Cosmetic Dentistry In Bkk

[dynamic]

Hello, all --

Currently visiting Singapore, and am contemplating extending my stay to make a weeklong side jaunt to Bangkok.

I've read a number of things here in the thaivisa forum about dentistry (and you all are just *amazingly* informative, thank you!). It sounds like a good deal is to be had, compared to at-home dentists, but that selecting the right one is critical.

What I personally need is an extensive bleaching job (years of coffee and tea) plus a minimum of three porcelain veneers on my front incisors, which already have composite patches on old sports-field chips and gaps.

Asavanant quoted a nice rate on veneers (circa 8000 baht if memory serves) made with their CEREC 3D machine. That has the advantage that they make the veneer in one visit -- no wait for the dental lab -- but I wonder how much lower the price would be for a conventional lab-fabricated veneer?

Any advice -- or more importantly warnings -- most welcomed!

Cheers,

D

[taxexile]

have the bleaching done first , then have the composite restorations changed so that they are colour matched to the bleached enamel.

you may find that you dont need veneers after that.

before placing veneers the thickness of the enamel on the labial surfaces of the teeth will need to be reduced , in other words the teeth are drilled and once it has gone its gone forever. what replaces it will never be as good as the material that nature gave you.

only have them if they are really necessary.

composite is a fantastically versatile material for improving the appearance and the restoration of anterior teeth , the beauty of it is , very little drillwork on the tooth is necessary , if the composite should get discoloured or come off then its easy both for the patient and the dentist to replace it.

large amounts of damage to anterior teeth can be fixed up satisfactorily with composite .

with veneers there is little margin for errors , colour matching can be difficult and the dentist need access to an expert porcelain technician to make the veneers.

[huski]

taxexile has some good advice.

i found there is an excellent dentist in bkk at Mahboonkrong on the 6th floor called aesthetic plastic surgery center, i have been going there for many years for cleaning and bleach however the top dentist is only available on saturdays.

DDS Ds Chulalongkorn

Diplomatic Board of Plastic Surgery

026117018

[taxexile]

if you do go for veneers then have four , not three.

i'm assuming they are your upper incisors , the two central ones (on either side of the mid-line ) and the two lateral incisors , second from the midline.

when you look at someones face , the brain picks up any slight differences in symmetry and colour , in fact any difference at all , between the right side and the left side , either side of the mid line of the face , if you only have three veneers done , say two on the left and one on the right , then , however good the veneers are , they will not reflect and refract the light in the same way as natural teeth do , and the one incisor that is not done will be slightly noticeable by its difference.

if you are going after a top cosmetic result then cosider having all four incisors done , or have two done (one either side of the midline) , they will be hard to spot.

have three done and it may be noticeable , especially to you every time you look in the mirror.

my "advice" is not written in stone. its just general recommendations.

they are just things to think about when talking to your dentist , who can see your teeth and the condition that they are in.

Edited May 2, 2005 by taxexile

[dynamic]

only have them if they are  really necessary.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks, taxex! Wherever you're in exile from surely made a mistake in allowing your professional tradecraft to leave. Your sage advice is much appreciated.

I *have* been very impressed with the durability of the composite patches that are in place now (and I have had them unaltered since the late 1980s!). However, when temporary things happen, such as red wine staining of the enamel portion of the tooth, the surface as a whole can take on a contrasting piebald appearance as the composite and natural areas reflect differently.

My assumption had been that veneers covering the entire surface with a uniform consistency would avoid that particular difficulty. Though you're right, I am not in a hurry to have a lot of viable tooth structure ground away permanently!

Also, and this may just be an artifact of the work of the dentist who originally did the work, there was a small diastema (if I have that term right), a small gap left over post-orthodontically, between the two largest front incisors. He closed that gap by building up one tooth with composite. That closed the gap satisfactorily, but had the effect of making the tooth slightly larger than its neighbor, and causing a bit of asymmetry in appearance.

I would guess that he was just hasty, and that he could have built up both incisors slightly with composite instead of doing just one of them. And I would further assume that an artful dentist could perform a rework which would eliminate that complaint.

I note a few threads about cosmetic bleaching in the archives. Any input regarding the best ways of accomplishing same?

Cheers,

D

[taxexile]

from what you say it sounds as if your problem is just some discoloured old composite restorations , some normal staining and discolouration and an off centre mid-line due to a wider than it should be composite.

you should be able to correct all those problems with bleaching followed by composite replacements . the newer composites are made up of much finer particles than the older ones and can be given a much higher polish.

i dont know too much about bleaching techniques , only they can work well in some cases , and not so well in others.

if your staining is superficial , then bleaching should work well.

some treatments involve a few sessions and some kits to use at home , some systems use "laser" lights to activate materials painted on to the teeth.

my advice would be to see what can be done with composite and bleaching before going for veneers.

get opinions from 2 or three dentists before deciding and dont let them talk you into having anything you are not 100% happy about.

Edited May 3, 2005 by taxexile

[noungning]

sorry to dig up quite an old topic, but since it is already in existant let me ask here.

since it's now 2007 and not 2005, i'm thinking maybe more members and different prices might come about.

here's what's happening, i'm looking to have my bf get veneers, about 4 top front teeth.

we will be in bangkok, chiang mai, or phuket. has anyone ever had veneers done in the areas? if so where? and at what price? i've looked at some sites and they're ranging from 10,000-15,000 baht per tooth. i'm thinking of getting him ceramic porcelin as it seems like those are the better options for the long run.

any idea or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[pete98146]

sorry to dig up quite an old topic, but since it is already in existant let me ask here.

since it's now 2007 and not 2005, i'm thinking maybe more members and different prices might come about.

here's what's happening, i'm looking to have my bf get veneers, about 4 top front teeth.

we will be in bangkok, chiang mai, or phuket. has anyone ever had veneers done in the areas? if so where? and at what price? i've looked at some sites and they're ranging from 10,000-15,000 baht per tooth. i'm thinking of getting him ceramic porcelin as it seems like those are the better options for the long run.

any idea or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Similar to the initial post, I also had 2 veneers done at Asavanant Dental Clinic 3 years ago and they could not have done a better job! They use the CEREC 3 machine so they take precise measurements of the teeth and then the veneers are milled right there in the clinic which is ultra convenient because everything can be done in one sitting.

I've had no problems with mine (two upper front teeth). FYI, my dentist back in Seattle said they did an amazing job. Best part is that they were only $200 per veneer. The US dollar has slipped a bit of late, but even if you had to pay $300-$400 a veneer, it's an excellent deal.

I HIGHLY recommend Asavanant Dental Clinic. Just google them and you can see their web site. Oh, and they speak very good english.

[noungning]

thanks, i weill definitely look into them some more.

[jinjok]

id highly recommend the denatl hospital on suk49, ive used them for years. im getting my teeth bleached there upon my return. reasonable price and high% peroxide. ive had composite fillings replaced in all my teeth and they did a great job fixing a chipped tooth.

just remember though - if you go with caps or veneers - no turning back as it will ruin the tooth. you will have to maintain these for life.

diplomats and thai elite use this hospital - they are also on the web @ bangkodentalhospital.com or something like that