When a Phoenix patient gets veneers, there is no need for a change in dental hygiene. Regular brushing and flossing, along with scheduled cleanings, is sufficient maintenance. Your teeth might be more sensitive to heat and cold, though, because part of the tooth enamel must be removed before traditional porcelain restorations can be placed. This is, of course, not a concern with DURAThin veneers, which can be adhered to the teeth without previously removing any enamel. However, with both traditional porcelain and DURAThin, the color of the restoration is permanent. If you wish to whiten your teeth at a later date, the veneer will retain its original color while the rest of your teeth become brighter. You have two options in this situation. First, you can have your teeth whitened before your restoration is made. That way you know it will match your smile. Second, you can wait until you want to have your teeth whitened and replace your current restoration with a new one that matches better. This is a more costly option in the long run, since you are paying for two veneers instead of just one; receiving whitening treatments first might be a wise investment.

Schedule a consultation at Harris Dental in Phoenix to learn more about veneers and how they will work for you.

You probably already know that Invisalign is great for cosmetic reasons. Because the aligners used to straighten your teeth are transparent, they are not nearly as noticeable as traditional metal braces. Invisalign allows you to correct the alignment of your teeth discreetly. The aligners are also smooth, making them much gentler on your mouth than traditional braces, which can rub and even cut your lips and tongue. They put less pressure on your teeth, usually causing fewer headaches and sore jaws than fixed appliances do.

Because you can take the aligners out, you don’t have to avoid sticky foods like wearers of traditional braces do, which is nice. However, the aligners must be removed every time you eat, and you should brush your teeth and clean your aligner before replacing it after a meal. This can become inconvenient, especially if you like to eat out. If you aren’t careful, you may even misplace your aligner. And the longer you leave your aligner out, the less chance it has to do its job. Metal brackets and wires continually act on your teeth to correct their alignment; every time you take out your aligner, the correction process stops and can even be reversed. This could cause your treatment to go off schedule, and new aligners may be needed to compensate for the change. If you choose Invisalign, you must be one hundred percent committed to wearing your aligner as often as possible.

If you think Invisalign is right for you, call Harris Dental in Phoenix to schedule a consultation.

Patients in Phoenix who wear traditional metal braces must learn to brush and floss around the brackets and wires used to straighten teeth. This can be quite challenging, sometimes requiring special tools to clean between and around the appliances. If patients are not thorough and consistent with their dental hygiene, cavities can form between teeth, under wires, and close to brackets. Invisalign users, on the other hand, do not need to make significant changes to their dental hygiene routine. The aligners are removable, allowing for regular brushing and flossing.

The use of Invisalign to straighten teeth may actually be helpful in preventing cavities, since patients are encouraged to clean both the aligner and their teeth every time they remove and reinsert the aligner. Invisalign also allows dentists to take regular accurate x-rays, a procedure not available to patients with fixed braces. Metal appliances can interfere with accurate x-ray readings, masking cavities or weak enamel that might have been detected if the braces were not in the way. Removable aligners allow dentists to evaluate x-rays—and take measures to prevent further tooth decay—without interference. Contact Harris Dental in Phoenix to learn more about how Invisalign can benefit you.

Many women in Phoenix use cosmetics such as lipstick and eye shadow to enhance their natural beauty. Cosmetic dentistry can be used to enhance your smile in much the same way. By highlighting the best parts of your smile and tweaking those aspects that might benefit from a few adjustments, cosmetic dentistry can help impart or improve the beauty of your teeth. While you might keep mascara and lip gloss in your makeup bag, dentists use other tools. Individually crafted veneers, Invisalign invisible braces, tooth whitening procedures, and other restoration techniques are all part of the cosmetic dentistry toolkit. But it’s not the tools themselves that make the difference; it’s the way they are applied. Drs. Joe, Brian, Eric, and Scott Harris are experienced “smile beauticians” and know just how to bring out the natural beauty in your smile.

Some traditional makeovers are subtle, involving a dab or two of concealer and a hint of blush. Others are more dramatic, using an entire palette of makeup to contour eyes and cheekbones until you see a stunning face that is almost unrecognizable. Smile makeovers can be similarly subtle or dramatic. While some Phoenix patients may want a simple whitening procedure, others might be interested in a full set of veneers to completely change the look of their teeth. Your smile is one of a kind, and at Harris Dental in Phoenix, the treatment you receive will be too. Our goal is not to create hundreds of identical smiles but to enhance the unique beauty of each one.

Whether you want to straighten, whiten, or otherwise beautify your smile, we at Harris Dental in Phoenix can help you. Call us at 602-955-8600 for a smile makeover consultation today!

Our smile makeover patients who have undergone restorative and cosmetic dentistry at Harris Dental in Phoenix and Queen Creek have experienced this phenomenon firsthand. They have expressed that they not only feel great about their looks, they are more confident in professional and social situations. Another benefit: they also feel more appealing to the opposite gender.

We are Drs. Joseph, Brian, Eric & Scott Harris of Harris Dental in Phoenix and Queen Creek. We get great satisfaction in using our years of specialized experience to provide premium cosmetic dentistry for our patients. We are passionate about developing a custom treatment plan for each dental client. Some of our patients had lived with misaligned or crooked teeth for years. Others had been self-conscious about missing or stained teeth.

There has never been a better time to upgrade your smile. There are solutions for every kind of dental problem. If you are not familiar with the latest teeth whitening, crown restoration and tooth replacement procedures, it is time to find out. Call 602-955-8600 to schedule a consultation. Come in to our office in Phoenix or in Queen Creek, AZ and see photos of our happy dental makeover clients who are enjoying their beautiful smiles every day!

Harris Dental
4444 N. 32nd Street, in Phoenix, Arizona 85018.

20261 E. Ocotillo Road, Suite 120 in Queen Creek, AZ  85242.

Give us a call at 602-955-8600 or find us on the Web at:

http://www.HarrisDental.com

Numerous ads for whitening products in our local Phoenix media contain terms such as ‘white brite’, ‘22 carbamide peroxide’ and ‘peroxide teeth’. They look tempting, but how do you separate tooth bleaching fact from fiction?

First, and especially for our local  patients, we recommend talking to Drs. Joseph, Brian, Eric and Scott Harris DDS at Harris Dental at either our Phoenix  or Queen Creek office. Just because teeth whitening products are readily available, it doesn’t mean they are all safe or appropriate for every person. Getting a professional opinion is a good first step.

Don’t be fooled by smile whitening hype and risk damage, especially if you need tetracycline teeth whitening. If you have existing cosmetic dental work such as crowns, bonding, partial dentures or bridge work, it is especially important to talk to a dental professional about worry free dentistry teeth whitening.

Teeth whitening kits are not the only way to quickly improve your smile. Many of your neighbors have benefited from porcelain veneers. There are several brands of veneers such as Lumineers by Cerinate, da Vinci and Mac. We can help you decide on which is best for you.

Veneers are sometimes called ‘instant orthodontics’ because they can correct tooth misalignment and gaps as well as provide instant teeth whitening.

Porcelain veneers can also fix chipped teeth and cover stains. The vast majority of Phoenix veneer recipients are extremely pleased with the results.

• Drs. Joseph, Brian, Eric & Scott Harris DDS
• Harris Dental
• 4444 N. 32nd Street, Phoenix, AZ 85018
• 20261 E. Ocotillo Rd., Queen Creek, AZ 85242 
• 602-955-8600
• http://www.harrisdental.com/index.cfm

Providing comprehensive dental care for Paradise Valley families since 1979.

Tooth sensitivity can be a signal that something is wrong. It may be caused by periodontal disease or bacteria build-up in a crack in a tooth.

Enamel erosion can be caused by a number of factors including acidic foods and drinks, teeth grinding, or cracked teeth. If your teeth are sensitive following a professional teeth whitening such as the ones we do here at Harris Dental, the sensitivity will probably be gone in a few weeks.

Surprisingly, one cause of gum recession for our Arizona patients is brushing too hard. That’s right; it is possible to brush too hard!

If you experience constant or intermittent pain in your teeth or gums, call 602-955-8600 right away to make an appointment. Drs. Joseph, Brian, Eric & Scott Harris take tooth pain seriously.

At Harris Dental in Phoenix and Queen Creek, we not only treat tooth sensitivity problems, we also perform entire smile makeovers for cosmetic dentistry patients.

We Absolutely Love What We Do and You’ll Feel It Every Time You Visit!