People used to stay away from the dentist unless they needed remedial work or
were screaming with pain. Today, they are just as likely to visit a dental
surgery for a dazzling new smile as a mercury filling. Our obsession with
physical perfection, driven by the cult of celebrity and TV makeover
programmes, has nurtured a cosmetic dentistry market that is already worth
£519 million and is likely to double in the next five years, according to
business analysts Mintel.
The latest innovations include digital cameras that measure cavities,
pain-free injections, drill-less dentistry and veneers no thicker than a
contact lens.
LUMINEERS
What?
Ultra-thin porcelain veneers that are bonded to the front of your own teeth.
Why?
They are no thicker than a contact lens, so very little of the tooth structure
needs to be removed before they are fitted, unlike conventional veneers,
when teeth may need to be shaved down first. Martin Fallowfield, a spokeman
for the British Dental Association and a specialist in cosmetic dentistry,
says their thinness means that Lumineers may not mask any staining unless
the dentist uses an opaque cement. “That can prevent refracted light going
into the tooth and give a very white and less natural-looking smile.”
Who for?
Patients with stained, damaged or crooked teeth who want a brighter smile.
Cost?
£400 to £1,000 a tooth, comparable to veneers.
Where?
lumineers.com or call 0800 0280155.
Surgeries offering Lumineers include Perfect Smile practices; www.perfectsmile-dental.com
THE WAND
What?
A computer-controlled pain-free injection that delivers anaesthesia.
Why?
Terror of needles keeps many people away from the dentist's chair, but the
needle is not what makes an injection painful: it is the pressure of fluid
going into the tissue. The microprocessor in the Wand delivers a slow and
constant flow of anaesthetic, numbing the site.
Who for?
Fallowfield says that it is useful for children, patients who are
needle-phobic or who have a few cavities at different sites - “especially if
you need to anaesthetise the palate. But it is very slow, so we would not
use it all the time”, he says.
Cost?
About £10 an injection.
Where?
Dental Practice Systems; www.d-p-s.uk.com
or call 01438 820550
LASER DENTISTRY
What?
A laser that does the work of the drill.
Why?
It replaces the dreaded whining vibration of a dental drill and the makers say
that lasers are more comfortable, there is less bleeding and healing is
quicker. The expert's view? Fallowfield says that they are “virtually
painless and fantastic for gum surgery, but that is about it”.
Who for?
They can be used on teeth with new decay, but not if there are any fillings or
other dental work in place already, which is the case most of the time.
Fallowfield says that they will not replace the drill.
Cost?
Varies according to procedure. Prices start from £75.
Where?
Private dentists.
INCOGNITO LINGUAL BRACES
What?
A custom-made German orthodontic appliance.
Why?
Lingual orthodontic braces are fitted to the inside of the tooth, which makes
them invisible. Incognito claims to be a cut above the rest because each
bracket and wire is individually made for each patient, using computer
technology, and then hand-finished. This produces a flat design which is
said to stay on better, be more comfortable, cause no speech impediments and
create a better long-term result.
Peter Huntley, a spokesman for the British Orthodontic Society, says that
Incognito is “a huge step forward in comfort and precision with the
potential to finish treatment more quickly”.
Cost?
About £5,000 per arch.
Where?
www.lingualtechnik.de
MINI IMPLANTS
What?
Narrow titanium alloy implants inserted into the gum to replace missing or
dam-aged teeth.
Why?
Fitting conventional implants requires minor gum surgery, but the thinness of
mini implants allows them to be inserted directly into the bone without
opening the gum. This should reduce the pain and inconvenience during and
after the operation. Mini implants are about 25 per cent cheaper than
traditional implants.
Who for?
Currently, not for many, says Fallowfield. “They do not have the track record
of conventional implants, which have a long history and have been
peer-reviewed in dental journals.It is fairly new technology that is not yet
proven.”
Cost?
From £1,500 each.
Where?
Private dental and orthodontic practices.
GUM PERIOBALANCE ORAL PROBIOTIC
What?
The world's first probiotic lozenge for oral health.
Why?
The lozenge contains Lactobacillus reuteri prodentis and can reduce the
build-up of bacterial plaque that can lead to gum disease and other oral
health problems, including bad breath. A study in the Swedish Dental Journal
shows a 59 per cent drop in levels of gingivitis (gum inflammation) after
four weeks of treatment with the probiotic.
Who for?
Potentially everyone. “It is very difficult to change oral flora, which is a
complex eco-system, but this sounds great in theory,” says Fallowfield.
Cost? £14.99.
Where?
www.sunstargum.co.uk , call 01677
424446
METAL-FREE DENTAL WORK
What?
Crowns, bridges and implants made from ceramics such as zirconia-oxide using
com-puter-assisted design and manufacture.
Why?
The man-made ceramic zirconia is tough enough to be used in car disc brakes
and has a natural translucence that makes it aesthetically ideal for dental
work. Because it is light in colour, there is no dark line that can
sometimes be seen close to the gum with traditional gold and porcelain
restorations. A digital camera takes an “optical impression” of the tooth
and from this image the replacement part can be milled under computer
control from a solid block of material.
Who for?
The image-conscious. Luke Barnett, a leading dental technician who sits on the
board of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, says that use of the
material is mainly about appearance.
“It is easier to obtain natural-looking, translucent restorations with
zirconia than with traditional materials, but it is not suitable for all
applications and success depends on detailed and systematic technical work,”
he says.
Cost?
From £600; about a third higher than for gold and porcelain crowns, bridges
and implants.
Where?
Private dentists and orthodontists.
How I got new smile in a weekend
Suzi Godson heads to a Hertfordshire spa for Hollywood teeth
I am experiencing a “Five Star Hollywood Smile weekend”, the brainchild of
Jeremy Hill, a dentist who has seen more A-list tonsils than most. It's a
fast-track dental makeover, which shrinks normal waiting time on cosmetic
treatments such as veneers from two weeks to 48 hours.
I have a prior consultation at Hill's surgery in Hertfordshire, but in most
cases, the work - be it bridging, crowns, fillings or porcelain veneers -
can be condensed into a single weekend, combined with a stay at the nearby
five-star Hanbury Manor hotel, with spa and golf course.
It's not cheap. The makeover starts from £3,999. For that you get your teeth
whitened (£650) and four veneers, which cost from £750 each. Hill carries
out all the preparatory work in his surgery on a Friday morning and once the
enamel has been trimmed ready for veneers and he has taken an impression of
your teeth, you and your temporary teeth covers retire to the hotel.
While you stroll through 200 acres of parkland or swim in the luxurious pool,
Hill's laboratories work through the weekend preparing your custom-made
smile for a Monday morning fitting.
You can certainly get veneers more cheaply if you're prepared to shop around,
but once you've made a psychological commitment to spend an enormous amount
of money on a cosmetic treatment, generally you will pay over the odds for a
faster transformation in private.
The hotel breaks you in nicely
Staying in the hotel gives you a chance to adjust to the idea of your new
teeth. It also allows you to avoid those who will insist on telling you that
“there was nothing wrong with your teeth” or, worse: “X is a really great
dentist and he does veneers for fifty quid.”
I volunteer for Zoom! laser whitening, a supposedly painless process that
takes an hour and a half, just enough time to watch Ocean's Eleven on the
screen above me. The whole experience is the antithesis of the murky fish
tanks that I associate with dentists. Hill says his own childhood fear of
dentists prompted his decision to become one. But he urges us not to avoid
them, particularly for cosmetic treatments. He explains that skill is needed
to protect the gums from powerful whitening gels that can burn the skin but,
with a broad grin, he assures me that I am in safe hands.
Then he puts a Hannibal Lecter- type shield in my mouth, spends 30 minutes
protecting my gums and covering my teeth with gel, before leaving me alone
with George Clooney and Matt Damon. On his dental colour chart, my
middle-aged, middle-of-the- road gnashers start out as a D4, which puts me
somewhere south of marzipan but north of chocolate. Ninety minutes later
they are a B9,a full nine shades lighter, just due south of snow.
For more details: www.wcode.co.uk
My invisible brace
Katie Bowman straightens up the easy way with plastic aligners
“Teeth have a good memory,” said my orthodontist with a smile. He was right. I
had worn a brace from the age of 15 to 16, putting up with fortnightly
tightening that triggered horrendous headaches, while the sharp metal
fastenings cut the inside of my mouth. But when it was taken off, my teeth
were perfect; I felt so happy, defiant and liberated that I didn’t wear the
retainer my dentist gave me for the next nine months. Thirteen years later,
my teeth had begun to return to their original skew-whiffness.
I’d heard of Invisalign, clear plastic removable aligners — like see-through
mouthguards — that gradually shift your teeth into place, but the cost put
me off. The cheapest quote was more than £3,000 for nine months of
treatment. But a photo of me with a crooked grimace sealed the deal.
“It had me hook, line and sinker”
I’m now eight months into my treatment. On the first session, an X-ray and
digital images of my teeth were taken and sent off to the US. There is no
Invisalign centre in the UK, so all my aligners had to be shipped over
(hence the price). Three weeks later, a personalised schedule arrived,
including a seductive computer-animated film that revealed how my teeth
would look in one month, six months...It had me hook, line and sinker.
From then on I went to the clinic every fortnight to pick up my new retainers.
They felt tight at first and when I pulled them out, it felt as if my teeth
would come too. But this sensation disappeared in hours.
At first my orthodontist told me to wear the braces at least 20 hours of every
day, which meant that I took them out only for eating and drinking. The
unexpected bonus was that I lost a bit of weight — I refused all snacks
since I couldn’t be bothered to remove my aligners.
Already, my bottom row of teeth are straight and the top row looks much
neater; everybody asks me why I wear a brace when my teeth are “perfect”.
There has, however, been one recurring problem — keeping track of my
aligners. On holiday in Mexico last Christmas, we stopped for a margarita
and I wrapped up my falsies in a napkin. Three drinks later and I realised
the waiter had picked up my teeth and taken them off with the empty glasses.
Invisalign treatment can last from six months to two-and-a-half years. Find
your nearest Invisalign dentist at www.invisalign.co.uk.
Katie attended London Bridge Dental Practice; 108 Tooley Street, London SE1;
020 7407 1920, www.lbdp.co.uk
I am coming towards the end of my 4 months Invisalign treatment. Compared to Katie Bowman my treatment is costing CHF 3k (GBP 1.5k). It is the greatest invention in dental correction in my opinion. You get to keep your teeth (compared to veneers) and they really are invisible. Worth the money!
Carrie, Zurich, Switerland