Cosmetic Dentistry Services 703.478.9574
Herndon, Reston and Arlington, VA
Bringing joy and building confidence by creating that dream smile is what Dr. Katz enjoys most about the practice of cosmetic dentistry. All of us here are excited by the whole process of transforming tired smiles into vibrant and beautiful smiles by using the newest in tested dental innovations.
Invisalign™ orthodontics
Invisalign™ is a way of achieving straight, even teeth without wearing the traditional braces. The Invisalign™ method uses a series of customized trays instead of braces which are affixed to your teeth for the duration.
Each tray in the series moves your teeth slightly
After a couple of weeks, you discard the existing tray and use the next in the series
The trays are transparent and not easily visible, unless someone looks closely
You can remove the trays at any time, such as for a job interview, or a date with that special person
The total treatment time varies from person to person
Porcelain veneers
When our teeth develop small defects such as:
- Chips
- Gaps
- Spots and stains
- Slight misalignment
Porcelain veneers are a quick remedy. They’re very thin ceramic shells which are custom made for your teeth. By itself, the ceramic material is rather fragile, but when bonded to your teeth, it’s very strong and long-lasting.
Porcelain veneers cover those small defects, giving your teeth a smooth, even appearance which beautifies your smile instantly.
Teeth whitening
Dr. Katz uses the Zoom!™ method of in-office tooth whitening, and also provides a take-home kit if you’d prefer to do it yourself at home. The Zoom!TM system uses a hydrogen peroxide based whitening gel with an activator, which are mixed at the time of use.
The in-office procedure is streamlined by use of a special light set to a certain wavelength, which enhances the whitening effect of the gel. It has an infrared filter to cut down on the heat you would otherwise feel on your teeth.
The in-office whitening procedure takes about 90 minutes and besides the preparation and finish-up phases, consists of 3 separate treatments, with the light being used for about 20 minutes each time.
You can continue the whitening at home with a tray system Dr. Katz will give you.
You can also do the entire whitening at home, with custom trays that Dr. Katz will make for you, and professional-strength gel he’ll give you. This is done without that specialized light, and takes about 2 weeks, depending on how discolored the teeth are to begin with.
Either way, you can achieve a bright dazzling smile in very little time.
All-porcelain crowns, inlays and onlays
Crowns
A crown, or cap, is a cover that’s custom-fitted over a tooth that has become too broken down, or heavily filled to survive much longer without assistance. The tooth is sculpted down so that the crown will fit exactly over it to form a new outer covering for that tooth, and be in line with the neighboring teeth.
Crowns can be made of:
- Gold
- A metal alloy
- Dental porcelain
- A combination of metal and porcelain
All-porcelain crowns give the most pleasing visual effect, as they can be made to match your other teeth. Dental porcelain is translucent, so that it absorbs and reflects light in the same way natural teeth do. It’s also very strong and durable.
Inlays
An inlay is a tooth filling made of dental porcelain. Rather than being just tightly fitted in the cavity as old metal fillings were, it’s bonded to the tooth. This makes it very durable, and blends it well with the surrounding tooth tissue. The porcelain used for inlays is matched to your neighboring natural teeth in color.
Onlays
An onlay is a new surface attached to a tooth to correct irregularities such as sharp edges. A porcelain onlay is made of the same dental porcelain as the crowns and inlays described above, and matched to your natural tooth color. It’s bonded to the tooth for maximum durability.
Onlays can also be made of dental composite and used to repair decay which has spread over the cusp of the tooth to part of its outside surface.
Laser tissue contouring
Healthy gum tissue acts like a frame for our teeth, presenting them in a nicely-proportioned way in our smile.
Sometimes when a smile looks too gummy, or as if the teeth are too short, or if the tops of the teeth look too pointed or too different in size and shape, it’s simply a matter of re-shaping the gum tissue. This is called a gum lift, or re-contouring.
A laser is used to correct the unevenness of the gums, by removing tiny pieces of gum tissue so that each tooth has the correct shape and size compared to its neighbors.
Only a local anesthetic is needed for this procedure, and the gums heal quickly afterwards.
Cosmetic dentistry offers many patients a fresh start to take control of their overall dental health. If you live in the Fairfax area, please contact Dr. Katz today to schedule a Free Smile Evaluation. Discover if cosmetic dentistry is right for you!
