Aesthetic dentistry is a relatively new dental specialisation that is concerned with the improvement of the appearance of the dentition and face. The specialisation has been created to address increasing demand from patients for beautiful brilliant smile, and also thanks to significant progress in the field of dental materials. A beautiful smile that improves your feeling of well-being self-assessment and self-confidence has become a significant advance in both private and professional life. A beautiful smile means healthy white teeth regularly positioned in dental arches. Such an effect requires not only the most modern technologies to be applied, but also the full commitment of the dentist and a strict co-operation between different fields of dentistry.

TOOTH WHITENING

The Villa Nova Dental Clinic we have , as the only clinic in Poland, up to eight teeth whitening methods. These both extremely effective and safe whitening systems we will discuss letter on.offers two and efficient tooth bleaching systems, which provide patients with brilliant white teeth:

CABINET SYSTEMS

The most recent Beyond laser whitening Brite Smile whitening technology. Bleaching Whitening of teeth lasts only 30 - 60 minutes, giving amazing and astonishing effects.

System of laser whitening Beyond method. Tooth whitening with this method last merely 30 to 60 minutes.

Whitening system called Opalecence

Whitening system called Pola Office

These are systems for whitening single teeth or whole teeth arches.

HOME WHITENING SYSTEMS

The US-developed NITE WHITE system is an efficient, painless, easy and safe method of tooth whitening to be used at home. This technique allows even very dark teeth to be whitened, whether live or dead, even if discoloration is caused by coffee, tea, red wine, smoking or is of a genetic origin to be whitened. The active product is a gel with a pleasant mint or cherry flavour. The procedure consists of the following steps:
1. The dentist takes the impression of the patient's dental arch.
2. Then a special overlay on the teeth (like a shield), perfectly matching the patient's teeth, in prepared in our laboratory.
3. During the next visit the patient is provided with the overlays and syringes with the bleaching gel, together with detailed instructions for use. To perform the treatment, the patient needs to:
- clean the teeth thoroughly;
- squeeze the appropriate amount of the gel from the syringe (according to graduation) and spread it in the overlay hollows corresponding to the frontal surfaces of the teeth;
- place the overlay on the teeth and press firmly;
- remove any excess gel with a paper tissue or dry toothbrush;
- wear the overlay for approx. 3 hours during daytime or overnight. After each procedure brush the teeth with fluorine toothpaste and rinse the overlay with warm water.
4. The professional tooth fluoridation after completion of the treatment is of great benefit. Usually the results of the treatment may be apparent after the first night; however, to obtain a permanent effect, the whitening procedure should be continued for 10-14 days. Generally the procedure does not need to be repeated; however, if slight darkening of the teeth occurs after some time, a repeat procedure may be performed after 6-12 months, involving wearing the overlay for 1-2 nights.

For patients requiring an immediate result, we have: OPALESCENCE XTRA BOOST, BRITE SMILE and POLA OFFICE systems available, which are the most rapid systems of tooth whitening. This procedure, to be applied in the surgery, involves between 30 and 60 minutes for both dental arches. These systems may be applied to both a single tooth and to whole dental arches.

For dead teeth a separate tooth whitening method may be used, namely an intrachamber one. The method consists of placing a bleaching agent in the tooth's chamber and then closing it with a sealed dental dressing. The procedure is repeated until the desired result is obtained.

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CORRECTION OF TOOH SHAPE WITH COMPOSITE MATERIAL

As aesthetic dentistry is committed to the principle of minimum intervention with maximum effect, any management starts with less invasive methods. For example, if a tooth has an abnormal shape (peg or small tooth, or deformed after injury), shows the presence of diastema or congenital enamel defects, treatment begins with an attempt to correct the shape with composite material, and only if the method fails to achieve satisfactory results are other methods considered, such as orthodontic correction, ceramic veneers or prosthetic crowns. The Villa Nova Dental Clinic has achieved outstanding results in this field, in particular due to the application of the most recent generation of composite materials (GRADIA, ENAMEL Plus) for aesthetic tooth reconstruction and perfect matching of the colour of the filling to the tooth colour by means of the most recent apparatus for this purpose, the SPECTROSHADE spectrophotometer. This is a novel system that digitally analyses the picture visible to the naked eye; it is used not only in aesthetic dentistry, but also in conservative dentistry and prosthetics, ensuring a perfect match.

CERAMIC VENEERS

This is a subsequent step in the process of improving tooth aesthetics, which is used in the case of heavy extensive tooth discoloration resistant to the whitening systems, tooth wear or significant underdevelopment of the enamel. The method provides an excellent aesthetic effect thanks to very sparing preparation of the enamel on the frontal surface of the tooth and supplementing it with a ceramic "cover".

PROSTHETIC CROWNS AND OTHER AESTHETIC RESTORATION

This solution is used for teeth weakened by a large number of fillings or in other circumstances which preclude the application of veneers. The preparation of the tooth to be covered with such a crown requires the tooth to be ground to make space for the restoration. The restoration may consist of:
Porcelain fused to metal (non-precious or gold), which is a very safe structure, proved by long-term use; however, opacity of the metal portion reduces the possibility of complete restoration of the properties of the natural tooth. The application of precious metal alloy reduces build-up of the bacterial plaque around the crown.
Ceramics that provide high aesthetic advantages allow the natural tooth properties, e.g. translucency of cutting edge or similar abrasiveness, to be regained.

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COURSE OF TREATMENT

As in any other field of medicine, the first visit is for diagnostic purposes. Our dentist draws up a detailed treatment plan following thorough examination of the patient, including determination of his or her needs and expectations, the condition of his or her dentition, occlusion, mucous membranes and periodontium. After consideration of these data, additional examinations (e.g. a panoramic X-ray) may be recommended. Usually the first step of the treatment consists of care of condition of the teeth and periodontium; thus, the treatment starts with professional tartar removal, elimination of carious lesions and, if necessary, endodontic and periodontal treatment. The next stage is consistent implementation of the treatment plan, ending with the desired result, i.e. a beautiful smile.

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FAQ

1. Is it possible to whiten the teeth of any patient?
2. Is it possible to whiten any teeth?
3. Do the whiten agents damage the teeth?
4. Are there any side effects related to tooth whitening?
5. What should be avoided during tooth whitening?
6. Is it necessary to replace non-aesthetic fillings before tooth whitening?

1. Is it possible to whiten the teeth of any patient?

The methods applied in the Villa Nova Dental Clinic are very safe; however, there are some limitations in their use:
- should not be used by pregnant or breast-feeding women, as no studies on its influence on the developing child have been conducted.
- should not be used for tooth whitening in children under 14 years, nor by individuals with a diagnosed allergy to peroxides and resins.

2. Is it possible to whiten any teeth?

It is possible in the vast majority of cases. The best candidates for tooth whitening are teeth with discolorations caused by coffee, tea, red wine, smoking or of genetic origin. However, none of the bleaching methods may guarantee 100% success. Sometimes there are cases of very strong discolorations resistant to whitening agents, e.g. extensive discoloration caused by antibiotic treatment; however, these cases are not without hope. Such problems may be repaired by means of ceramic veneers or prosthetic crowns, providing an excellent aesthetic effect.

3. Do the whitening agents damage the teeth?

According to numerous scientific studies, methods of tooth whitening are absolutely harmless to dental enamel. They do not cause weakening of hard dental structures and do not increase susceptibility to caries.

4. Are there any side effects related to tooth whitening?

Sometimes slight hypersensitivity of the gums to thermal factors, e.g. cold or heat, as well as gum redness may occur. However, the application of particular preparations relieves such ailments permanently.

5. What should be avoided during tooth whitening?

To avoid the negative influence of the tooth whitening process, during the treatment you should:
- not smoke.
- not drink coffee, strong tea, red wine, coloured beverages or fruit juices nor take antacids agents or eat citrus fruits.
- not use other whitening agents.
- not eat or drink anything when wearing the overlays.

6. Is it necessary to replace non-aesthetic fillings before tooth whitening?

The bleaching agents do not affect all the composite fillings or prosthetic crowns; thus, replacement of such fillings before tooth whitening is usually of no use.
In some cases we replace a tooth filling before whitening. Every case is treated individually and decision concerning the order of operations should be made by dentist.
The best time for matching a new colour to the whole dentition is approximately two weeks after the completion of the tooth whitening, when the final result is fixed. Before the start of the treatment, the following should be done:
- Removal of deposit and tartar from the teeth.
- Filling of carious lesions with interim material.
- Replacement of leaking fillings (interim material).
- Ensuring regular condition of periodontal tissues.

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Our specialists in aesthetic dentistry:
Beata Świderska-Weremko
Aneta Witt