Show #296 Airing Sunday, 5/8/05
Do you know the building blocks to a better smile? No matter what raw materials you’re starting with, the right tools can bring even a run-down smile back up to code. Here to help is our Master Builder of the bite, Dr. Steven Marsh, and one of his patients, Steve Pollack.
Question: When someone comes to get their smile made over, it isn’t always a simple fix, is it?
Answer: Patients often come in with a primary reason in mind, but there might be other steps to take to complete the smile.
Question: Steve, why did you consider dental work?
Answer: I had been grinding my teeth for many years, and they were wearing down terribly—I had lost a third of my teeth to the grinding. I knew the roots and nerves were eventually going to come through the damaged teeth and that I needed to have something done.
Question: But Dr. Marsh, when you looked at his teeth, there were some additional issues, right? Can you show us what you did?
Answer: Steve came in for worn down teeth, but there were some other issues as well. As you can see, there were some tetracycline stains on the teeth, so the first thing we did was whiten them.
We also replaced some old silver fillings with natural, tooth-colored ones.
And finally, we used caps and veneers to rebuild the worn teeth.
Question: How long did it take, Steve? How do your teeth feel now?
Answer: It took four sessions to complete. I had the work done more out of function than for looks, but I ended up with a better smile too. I realized that I was self-conscious a bit before, and now I smile more.
Question: Are you still grinding your teeth?
Answer: Yes. But less problem because now the bite is more even.
Question: How do you stop the problem?
Answer: Now I wear a night guard.
Real-life makeovers aren’t always as easy as you see on TV. But don’t just tune out; you can improve your smile. To learn more, give Dr. Marsh a call. My thanks to Dr. Marsh and Steve Pollack.
