Yes, but gum disease must be treated first to create a healthy and lasting Hollywood Smile.
Many patients arrive in Istanbul with the desire to suddenly get a brilliant smile. But sometimes, the state of their gums is not suitable for that. It can be a tremendous disappointment. You are eager for thatflawless smile right now. Meanwhile, your gums bleed when you brush. They appear red, swollen, and inflamed.
But why don’t we examine more thoroughly what this solely signifies? Does poor gum health mean that you cannot have your dream smile ever? Absolutely not. It only signifies that we will give you a safer, different route to reach the goal.
Why Your Gums Are Important: A Metaphor
Imagine your jawbone and gums as a building’s foundation. You wouldn’t consider the building of a fancy penthouse on a shaky, broken concrete base. It might be visually appealing for a while. But finally, the entire structure collapsed.
The same principle goes for your teeth. In Lema Dental Clinic in Turkey, we prioritize repairing your foundation. Professor Doctor Coşkun Yıldız frequently mentions, “Putting a beautiful door on a burning house is like covering sick gums with a lovely veneer.”
We should keep your biological width intact. This is the natural gum seal around your tooth. If you have diseased gums, newly placed veneers will harbor the bacteria. This will lead to discomfort, bone loss, and ultimately, tooth loss.
Our Clinical Assessment in Turkey
Check out what we usually discover in our clinic. Patients come to Istanbul expecting a rapid cosmetic makeover. We take them for the 3D scans that reveal a lot. If there is any indication of gum disease (gingivitis or periodontitis), cosmetic dentistry is a no-go for the moment.
Dentist Polen Akkılıç and her team do not even consider any leniency at this stage. They take the depth of your gum pockets. Besides, they perform a bone density test. Furthermore, the health of your gum tissues is evaluated. As smile designers, we are doctors first.
Scheduling Your Treatment Time
So the question is: exactly how long would it take? Your gums are the ones that predominantly decide that. We present you with a clear outline of our protocol.
| Gum Health Stage | Symptoms | Hollywood Smile Immediately? | Our Therapeutic Protocols at Lema Dental Clinic |
| Gingivitis | Red, inflamed gums. Slight bleeding during brushing. | No, you should wait 1 to 2 weeks. | We are going to perform a thorough professional cleaning. At the same time, we will teach you proper home care. In the meantime, we wait for the gums to get better. |
| Mild Periodontitis | Gum pockets are getting deeper. There is minor bone loss. | No, you should wait 3 to 6 weeks. | After the cleaning deep inside the gum pockets, we resort to gentler lasers in order to remove the bacteria. In the course of time, as the healing advances, your condition will be reassessed. |
| Severe Periodontitis | Teeth moving. Major bone loss. Chronic pain. | No. Requires thorough preparation. | Extraction of hopeless teeth. We perform bone grafts and insert implants. After a complete healing period, smile design is carried out. |
The Safe Path Forward
Healing your gums should be considered your topmost priority. Besides, it will be the only path that leads to the everlasting smile. We cannot eliminate the harmful bacteria completely. It is a must that your gums regain their firmness, health, and the nice pink color.
After your gums have recovered, the fun part starts. We employ digital smile design techniques and use excellent ceramics for the construction of your teeth. Lema Dental Clinic’s priority is always your health. Thanks to that, mirror reflection will never lie – your gorgeous, radiant grin is definitely designed to last.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not always. For example, if your problem is only mild gingivitis, it is quite possible that after a deep cleaning and two weeks of proper brushing, you will be done. Nevertheless, in case of severe bone loss, we will also need to wait a few months for the jaw to heal. I guarantee you, the wait is completely justified if you want to protect your teeth.
No. This is a very dangerous misconception. At best, veneers only cover the front part of your teeth. They do not eliminate infections. In fact, the placement of veneers on top of diseased gums results in trapping the bacteria and worsening the disease even more.
Fear is something that I can completely understand. Dental anxiety is very normal. However, dentistry nowadays is very sophisticated. We have excellent local anesthetics, and our laser instruments are very gentle. You will be thoroughly numbed and very comfortable during the deep cleaning.
Simply because we never do anything half-heartedly. In the same place, we merge expert gum care and international standard cosmetic design. Dentist Polen Akkılıç and her team cooperate directly with our surgeons. Only after the mouth is made healthy do we proceed to make it beautiful.
The bacteria will continue consuming the jawbone under your new veneers. Before long, your gums will recede, exposing unattractive dark roots. Eventually, your teeth will become loose and fall out along with the expensive veneers.
- Al-Zahrani, M. S., & Bissada, N. F. (2005). Periodontitis and aesthetic dentistry. Periodontology 2000, 36(1), 161-169.
- Kois, J. C. (1996). The restorative-periodontal interface: biological parameters. Periodontology 2000, 11(1), 29-38.
- Lang, N. P., & Lindhe, J. (2015). Clinical Periodontology and Implant Dentistry (6th ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.
- Tarnow, D. P., Magner, A. W., & Fletcher, P. (1992). The effect of the distance from the contact point to the crest of bone on the presence or absence of the interproximal dental papilla. Journal of Periodontology, 63(12), 995-996.
- Zitzmann, N. U., Krastl, G., Hefti, H., Marinello, C. P., & Weiger, R. (2011). Strategic considerations in treatment planning: deciding when to treat, extract, or replace a questionable tooth. The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry, 104(2), 80-91.
