jivan can perform that are both lifestyle and budget-friendly.

So, want to know more? Sure, we are happy to tell you everything you’ll need to know. 

WHAT ARE COMPOSITE VENEERS? 

Dental composite veneers are thin shells of composite (think filling material) custom fabricated in Dr. Jivan’s in-house dental laboratory to cover chipped, discolored, unevenly spaced, or misshapen teeth. The veneers are fabricated on 3D printed models by Dr. Jivan, explicitly taken of the patient’s natural teeth that have been lightly prepared.

Learn the six main benefits of choosing composite veneers and if they’re the right choice for you!

THEY BOTH LOOK AND FEEL NATURAL!

Composite veneers are custom-made to look as natural as possible in your mouth. The thin shells of composite blended to feel like your natural teeth. The design is customized to fit your facial symmetry and overall style. People usually don’t immediately notice you had cosmetic dental work done because it will look so natural, and you will find yourself having greater self-confidence in your smile.

THEY ARE LOW MAINTENANCE. 

Composite veneers are like natural teeth in terms of maintenance. You’ll need to brush your teeth like usual twice a day and floss daily, apart from the regular dental checkups with your dentist.

Composite Veneers can cover years of discoloration and resists stains and cavities better than your natural tooth enamel. A dental veneer will last between 10 and 15 years with proper maintenance.

FIXES COSMETIC ISSUES QUICKLY.

It can fix most cosmetic issues like chipped teeth, missing teeth, gaps between teeth, misshapen teeth, and stained or discolored teeth with composite veneers.

Some orthodontic treatments like braces treat gaps between the teeth but take more time and are associated with pain and inconvenience. The teeth will not be moved with veneers, only camouflaged, fixing the problem in a single visit in less time and without any pain.

Composite veneers are incredibly resilient and can be much more stain-resistant than natural teeth, so there’s no need to get them whitened regularly as you would your natural teeth. Dr. Jivan will provide an array of natural white tones to choose your perfect shade.

COMPOSITE VENEERS REQUIRE LITTLE ENAMEL REMOVAL AND ARE A VIABLE TREATMENT FOR ENAMEL LOSS.

The enamel on the teeth is very strong, but it can still get worn away by highly acidic foods,over-ambitious tooth-brushing, or acid reflux disease, and once it wears away, it’s gone for good. Composite veneers offer a durable but also aesthetically pleasing way to replace enamel.

Unlike traditional porcelain veneers, composite veneers do not require an aggressive removal of the original tooth structure. Although it requires removing a thin layer of enamel so the tooth doesn’t look too large and awkward, it is a less invasive process than any other dental restoration option. Dr. Jivan prides himself on being very conservative and maintaining the integrity of healthy tooth structure as much as possible.

DENTAL VENEERS ARE A WORTHWHILE INVESTMENT.

Veneers are a dental investment; they’re used to accomplish various essential goals, from orthodontic camouflage to teeth whitening and enamel replacement.

They’re a long-term investment and, unlike other cosmetic dental treatments, they are long-lasting and give patients a boost in their self-confidence. It’s a worthy investment!

Cosmetic veneers are one of the most significant recent advancements in cosmetic dentistry. Dr. Jivan uses the latest in cosmetic dental technology and equipment, a state-of-the-art in-house CAT Scan and Imaging lab, high-tech 3D printing, and precise cosmetic artistry.