Q: Would I be a good candidate for cosmetic dentistry?
A: Anyone can have cosmetic dental work done if their mouth is in a good state of oral health. A comprehensive examination will tell our experienced cosmetic dentist, Dr. Martin Gorman, what steps need to be taken to prepare your mouth for dental work. Concerns may include gum problems, decay, or jaw alignment abnormalities. Once these problems are corrected, Dr. Gorman can create your new smile and feel confident that with proper care, it will last a lifetime.
Q: How long does it take to achieve a gorgeous smile?
A: Treatment time will depend upon the procedures you want. For instance, Zoom! Whitening takes about an hour in our office. Placing veneers normally requires two appointments. Complex restorative work may be done in phases, over weeks or months. We will let you know the time frame, financial information, and clinical procedure associated with your treatment plan so that you can make a truly informed decision about your dental care.
Q: Wouldn’t whitening be sufficient to give me the attractive look I desire?
A: If you have a straight, shapely, beautiful smile, free from damage and wear, teeth whitening may be all you need to freshen up your appearance. Most patients, however, want to reshape their front teeth, repair cracks, chips, or missing teeth, and whiten existing dentition for a spectacular smile makeover. Cosmetic dentist Dr. Gorman will discuss your smile goals and let you know the best way to achieve them.
Q: What are myofunctional disorders and how are they corrected?
A: There are several different habits, postures, and functional activities that can affect a person’s bite, ultimately leading to the development of a myofunctional disorder. Some common examples of these behaviors include thumb/finger sucking, tongue thrust (related to speech and swallowing), a forward resting position of the tongue, and an open mouth posture with parted lips. Myofunctional disorders can impact both children and adults alike—children’s normal dental development can be negatively affected, while an adult may experience an over-eruption of certain teeth. Additionally, orthodontic concerns such as malocclusion (as well as certain cosmetic dental issues) are commonly associated with the postures and habits mentioned above. Some patients may even experience issues related to proper jaw growth.
Orofacial myofunctional clinicians like Dr. Gorman have completed extensive training that enables them to accurately and successfully diagnose and treat a wide variety of myofunctional disorders. Myofunctional therapy is designed to eliminate specific undesirable dental habits/postures, and can encourage proper swallowing patterns in patients with tongue thrust. Essentially, the therapy trains the patient to correct any improper resting postures of the tongue and/or lips. Progress and improvement will be observed throughout the duration of therapy, as well as immediately afterwards.
In many cases, myofunctional therapy has been shown to restore normal dental development/eruption. Additionally, the long-term outcomes of orthodontic treatment can be strengthened when myofunctional therapy is completed either following or in conjunction with initial treatment, helping patients establish and maintain a lifetime of improved dental health.
Q: How does myofunctional therapy differ from dental or orthodontic treatment?
A: Dental evaluations and treatments focus primarily on providing health and stability of teeth in occlusion, or contact. By contrast, myofunctional therapy is concerned with orofacial functional patterns and postures when teeth are apart, which they are for over 95% of each day and night.
Q: I have seen crowns that look fake. Can you make my crowns look natural?
A: We work with most talented, experienced ceramists for all restorations and prosthetics. Our dental labs use materials that reflect light naturally, wear like natural enamel, and feel like natural dentition. When sub-par materials are used to craft dental work, the result is a white, fake-looking restoration. Rest assured, Dr. Gorman believes that a successful smile looks and feels natural and functions at peak performance.
Q:What are my payment options?
A: We accept cash, check, or credit card. Some patients prefer to finance their dental work through CareCredit.
Q: Do you accept insurance?
A: The basic fact is, the insurance companies, as we all know, want to take care of you at the lowest cost possible, not really the best service or option available for you & we feel that your insurance should never dictate the quality or timing of your treatment.
From a ton of research, and constant surveying of dentists, most dental insurances have a maximum benefit of anywhere from $800 to $2,300 dollars. This can obviously, usually cover some of your expenses. However, most of the cosmetic dentistry is considered not mandatory, and therefore not covered by insurance.
If you have extensive or long term dental care, our office offers financial assistance through CareCredit.
Q: I really do not like visiting the dentist, is there anything you can do to help me relax?
A: Dr. Gorman is noted for his gentle touch and our team goes to great lengths to make your visit relaxed. Still, many people are jittery about coming to see us. Some will even put off an appointment (exposing themselves to more serious dental problems) rather than see a dentist.
If you have had a past traumatic dental experience, difficulty becoming numb, a bad gag reflex, very sensitive teeth, or complex dental problems, we can offer sedation dentistry. For this service, we request that a companion accompany you to the office.
Q: Can you tell me more about crowns, onlays, inlays, veneers, and fillings?
A: To restore teeth many factors must be considered. Including:
- The strength needed to properly restore the tooth in order to withstand the forces of your bite.
- How long the patient desires the treatment to last i.e. a short term fix vs. a long term solution.
- The esthetics (how good does the patient want it to look).
We can apply all porcelain, porcelain over gold, or all gold that will protect the tooth and restore it to proper form and function. For large decayed or damaged surface areas, we can apply a protective covering, or onlay, adding strength and preventing decay. If you need fillings, we can use porcelain inlays to strengthen the tooth. And we can restore front teeth to natural shapes by applying paper-thin porcelain veneers.
All of these procedures can change the look of your smile. At your next appointment, Dr. Gorman will be happy to explain any of them to you. While you’re there, you can also watch an interactive video or computer program that explains these techniques in a way that is easy to understand.
Q: What sets you apart from other dental practices?
A: At Gorman Health and Wellness, we believe in providing nothing short of the highest quality of dental care for each of our patients. This commitment is our promise, and we strive for excellence in all that we do.
Moreover, Dr. Gorman goes above and beyond by treating the cause of his patients’ dental concerns—not just the symptoms.
Providing our patients with the most advanced dental care available today is always our primary concern. Each year, our team completes hundreds of hours in continuing education programs, helping us stay abreast of the latest innovations in dental treatments and technology. We only work with master lab technicians who use top-quality materials, resulting in unparallelled results we would be proud to provide to members of our own families.
We guarantee our work!