Suffering from periodontal disease, gum recession and tooth sensitivity, this 71-year-old patient needed a complete mouth restoration. “Once we got her mouth to the optimal state, we were able to address the aesthetic issues,” Dr. Hopkins says. After undergoing microabrasion and receiving new crowns, the patient’s smile is brighter and more even.
A full-service cosmetic dentistry center, Hopkins Aesthetic & Reconstructive Dentistry offers a range of options to patients looking for smile makeovers. Crowns, veneers, Invisalign® and whitening services are just a few of the most
requested procedures. “Selecting the right aesthetic for a patient and achieving great results in more complicated cases comes with experience,” Dr. Hopkins says. He also encourages patients to maintain their new looks with cleanings and maintenance whitening. His “Whitening for Life” program enables patients to package ongoing at-home whitening, with custom-made trays and professional whitening solutions, with their regular cleanings. “It’s a reward for our regular patients,” Dr. Hopkins says. “And probably the least expensive thing you can do to enhance someone’s smile is to whiten their teeth.”
In practice for 34 years In the same location, Dr. H. Mikel Hopkins runs a caring, patient-oriented practice in Dunedin, Florida. “We get to know all our patients, and most of them come from word-of-mouth referrals,” says Dr. Hopkins. “We do everything we can to reassure them and educate them so they know what to expect and feel comfortable at all times.”
Suffering from periodontal disease, gum recession and tooth sensitivity, this 71-year-old patient needed a complete mouth restoration. “Once we got her mouth to the optimal state, we were able to address the aesthetic issues,” Dr. Hopkins says. After undergoing microabrasion and receiving new crowns, the patient’s smile is brighter and more even.
A full-service cosmetic dentistry center, Hopkins Aesthetic & Reconstructive Dentistry offers a range of options to patients looking for smile makeovers. Crowns, veneers, Invisalign® and whitening services are just a few of the most
requested procedures. “Selecting the right aesthetic for a patient and achieving great results in more complicated cases comes with experience,” Dr. Hopkins says. He also encourages patients to maintain their new looks with cleanings and maintenance whitening. His “Whitening for Life” program enables patients to package ongoing at-home whitening, with custom-made trays and professional whitening solutions, with their regular cleanings. “It’s a reward for our regular patients,” Dr. Hopkins says. “And probably the least expensive thing you can do to enhance someone’s smile is to whiten their teeth.”
In practice for 34 years In the same location, Dr. H. Mikel Hopkins runs a caring, patient-oriented practice in Dunedin, Florida. “We get to know all our patients, and most of them come from word-of-mouth referrals,” says Dr. Hopkins. “We do everything we can to reassure them and educate them so they know what to expect and feel comfortable at all times.”
Experience and also personality; this is not a stuffy dental office. My staff has been with me a long time. Some staff members have been here 22 years or more, and they are all patient-oriented. Patients like that longevity. There is a warm friendship that is evident in the office.
We always end every appointment with a hot moist towel so they can freshen up. We give all of our patients bottled water, we have blankets and televisions in every room. It’s all of those little touches that help make a difference in the whole experience.
They would characterize me as a nice guy with a sense of humor. We laugh a lot in the office. We enjoy what we do.
I got into cosmetic dentistry because it changes people’s lives. I love it. I don’t know what else I would do.
I love being able to hand somebody a mirror and say, “Look at this.” When you see someone just cry out of happiness over the changes we’ve made, it’s an incredible feeling.
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The most effective way is through a dental office using the Zoom Advanced Whitening System. However, the take-home products we have in the office with custom- fit trays do an exceptional job as well.
Mainly, it is convenience issue. It’s more expensive to do the Zoom whitening in-office treatment; however, you are completely done in about two hours. With take-home trays, you have to use them every night for two hours for 12 consecutive nights.
The take-home products we use with custom-fit trays (for either the whole set-up or for touch-up) are conditioned to cut down on tooth sensitivity. We can also decrease the percentage of the product.
Over-the-counter whiting products do have some effectiveness to them, but they are not nearly as effective as the whitening treatments from the dental office. The percentage of the whitening product they can sell over-the-counter is not as strong, and the trays are not custom so they don’t fit your teeth the same way.
It has been proven that they don’t do anything, because the product in not left on the teeth long enough.
A smile makeover is taking somebody’s current condition of their teeth and transforming it into the smile they’ve always wanted.
If you have a natural tooth that is a little too pointed, or a little misshapen, often times we can contour it to look more natural (using drills and burs) in a simple office procedure.
All fillings are bonded fillings where we use an acrylic product and chemically bond it to the tooth structure. The problem with bonding is that acrylic is a porous material that picks up stains and loses luster over time. A full-surface bonding only lasts three years, so the cost becomes excessive and it won’t look as good. So, we really don’t use bonding anymore for that. Instead, we use a porcelain Veneer that never stains and looks the same in five years as the day it was put in.
Dental implants are a way of replacing a missing tooth by placing a post down into the bone. A top, called an abutment, goes on that post and then a crown goes on top of that.
A crown is used when a tooth has too much decay for a filling. A filling just takes up space in part of the tooth, a crown covers, or caps, the whole tooth and adds strength to that tooth.
It is occasionally used for a patient that has a very gummy smile (where there is a lot of gum showing above their teeth). The bone and tissue recontoured, so they don’t have quite as gummy a smile.
Patients want me to say “yes,” an sometimes we can with crowns or veneers, but if patients want that “perfect look” then often times we need to straighten out the teeth with Invisalign first.
Yes, and it has been proven over and over. I am a preferred provider of them, although I do both. In averages cases, it actually does better because it takes less time and there is more patient compliance. It’s amazing what Invisalign can do
There are a lot of reasons. First of all, it takes less time because they’re putting in new tray every two weeks so it keeps the process moving along. With regular braces, you visit the dentist once a month and everything has to stop and start up again. Also, with regular braces there is a chance of decalcification of the teeth with the brackets, and it’s hard to keep the teeth clean and your breath smelling fresh.
Today, the kind of torque that is put into the brackets – what move the teeth—are milled so perfectly that it just takes minute changes to effect tooth movement. Plus, the types of wires we have now are better, as compared to 10-15 years ago. The wires now have memory.
All fillings are bonded fillings where we use an acrylic product and chemically bond it to the tooth structure. The problem with bonding is that acrylic is a porous material that picks up stains and loses luster over time. A full-surface bonding only lasts three years, so the cost becomes excessive and it won’t look as good. So, we really don’t use bonding anymore for that. Instead, we use a porcelain Veneer that never stains and looks the same in five years as the day it was put in.
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Smile Makeover
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Doctor Q&A
A smile makeover is taking somebody’s current condition of their teeth...
The most effective way is through a dental office using the Zoom Advanced...
Mainly, it is convenience issue. It’s more expensive to do the Zoom...
The take-home products we use with custom-fit trays (for either the whole...
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