Cosmetic Dentistry Frequently Asked Questions
Provided by Dr. Eliot Tokowitz of Chicago

Click to learn more about:

Cosmetic Dental Solutions
General Dental Solutions
TMJ / Full Mouth Reconstruction Solutions
Insurance and Financial Information
Porcelain Veneers
Teeth Whitening

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Cosmetic Dental Solutions

Tooth Whitening

Your smile is the first thing people see. It instantly portrays your personality, self confidence, joy and vitality. Does your smile say it all or are you embarrassed to smile? Isn't it your time right now to have the beautiful smile you deserve? Many feel that this is out of reach because of the costs involved. It doesn't have to be! Sheffield Square Dental Center prides itself in providing high quality cosmetic dental services and making it affordable and easy on your budget. That smile you thought you could never have can now be yours in as little as two visits using the most advanced techniques in dentistry.

Take the first step towards your beautiful new smile and call our office today to schedule an appointment with Dr. Tokowitz. The possibilities are endless!

Smile Design

A Smile Design is a work of art. The term Smile Design applies to the enhancement of a smile using a combination of methods. A client's eyes, lip line, coloring, gum tissue contouring, and face, are all considered when a new smile is designed for you. Our goal is to redesign your smile so that it fits you, is beautiful, strong, and natural looking.

Porcelain Veneers

Dr. Tokowitz and his entire team of dental professionals believe that improving a patients' smile through conservative, cosmetic dental techniques, such as veneers, has a positive impact on overall appearance and self-confidence. Dr. Tokowitz also is a firm believer that creating your perfect smile should be totally comfortable and pain free. It is this philosophy that makes his team go the extra mile to make every visit comfortable and enjoyable for every patient. Let us create your perfect smile and you will see what distinguishes Dr. Tokowitz and his team from the rest in the field.

Invisalign

If you have always wanted straighter teeth but dreaded the idea of metal braces, ask Dr. Tokowitz about Invisalign. These aligners are elegantly transparent, working gently and effectively to restore your smile to its most comfortable and beautiful position. Let Dr. Tokowitz show you how you can have beautifully straight teeth while you eat, brush and floss as usual. You can even remove your aligners for a special occasion. Call our office today and get the scoop on Invisalign, the invisible alternative to braces.

Teeth Whitening

If you are unhappy with the dull, yellowish shade of your teeth, consider teeth whitening as the perfect solution! Teeth whitening is safe, effective, and an efficient way to dramatically improve your overall appearance. Dr. Tokowitz can help you choose the most effective and convenient method of whitening for you. We offer in-office whitening as well as take-home kits. These processes can actually make your natural tooth color between seven and twelve shades brighter than it is right now! You too can have the bright, white Hollywood smile that you've always dreamed about!

Dr. Tokowitz is also proud to offer the "Whitening Unlimited" program to his patients. When you enroll in the program, you will receive professional bleaching gel at every six month hygiene visit absolutely free. Call our office today to see how you can benefit from this whitening program.

Porcelain Veneers

The most common crown restoration placed today utilizes a metal lining covered with porcelain. These types of restorations are not as natural in appearance because light is not able to pass through porcelain-metal crowns as it does with a natural tooth. The result is an opaque or flat-looking tooth. Often, these types of traditional crowns leave a dark or gray line next to the gumline. Our talented team is proud to offer a natural looking alternative: all-ceramic, non-metal crowns! With these newer restorations you will notice the "life-like" appearance that mimics natural teeth and does not produce the black gumline so common with porcelain-metal crowns.
Gum Contouring

Healthy and even gum lines are an essential part of any beautiful smile. Attractive gums make your smile look healthier and more attractive by framing and complementing your teeth. Red and swollen gums can detract from your smile. Your teeth may look too small or too short because of the disproportionate size relationship between your teeth and gums. If you suffer from either of these issues, then gum contouring may be the solution for you. Gum contouring can give you the consistent, even gumline you need for a healthy and attractive smile.

Bonding

So you want to enhance your smile, but you have concerns about procedures and cost. Cosmetic bonding is the perfect solution! Affordable and conservative, bonding can be used for a variety of enhancements, including whitening stain-resistant teeth (including tetracycline stains), repairing chips and closing gaps between teeth. The procedure is simple: a composite material is placed on the tooth, then shaped to the desired result. Finally, the material is hardened and polished, creating a natural appearance.

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General Dental Solutions

Hygiene

Preventative care is an integral part of our practice. Maintaining good oral hygiene is one of the most important things you can do for your teeth and gums. Healthy teeth not only enable you to look and feel good, they make it possible to eat and speak properly. Good oral health is important to your overall well-being. Promoting health through preventative dentistry and educating our patients on good oral hygiene is the heart of our practice. Thorough examinations and professional cleanings allow us to identify problem areas and stop periodontal disease.

Implants

Dental implants are an amazing solution for many people today. Implants can replace everything an individual has lost - a beautiful smile, the ability to laugh and eat comfortably and the self-confidence that comes from having a healthy smile.

An implant is a man-made replacement for the natural root of the tooth. It functions exactly in the same manner as natural root - even bonding naturally with the jawbone. This simple, permanent solution can transform how you feel about your smile - giving you back your confidence as well as an incredible, natural and functional smile.

Non-Metal Fillings

Amalgam fillings are becoming obsolete. Amalgams expand and contract when exposed to temperature changes. This movement weakens the tooth wall and can cause fractures. It also allows bacteria to enter and cause decay. Amalgam also contains mercury, a toxic element. Today’s tooth-colored composites are safer, stronger and more attractive than metal. Composites are more conservative restorations than metal, bonding directly to the tooth, requiring far less drilling of healthy tooth structure.

Bridges

Missing teeth can cause more than embarrassment. They can lead to gum disease, bite problems, bone loss, speech difficulties and can keep you from eating the foods you love. A dental bridge will not only restore your smile to a natural appearance, but it will also return it to comfort and function. A bridge is a custom-fit false tooth (or teeth). The bridge is permanently placed between two healthy teeth and is held in place by porcelain crowns.

Inlays and Onlays

Dr. Tokowitz cares about your health and offers only metal-free dentistry with beautiful and healthy porcelain inlays and onlays. Dr.Tokowitz uses inlays and onlays in place of traditional metal fillings that can shift or crack, leaving you vulnerable to bacteria and further decay. Inlays and onlays are a more conservative treatment because less tooth material is removed. Unlike fillings, these procedures strengthen a tooth's structure and leave your smile whiter and healthier than ever before.

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TMJ / Full Mouth Reconstruction Solutions

TMJ Treatment

Do you grind your teeth? Suffer from frequent headaches? Neck, shoulder, and back pain? Neuromuscular dentistry can help!

If you regularly suffer from symptoms such as migraines, jaw pain, sinus problems, earaches, ringing in the ears, dizziness or teeth grinding and clenching, neuromuscular dentistry could very likely put an end to your pain. Our team is trained in neuromuscular technology and can determine the exact cause and nature of the problem to determine the proper course of treatment. Please call our office to set up your personal consultation and to get more information on neuromuscular dentistry.

Full Mouth Reconstruction

Neuromuscular dentistry is the art and science of using the relaxed condition of the face and jaw muscles to determine a healthy jaw position. Twenty-five years of research and clinical experience have shown this technique to be effective in treating patients with various levels of head and neck pain. It is also used in finding the optimal jaw position before restorative dentistry and greatly increases the longevity of restorations and natural dentition.

The process involves gathering information about your jaw and joint functions with non-invasive tests using a sophisticated computer program (the K-7). Jaw muscles are then relaxed with a painless electronic muscle stimulator (the Myomonitor). By overcoming the "programming" of your muscles through relaxation (also known as TENS Therapy) we can determine the most relaxed physiologic position from which your jaw should function.

Transcranial or Tomogram X-Rays of your jaw joints are also used to verify changes that have occurred in the jaw to skull relationship. One of the benefits of an optimal jaw position is joint decompression. When this happens there is a noticeable relief of pain, and clicks or pops can be reduced or eliminated. Other benefits include improved posture and overall head and neck comfort.

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Insurance and Financial Information

Insurance

If you have dental insurance Dr. Tokowitz's office will work closely with your carrier to maximize your benefits. Regarding dental insurance, we would like to share some facts with you:

* Your dental insurance is based on a contract between your employer and the insurance company. We can only ESTIMATE your dental benefits, and if questions arise it is best to contact your insurance company directly.
* You may receive a notice on an EOB stating dental fees are "higher than usual and customary". An insurance company surveys a geographic area, calculates an average fee for a given procedure and considers this the "UCR". Included in this survey are discount clinics and managed care facilities, which bring down the average. Most doctors in private practice will have fees defined as above the "UCR".
* Many plans tell participants they will be covered "up to 80% or up to 100%" but do not clearly specify plan fee schedule allowances, limitations or annual maximums. Insurance companies do NOT cover all dental services.
* Please remember, the intended purpose of dental insurance is to help patients defray the cost of treatment.

Financial Arrangements

Dr. Tokowitz accepts Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover. You may also use Debit Cards and, of course, checks and cash.

If any of the above forms of payment are not options for you at this time, we also offer financing through outside companies. These companies specialize in financing dental procedures and each follow their own specific guidelines. Below are links to these companies. You may fill out their applications on line.

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Porcelain Veneers

Veneering a tooth means to cover its facial, or front, surface. It is actually very similar to placing acrylic fingernails on top of natural nails. Veneers are used to enhance the shape and color of teeth, as well as to close spaces between teeth. Veneers can also cover up significant stains such as those caused by tetracycline. As we age, wear of the front teeth may affect the aesthetics of our smile. Porcelain veneers may be used to lengthen worn or short teeth and restore the smile of older patients.

Porcelain veneers are a rapid, aesthetic, and safe way to correct unattractive front teeth. Porcelain veneers correct heavy permanent stains, teeth that are crooked, disproportionate, small (with spaces), and structurally damaged. Porcelain veneers are shells of ceramic material that can be chemically bonded to tooth structure. Porcelain veneers are the primary treatment modality for the popular extreme makeovers.

The bonding strength between a porcelain veneer and the tooth surface is often so great that a trauma may cause a fracture within the tooth and not at the interface between the porcelain veneer and the tooth surface. Bonded to tooth structure, certain porcelain veneer materials display similar physical properties as natural enamel. In addition, with the advance of ceramic technology, natural layers and translucency's of vital teeth can be perfectly mimicked. The correction of unattractive front teeth with porcelain veneers involves two office visits. The first visit entails the preparation of the teeth, taking impressions of the prepared teeth, and the placement o1-2two weeks. The final porcelain veneers are permanently bonded at the second office visit.

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Teeth Whitening

Professional teeth bleaching at home This is a more common way of bleaching teeth. It involves custom-made bleaching trays and syringes containing a safe bleaching gel. Teeth bleaching gels for home use are usually of thick viscosity, pleasant-tasting, and contain carbamide peroxide at different concentrations. Tooth whitening involves two short office visits. The first visit is for taking impressions for the custom-fabricated trays and the second one to pick up the trays and the bleaching agent. One needs to wear the gel-containing trays only two or more hours for a few days. The teeth bleaching results on yellow/brown teeth are most dramatic.

Some patients may experience some sensitivity which usually diminishes during the course of treatment. Some teeth bleaching gels contain potassium nitrate which seems to reduce tooth sensitivity. Teeth bleaching at home has no influence on the enamel wear rate. Carbamide peroxide does not damage surfaces of existing fillings. However, remember that fillings don't bleach. In severe cases of dental staining, such as tetracycline stains, even a combination of power bleaching and professional teeth bleaching at home may not yield desirable results.

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Eliot M. Tokowitz, DDS
Sheffield Square Dental Care

Office Address:

2835 N. Sheffield Ave.
Suite 305
Chicago, IL 60657

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