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Archive for the ‘snap on smile’ Category
Dr. Jason Pang meets Snap-On Smile inventor
Wednesday, September 21st, 2011
This week I was fortunate enough to meet with Marc Leichtung the inventor of the Snap-On Smile. He was giving a lecture for advanced Snap On Smile providers and I was invited along. He is wholly committed to making the product as successful as it can possibly be and was giving us insights into the new manufacturing techniques and materials that make the product even better than before.
One of the new products that was made available was Snap-It! This is a product that only spans 6 teeth or less. It can be used in any area of the mouth to replace even a single tooth. It has been designed so that it does not cover the palate in any way and both protects and enhances the area where the missing/damaged/implanted tooth may be. It is manufactured with an advanced milling technique on computer so that the fit is perfect. The new material is even more flexible than before making it more durable and comfortable to wear.
He showed us many cases where the patients had been using their Snap-On Smile for over 5 years! When they come back to the practice for their periodic hygiene visits, he just gives the appliance a polish and it looks brand new again! He has his own Snap-On Smile appliance that he has worn on a daily basis for over 3 and a half years! Not only does it look great but he looks great with them on too.
While in the past it was only recommended to make the Snap-On Smile to one or two teeth past the last tooth in the arch, with the advent of mini-implants it is very easy to make a Snap On Smile with molars for chewing. And for patients that need something to improve the aesthetics while their standard implants are healing, the Snap-On Smile or Snap-It! covers them until they’re ready to be restored. For those interested in dental implants, please visit one of our Implant Open Days.
The Snap-On Smile is monochromatic ie. the entire appliance is made of the one selected colour, and while that looks great for most people, Marc showed us how to characterise the device. Individual teeth on the appliance can be made to look like a previously extracted tooth or made more yellow near the gum line for a more natural look. Some people have very distinctive teeth, and want to maintain that look as before. That’s all possible now in just a short time.
Other new things are the Lumi Smile which digitally simulates whitening, LUMINEERS and replacing missing teeth with the Snap-On Smile to show what your new smile will look like. I can’t wait for that to be available here!
There really are some exciting changes ahead so stay tuned!!
What is it you really want?
Wednesday, June 29th, 2011So many times we hear patients say that they only go to the dentist when they are in pain. And when the patient has a really sore tooth, all we can do is relieve their pain. We call this Emergency Dentistry. But is this really what the patient wants?
Sometimes it is but I think for others the questions is really,” Can you make sure that this does not happen to any of my other teeth?” or “Can you fix this tooth so I never have to think about it again?”.
If we know this we can put together a maintenance program with periodic recare appointments to ensure teeth are attended to when the issues are minor. Or we could repair the tooth in a porcelain material so that it not only restores the tooth, but also protects it during chewing and it will last a long time as the material is so strong.
When a patient is in pain, they just can’t verbalise what they really want. All their thinking is clouded by a red mask of pain. But extracting a painful tooth then means an empty space where the teeth was and a whole new set of questions about what to do with that space.
Likewise a patient does not come in thinking they really need to have a bridge, or a denture, a Snap-On Smile or an Implant. What they would really like is to be able to smile again and be able to chew their food without it hurting their gums.
I rarely have a patient come in saying they want veneers. What they ask for is whiter teeth, or a nicer smile or a different shape to their teeth. If I just made them veneers, I might make them something they like, but the end result may not be ideal.
It sometimes happens that the solution for their problem is completely different to what they might think. For example, if a patient has wants longer teeth, it might be as simple as a laser gum lift, it may be inclining the teeth forward with Invisalign, or even extruding the teeth with implants!
That is the wonderful thing about modern dentistry. There are now so many options to achieve the end result. More than ever it is important that we as dentists ask the right questions, and you as patients think about what it is you really want, and how much it is worth to you.
At Cosmic Smile Dental, we offer a complimentary smile consultation so you can tell us your concerns and we have an understanding of your dental values. We’ll show you some of the ways that we can get there and together we can decide how quickly we can make your goal a reality. Just make sure you think about what it is you really want =)