Six-Month Adult Braces + 2 CEREC Porcelain Veneers equals one happy patient!
Ever since we started doing six-month braces about five years ago, the number of smile makeovers that we’ve done with porcelain veneers has dropped dramatically. This is because we can create beautiful smiles much more conservatively with six-month braces than we can with veneers, simply because there is no drilling on the teeth. There are times however, when porcelain veneers are an excellent option. Caroline’s case is a perfect example of how the two can work together: we first used six-month braces to straighten her teeth, then whitened them. Finally, we used our CEREC CAD/CAM machine to make to 2 porcelain veneers right in our office, in a single appointment to complete the smile makeover by matching her peg lateral incisors to match the rest of her smile.
If you are interested in learning more about either porcelain veneers or 6MonthSmiles, please contact us at either 704-364-7069, or Request an Appointment Online.
Do you love to smile like Caroline?
One of my absolute favorite things to do, is to see patients for their Complimentary Portrait Session after they finish some type of cosmetic dentistry, whether it is Six-Month Braces, Porcelain Veneers, Teeth Whitening, or some combination of those. There is such a level of satisfaction when a patient LOVES to smile for pictures instead of hide their smiles because they’re embarrassed. Caroline is a perfect example of this; when she first came to see us, she was really unhappy with her crooked teeth. Given what an amazingly cheerful person she is, hiding her smile was not something she wanted, but — like so many others — she assumed that braces would take 2-3 years, and as an adult, she simply was not interested, but she also didn’t want to have her teeth ground down for porcelain veneers, nor did she want to spend that much. So, with a combination of Six-Month Braces, 2 Porcelain Veneers with our 1-Visit Crown system (CEREC), and Whitening Trays, we dramatically transformed her smile in about 10 months total. Just look at her smile now!
This is really what Cosmetic Dentistry is all about, really — it’s about helping you feel good and confident about yourself, about your smile. If you would like to smile with the confidence that Caroline now does, give us a call at 704-364-7069 or Request an Appointment Online!
1-Visit Porcelain Veneer
Linda came in to our office today with 1 serious issue: a broken porcelain dental veneer on her upper right lateral incisor (second from the middle). Naturally, since she’d been through the process of getting veneers done previously, she was expecting that she would leave with a temporary (aka provisional) veneer after we’d taken a mold of the tooth, and she’d have to come back in a few weeks to have the real one bonded in. However, she was pleasantly surprised by the end of her appointment today, because thanks to the CEREC AC Bluecam, we were able to make a brand-new porcelain veneer in just ONE visit! No second appointment to bond the veneer in, no temporary veneer, no tooth molds, no second time getting numb……..NONE of that! So judge for yourself…..how did we do?
If you are looking to transform or fix your smile, and convenience is important to you, then give us a call at 704-364-7069 or
Oh yeah…….almost forgot to mention, too….since Linda signed up with our Quality Dental Plan, she saved 20% on her work today!
Cosmetic Dentistry in Charlotte: Correcting a Gummy Smile with a “Gum Lift”
Smile Makeovers can take many shapes and forms, and it is so important IMO for a dentist to be fully informed and trained on DIAGNOSING all kinds of smile problems and knowing the APPROPRIATE recommendations to make, because if an improper diagnosis is made, then the wrong treatment can easily be chosen, which will only result in a less-than-satisfactory result and an unhappy patient. Here’s a perfect example:
Mia first came to my office in March of 2007 to ask if Porcelain Veneers could give her the smile she’d always wanted. Her complaint was that her teeth were too short and square, and she hoped that veneers could make them longer. However, the problem was NOT that her teeth were too short; the problem was that she had too much gum COVERING her teeth, making them appear shorter than they really were.
Mia’s Smile Before
Smile Makeover to Correct a Gummy Smile - BEFORE picture
As it turns out, Mia also had old dental crowns and bridges that were in need of replacement. Unfortunately, the dentist who had placed them 20 years ago did not recognize the excess gum problem (turns out there was also excess bone covering the teeth, but you probably don’t want to see the surgical photos, right? 😉 ), and so he placed the edges of the crowns and bridges too far under the gum, resulting in chronic gum irritation. The human body simply does not like it if you put dental materials (gold, amalgam, porcelain, composite resin, doesn’t matter) too close to the bone and too far under the gum, so the gums get irritated and will always bleed when brushing and flossing, sometimes even just to the touch. We’re replacing the existing dental work over time, but we were able to do the right side work at the same time as the “Cosmetic Gum Lift,” which really made a big improvement. (When looking at the photos, it’s on the left side of the pictures.)
So after plenty of consultation, Mia decided to go with the corrective gum surgery. The technical name for this is “Esthetic Crown Lengthening,” which simply means that we are making the teeth look prettier (esthetic) by making them look longer. She told us beforehand that she felt very nervous, but afterwards said that it was much easier and less uncomfortable than she’d expected, and her healing was much easier than she’d thought. Usually the only discomfort is some gum soreness, really.
Mia’s Smile After
Mia tells us she is simply THRILLED with her smile now, and it’s easy to see why!
Smile Makeover to Correct a Gummy Smile - AFTER picture
And for Mia, one of the best parts of the whole treatment was that we were able to do everything right here at Smiles by Payet Dentistry, with no need to refer her to a specialist. I really loved giving Mia the smile that she’d always wanted, with no unnecessary drilling for porcelain veneers that would not have solved her problem in the first place. We did also replace her old crowns and bridge on the upper right, and with the excess gum tissue removed there, too, now she has no problems keeping the area clean, and her gums don’t bleed when she brushes or flossing. Next will be the upper left side.
A Complete Smile Makeover with Porcelain Crowns for Teeth Damaged by Bulimia
There are many reasons patients come to see me for cosmetic dentistry. One of the most common reasons is because their teeth are badly worn down from grinding, often in combination with acid erosion that has eaten away at the enamel. Treating these cases can be complex, because if we don’t properly diagnose and solve the problem that caused the worn, eroded teeth in the first place, then any cosmetic dentistry is sure to fail very fast.
When Jenni (not her real name, as she prefers to stay anonymous) first came to see me through a referral back in 2005 for a Smile Makeover consultation, she admitted that she had suffered from bulimia as a teen, about 20 years prior. She had recovered from this debilitating disease and had been leading a healthy, normal life for many years, but her teeth had been so eroded that she was extremely self-conscious and embarrassed by her smile.
Since Jenni’s original issue had been addressed medically, we were safe moving forward with a greatly decreased risk of acid erosion causing problems again, although bulimics are at a much higher risk of GERD/acid reflux, so she is monitored regularly by her physician, and she uses a prescription strength fluoride rinse daily to help protect the teeth under the porcelain.
Due to complicating factors, Jenni’s case was just completed this year; however, I think you’ll see why Jenni is now happy with her smile again, although she doesn’t want everyone to know what she had done, so she has asked me to not use her portrait.
Cosmetic dentist Dr. Charles Payet, of Charlotte NC, performed a Smile Makeover with Porcelain Crowns to Restore these Teeth Damaged by Acid Erosion/Bulimia
Dental Discount Plan for Cosmetic Dentistry? You bet!
I’ve talked about our Smiles by Payet Dental Discount Plan several times, but something that may be overlooked is that this even covers Cosmetic Dentistry!
Imagine you’re looking for a Smile Makeover and want to get Porcelain Veneers, like Craig’s in the below picture, and you’re concerned about the total fees:
A Smile Makeover by Dr. Charles Payet - 8 Porcelain Veneers
Depending on the complexity of the case and your cosmetic desires, a Smile Makeover can run from $1200-2000/tooth in Charlotte, so 10 Porcelain Veneers will cost you $12,000 – $20,000. But imagine that now……simply by enrolling in our Smiles by Payet Dental Discount Plan with the $295 enrollment fee, you would automatically receive a TWENTY PERCENT (20%) DISCOUNT!!!!! That would save you $2400-4,000 on your Smile Reconstruction by me – a highly skilled and experienced cosmetic dentist, right here in Charlotte, NC in the South Park area.
All you have to do is either:
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Call 704-364-7069 and make an appointment with Liz for a Free Consultation, or
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Request an Appointment Online
Terrie Reeves, Founder of the Wellness Coalition of America
One of my very favorite people is a simply AMAZING woman named Terrie Reeves. We first met at the Charlotte Yoga studio near Park Rd. & Woodlawn Rd. about 5 years ago, when she was an instructor and I was a student. Shortly after that, we got to talking about her smile and that, while she liked it ok, she would like it brighter and to fix the chips in the front teeth, and she’d noticed that it seemed her front teeth were getting thinner and more see-through. So after a thorough dental exam and long consultations, we decided on a Total Smile Makeover for Terrie that would be completed with 16 porcelain veneers. The top veneers were completed first, then the lower ones made to match, and ever since then, Terrie has absolutely loved her smile! And if you’ve ever met Terrie (which I highly recommend), you will understand when I say that her smile truly matches HER. She is filled with more energy than any 10 people have a right to, and she has to be one of the happiest people I’ve ever met.
If you’ve seen the portrait of her below before……don’t be surprised! After Terrie saw her post-Smile Makeover Portrait Shoot (on the side, I am a professional photographer as well), she asked if she could use some in her Wellness Coalition of America promotional materials; how could I refuse? 🙂
Before and After Pictures of 16 Porcelain Veneers, Portrait of Terrie Reeves
Yes – single-visit crowns can be beautiful!
Obviously, the single biggest advantage for patients with our CEREC machine is the ability to have beautiful, all-porcelain restorations completed in a single visit. Here’s an example of how nice that can be. This patient had 10 porcelain veneers done about 2 years ago; due to her grinding habit, she had knocked off and broken one of the veneers. Rather than make a yucky impression and send it to the lab, while she had to wait several weeks with a temporary veneer, we made it right in the office. One visit porcelain veneer, no temporary, no second visit, and her smile was back to beautiful! See if you can guess which one was done by us on CEREC and which were done by the lab?
A Beautiful 1-Visit Porcelain Veneer by Dr. Payet in Charlotte, NC
If need your any tooth fixed, not just if it’s a porcelain veneer, CEREC CAD/CAM can do it for you. Call our office 704-364-7069 or Request an Appointment Online.
A Smile Makeover with Porcelain Veneers and Short-Term Braces
This will be the last cosmetic dentistry/Smile Makeover video that I will post for a little while, as I next want to devote some time to showing how destructive “Grinding” of the teeth can be and why it is NOT something that you should take lightly. Bruxism/Parafunction (the general term for both grinding and clenching, which are 2 separate things) can cause major problems for patients, and often in ways not easily visible because it takes time to develop or they’re under the surface. I believe this is an area of dentistry that is often neglected, and it only makes things worse for patients.
With that said, I do hope you enjoy the way we combined different kinds of treatments to achieve a dramatic Smile Makeover for Daniel, as visible in this video.
Don’t forget – if you want to see all of the videos for our practice, check out our YouTube channel: SmilesbyPayet.
Combination Porcelain Veneers and Short-Term Braces
Porcelain Veneers to Dramatically Makeover Smiles
Smiles by Payet Cosmetic Dentistry: Porcelain Veneers
Here’s another video to enjoy of patients for whom we’ve done Porcelain Veneers to achieve some remarkable smile transformations.
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Smiles by Payet Dentistry - Beautiful Smiles. Lifetime Care 