Woman wearing a yellow sweater smiling and pointing to her teeth with both index fingers against a white background.

Top 7 Procedures for Smile Restoration

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Interested in improving your smile? Your dentist in Foley, AL, has solutions, including these seven most common procedures:

1. Clear Aligners

Clear Aligners perform many of the same duties as braces, but with less visibility. Instead of using wires and brackets that attach to your teeth, clear aligners use a series of clear plastic trays.

2. Veneers

Porcelain veneers are shells that attach to the front of a tooth that has a flaw. They can cover stains, chips, cracks, and more.They’re permanently affixed and can be dyed to match the exact shade of white of the surrounding teeth.

3. Dental Implants

Dental implants are made of three parts — a metal post that is implanted into your jawbone, an abutment that’s place atop the post, and a tooth-shaped crown that slips over the abutment. Once in place, they look and function like natural teeth and can last up to 15 years.

4. Dental Bonding

Dental bonding can hide flaws much the same way that veneers do. But instead of a porcelain shell, your dentist uses a putty-like resin material that they then harden using a light. Dental bonding can fix the appearance of a misshapen tooth, fill cracks and tiny holes, and make teeth look flawless again.

5. Tooth Extraction

If your teeth appear crowded, sometimes extracting one or two can help. This is especially true of wisdom teeth. Often, when wisdom teeth grow in, they cause existing teeth to shift. By pulling out the extra teeth, your dentist can leave room for the rest to move back into seamless position.

6. Crowns

Crowns look just like natural teeth, except for the fact that they’re hollow shells. They fit into place over existing teeth to add structure or to seal the tooth from infection, such as in the case of a root canal.

7. Dentures

If many or all of your teeth can’t be saved, dentures may be the solution. Dentures consist of complete or partial sets of prosthetic teeth that are fastened to an acrylic resin base.

For more information on smile improvement in Foley, AL, contact Sand Dollar Dental today.

An elderly man in a dental chair smiles while looking at his reflection in a handheld mirror, as a dentist stands nearby.

Same-Day Dentures 101: Questions and Answers for Curious Patients

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Considering dentures in Foley, AL for smile replacement? Same-day dentures may be an option to consider. While many satisfied patients do get same-day dentures, a lot of people are not familiar with the process. Take a look at a few of the most common questions about same-day dentures and what to expect.

How are same-day dentures different from regular dentures?

Same-day dentures are made of the same materials as other dentures. The only difference is the dentures are made right in the dental office instead of by an off-site lab. Therefore, you do not have to wait to be fitted with your dentures after molds and measurements are taken. And, you get to leave the office with your new teeth in place instead of having to face the world without your teeth.

Do same-day dentures look like natural teeth?

For most patients, same-day dentures look so much like natural teeth that it is difficult to distinguish the difference. During the process of making dentures, great effort is taken to make the teeth look natural. The dentist will work with you to pick the proper tooth sizes, colors, and gingival tissue colors to coincide with the remaining teeth and your natural complexion.

Can you get same-day dentures right after extractions?

You can get same-day dentures right after teeth are extracted in most cases. While placing dentures right after extractions may mean you need adjustments as your mouth heals, doing s can also come along with a few benefits. For example, if you are already wearing dentures as your mouth heals, the soft tissues will naturally heal to conform to the shape of the denture. It is always a good idea to take your dentures out at night to give the healing soft tissue a rest during the healing process, however.

Talk to a Foley, AL Dentist About Same-Day Dentures

If you have put off obtaining dentures because you don’t want to have to go without teeth, working with a Foley dentist for same-day dentures may be the best solution. At Sand Dollar Dental, we can help you get the dentures you need in just one appointment. Reach out to the team to schedule an appointment.