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HOUSTON (FOX 26) - There are several new ways to get a whiter, brighter smile using veneers. Houston-area dentist Dr. Spiker Davis says they look natural too.
"We don't want Chiclet teeth, they don't look natural, explains Dr. Davis. "We use simulation to prevent that. We take a picture of the patient's smile and on the computer, we draw and create the image that he wants -- longer, whiter, straighter, whatever they want." He adds that this process takes out the guesswork which translates to happier patients.
"We figure it out before (the procedure), so we've got a picture right here, and my drawing is based on what they said they wanted," says Dr. Davis. "It's not me designing their teeth." The patients get to design their own smile.
"We keep going until we get a picture they like," says Dr. Davis. "It's pretty close to what it will look like. I've never had to re-do a set, once I've done this, because it's what they tell me they wanted. There are two basic ways to do veneers. You do some grinding of the teeth, take impressions, send it to the lab, and I don't know many of those, because I don't like to grind on teeth. The first I do is porcelain veneers. We do have to take an impression and send it to a lab and they come back and put it on. It's like "Lee Press-On" nails, no shots, no grinding. The new type is called Edelweiss, and they're laser-centered composite. Because we don't have to send them to the lab, we try them on until we find one that fits. It only takes one or two appointments over two weeks. You don't pop them in and out. They're bonded with a 4,000-PSI bond strength, so they're on for a long time. The problem with laser-centered is they haven't been around very long so we don't know if they're going to last 20 or 30 years, that's my only concern."
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