Dong

How Dong Found Dr. Gillis:

Dong found our office on the internet and wanted to see an AACD Accredited dentist. He researched our website and loved our reviews enough that he was willing to drive 5 hours to get to our office. Dong wanted to know what he could do for the tetracycline stains on his teeth. He teaches at a college in Denver and smiles a lot and would like better looking teeth. He has gone to two cosmetic dentists in Denver and they both told him he needed to do crown’s to cover the color.

Previous Dental Treatment:

Dong did KOR bleaching about 9 months ago. He says he had a lot of sensitivity even after the first in office treatment. He was only able to bleach for 2 hours prior to bed every 2 days when he was doing the KOR at home. He notes his teeth were a lot darker before he did the KOR whitening. Dong was not concerned about his lower right bridge which is 15 years old. He presents to our office with no TMJ concerns. There is banded fluorosis present on all teeth upper and lower. Slight enamel dysplasia (enamel that has formed incorrectly) is noted on the top edges of several teeth. Due to the travel time and the sensitivity he experienced with bleaching in another office, Dong wanted to see what could be achieved without bleaching.

Crowns or Veneers?

Dong did not really want to have all of his teeth cut down for crowns as had been suggested by other dentists. Dr Gillis explained the possibility of doing veneers rather than crowns over his current color. With fluorosis stained teeth like Dong’s, the more enamel that is removed, the darker the tooth becomes. She reviewed that the most natural looking veneers allow some of the underlying tooth color to show through. To cover the dark teeth the veneers would look more opaque.

Dental Mock Up Right on Dong’s Teeth!

Dr Gillis used tooth colored composite on top of a couple of Dong’s front teeth to demonstrate what could be achieved. We took before and after photos and explained the process and options. Dong took a photo with his phone and took the pieces of composite bonding home with him to show his family and to ponder this decision. Dong asked the important question of how long Veneers last and was told that this depends on genetics, habits, dentistry, lab work. The average is about 10 years or more and that if replacement is needed, you only replace them as they fail – not all at the same time. Dong also researched the lab that would be creating his new restorations. Now that’s an informed patient! Soon after this Dong signed up to have his veneers completed!

The Result?

A very happy and satisfied patient with more smiling! Dong returned to our office to have Dr. Gillis take creative photos and his new confidence radiated!