Scott Greenhalgh DDS – Blog

Cosmetic Dentistry

Archive for the ‘Denver cosmetic dentist’ Category

Robotic Blog

Monday, May 24th, 2010

Robotic Block

I just want to let you know that the future is here, now. I’m using one of my latest, greatest technology findings. I am using MacSpeech Dictate. I’m using a microphone to dictate my thoughts and blog today, My laptop is transcribing printed asked. Pretty cool! (except there are still typos…).

Here’s why I see this as an advantage: many of my blogs are written in my head, and frankly, take way too long to sit down, type them all out, and edit them. I know for me, I can dictate the thoughts and concepts that are in my head WAY Faster than how fast I can type.

So the benefit for you, is that I can get more complicated information down more quickly. It will also let me add more pages and entries, more rapidly.

And along the way I’ll probably mess with it by adding some words like “particle bladder” just to see what it comes out with.

So I encourage you to sit back, get a cold drink, and get ready for more blogs, more information, and really, more helpful tools to help you understand cosmetic dentistry.

So, I have to figure out whether the computer is an idiot or my dictation is a little peculiar, but for now I have decided to sit back talk to myself and have a good time!

So enjoy this first blog, “type O.’s and all. Knowing I’d never touched the keys in creating this!

Posted in Cosmetic Dentistry, Denver cosmetic dentist, cosmetic dentist Denver | No Comments »

Are No Prep Veneers or Lumineers for Everyone?

Saturday, April 24th, 2010

Veneers are great, they change smiles and lives. Over twenty years as a cosmetic dentist in Denver, I have placed MANY veneers. In fact I have fixed veneers from other offices as well.

One of my partnering services SmileVision sent me this nice summary about the current trends with veneers. The following are some advantages & disadvantages of minimal-prep or no-prep veneer cases, which dentists must be ready to deal with:

Advantages:
- Patients like the idea of not prepping making cases are easier
- Temporaries are often unnecessary, lowering the cost of treatment
- Restorations bond strongly to enamel, so these stay put
- Procedures are reversible if the results are not satisfactory
- There is minimal damage to the dental pulp

Disadvantages:
- Esthetic changes are limited
- Limited potential for color changes due to thin material
- Difficulties manufacturing, inserting and bonding the restorations
- Patient complaints about excessive bulk
- Flat esthetics due lack of room to create deep embrasures

These are the challenges each dentist must manage when making decisions about how to proceed with cosmetic cases. Success will never bee 100%, no matter which techniques are selected. Everything works in the right situation and nothing works in the wrong one.

So… the science of cosmetic dentistry really has to do with interpreting which type of veneers will work best for which patients. Some patients just want a simple improvement-these patients CAN be candidates for the no-prep veneers or Lumineers.

But… the longer I practice dentistry in Denver, I have found that largely the patients that come to see me want beautiful, close to perfect smiles, with a really natural look (visit our before and after photo gallery).

Have you ever met someone who just had teeth that were bigger than life? Or some sort of dental work that just jumped right off of their face? I think these cases are mistakes for both the patient and for cosmetic dentistry in general.

So, like a lot of things in life, one size does NOT fit all. If you are considering veneers, then first you need to find the right the right cosmetic dentist that understands the differences, and can give YOU a great explanation for what would work best for you. Contact us today, and let us help you make the right choice and get he smile you’ve been waiting for!

Posted in Denver cosmetic dentist, Dr. Scott Greenhalgh DDS, before and after gallery, before and after photos, cosmetic dentist Denver, porcelain veneers, veneers | No Comments »

Goodwill and Dentistry

Monday, April 19th, 2010

I wrote a training module for my staff last week. In summary, the concluding thoughts were: “We are here To Protect and To Serve”. No we don’t carry guns. No we don’t have cool badges. But other than that, the goal is the same for us as for our uniformed respected counterparts. We have your goodwill at the front of all that we do.

We are here to Protect. We are here to keep our patients far away from the ravages of unmanaged dental problems. We are here to try to keep them away from that jaw-grabbing middle of the night toothache. We are here to keep them away from that broken tooth Monday morning before the meeting with the boss in from out of town.

We are also here to Serve our clients. This means, we constantly keep their best interest and outcomes at the forefront of all that we do. We offer clear communication, we offer a calm manner to how we deliver our care. We make efforts on our part, to deal with and to calm their dental anxiety.

I have the highest regard for those who live the credo To Protect and to Serve every day. I say it as often as I can-THANKS for your efforts and putting your life on the line for the rest of us. It is a noble calling and noble service.

While my staff and I don’t take our lives in our hands everyday, we too take seriously that credo and want you to know your smile is safe with us!

If you’d like to have comfortable care, be respected or need some outstanding cosmetic dentistry, then please contact us today.

Posted in Denver cosmetic dentist, Dr. Scott Greenhalgh DDS, cosmetic dentist Denver, dental anxiety, dental staff, protect and Serve | No Comments »

Rabid about Cosmetic Dentistry

Monday, April 19th, 2010

When was the last time you saw “rabid” anything? I mean, look at this dog-he exemplifies it: tongue hanging way out, ears peaked, eyes focused in on something in the distance. He’s ready to go.

I guess that one of my passions in life is cosmetic dentistry. Over the years, I have learned to keep my tongue from hanging out, or drool on anyone, and especially to not bite anyone, but other than that, it’s the same for me as that dog in the photo. I’m ready to go!

There are times when it seems that everything I am thinking about has to do with advancing cosmetic dentistry in Denver. I am really looking forward to attending the premier event in cosmetic dentistry next week. The AACD (American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry) will be having their 26th annual session in Dallas, TX.

It will be an inspirational week with great speakers, great tips on advancing my skills as a cosmetic dentist, and great people who love what they do. I am also enjoying having more involvement in this organization. I will be serving as a New Member Concierge. Like any big meeting, there are a few ins and outs, and my role is to help some new members get the best stuff out of the meeting.

I have also been invited to serve as an Internal Scout for the meeting. Cool, they have asked me to give my unedited, candid assessment of certain portions of the meeting. I CAN do that.

I was speaking with one of my business partners last week. He commented on how it seemed that my practice had really taken to heart the whole concept of “experience engineering“. I take that concept to mean: that we understand what our clients want, and we have changed how things work internally in order to create the best possible experience for them.

So serving as a Scout, I think I understand what the experience OUGHT to look like. (And I’ll give my two cents about how it actually goes). Beyond that, I look forward to the opportunity to add constructive comments about how to keep making this meeting better and better.

This group has already set the bar for dental photography, beautiful cosmetic dentistry, including: veneers, smile makeovers, even cosmetic dentistry on dental implants.

I am glad to be part of this group, and I am already looking forward to stretching my mind, and contributing as well. (And I am fairly certain, that no one will get hurt!)

If you are looking for some rabid cosmetic dentistry, or need an experience engineered just for YOU, then please contact us today!

Posted in AACD, Cosmetic Dentistry, Denver cosmetic dentist, before and after gallery, cosmetic dentist Denver | No Comments »

Everyone is NOT a Cosmetic Dentist

Saturday, April 17th, 2010

Simply put: Everyone is not a cosmetic dentist.

I appreciate the opportunity to invade your thoughts for a few moments with my blogs. After practicing for over twenty years as a cosmetic dentist in Denver, I find I have a lot of opinions about how cosmetic dentistry is done.

I think there is a lot to the adage: “If you can’t say something nice about someone, then don’t say anything at all”. I have had some great mentors in cosmetic dentistry along the way. The GREAT ones, were not only outstanding clinical dentists, but beyond that they were a class act: in how they spoke, in how they handled “dumb” questions, and in how they taught. Those are the characteristics that I aspire to.

I rarely make negative comments about other dentists. I don’t think that serves the profession of dentistry very well, and also, it puts patients to the side of the conversation, rather than in the middle where they should be.

Simply put: Everyone is not a cosmetic dentist. Many WANT

to be, many TRY to be, but few actually produce amazing smiles, or perform profound services. I saw a gentlemen for a consultation recently. he had BIG spaces between many of his teeth. When he grew up, some of the teeth moved into the wrong spots. MANY difficult alignment problems. A very difficult plan.

A real cosmetic dentist has the goal to create a REAL result. A smile that will fit that person’s personality and lifestyle. When the veneers are done, our patient ought to feel like WOW, that’s amazing. I can’t believe I waited this long to have this done!

And off they go, smiling at everyone and anyone they meet (stop by and visit our smile gallery with before and after photos to see some of these transformations!).

For this gentleman, his care starts with the right smile design. It’s my job to listen to him, find out what he REALLY wants, and find the easiest route to deliver it to him. The smile design process has to include: his preferences, comfort options during his care, and clear communication about what the results are predicted to look like (by using a smile simulation).

Many dentists can fix teeth, many can make veneers, or a smile makeover. But unfortunately, not all dentists can perform the whole of cosmetic dentistry. I invite you to come see the difference a cosmetic dentist can make (contact us today!).

Posted in Cosmetic Dentistry, Dentistry, Denver cosmetic dentist, Dr. Scott Greenhalgh DDS, Smile gallery, before and after photos, cosmetic dentist Denver, smile makeover | No Comments »

Dentures, bleeding and muscle weakness

Monday, March 8th, 2010

I don’t speak a lot about dentures. The reality is that there are a lot of them out there, and that many do not fit well. Many don’t look very good either, since I see a lot of patients want to finally have the perfect white straight teeth that they never had naturally. Except…now it just looks UN-natural.

As a cosmetic Dentist in Denver, I have found that there is even an art to making dentures have great smiles. Natural, harmonious, one that just goes with that person’s face. I find it usually means bringing in some element from their smile from early in their youth.

I received a notice from a manufacturer of denture adhesive saying that they had stopped the manufacture and distribution of it because of “myeloneuropathy and blood dyscrasias”. I don’t think either of us wants that. Here’s what seems to have happened: there is some zinc in this adhesive, people swallow some of it, over years it causes a copper deficiency, then weak limb and difficulty walking.

Here’s why the problem developed: the manufacturer says use a little bit, and only once per day. I suspect that many people use MORE of it and MANY times per day.

The best denture adhesive is a dental implant. Even better, get rid of a standard denture by using “all on four“, which means real teeth that don’t come out, connected to four dental implants.

The next best denture adhesive is a great fit. Tricky for some people, virtually impossible as decades of tooth loss add up, since the jaws continue to get thinner and thinner as the years go by.

ALL dentures need some regular care and maintenance. ALL dentures need to be relined every three to five years. In that time the jaw shape changes significantly but the shape of the denture does not. Refitting it by relining, is a way to keep a good fit.

Dentures cure unrepairable dental problems or uncontrollable periodontal disease. They are a replacement for NO teeth, but they are not real teeth. In much the same way as a prosthetic leg is not a real leg, but allows someone to be mobile, walk and maybe run. Still not without pain, discomfort and frustration, but still much better than not have a prosthesis.

Dental implants provide a way to overcome this. If you are frustrated with the limitations of your denture or the unnatural look of your denture then contact Denver cosmetic dentist, Dr. Scot Greenhalgh, DDS today!

Posted in Denver cosmetic dentist, all on four, best Denver dentist, cosmetic dentist Denver, dental implants, denture, gum disease, periodontal disease | No Comments »