Category Archives: Cosmetic Dentistry

Porcelain Veneers – Beauty and the Teeth

Cosmetic Dentistry,

Barely past seven on a Tuesday morning and courtesy of the Haleyon, she’s just swallowed. Connie is drifting into a fuzzy world somewhere between sleep and consciousness. Reclining in a green dentist’s chair under a soft plaid blanket, she’s listening to a muted jazz CD over headphone. The tips of her black shoes and the hem of her gold corduroy pants peek out from under the blanket.

Wearing a smart black twinset, the fiftyish Connie (not her real name) is thin and pretty in a mildly weathered way, her tanned and freckled face formed with wispy ginger-colored hair. She’s not here to get a cavity filled or to hear a lecture about flossing. Technically, there’s nothing wrong with her teeth at all. Connie is about to get her smiled fixed.

Kirtley, the state’s only dentist accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, estimates that 70 percent of his patients – mostly middle-aged women-come for what he calls “smile design.” Like other dentists, Kirtley offers teeth-whitening, but bleaching stains can do only so much. If you really want to see dramatic results, the biggest gains come from adding material to existing teeth, as in bonding or porcelain crowns, or from deconstructing the teeth and giving them a prettier facade. These were once known as caps, but in today’s parlance, they’re “porcelain veneers.”

Porcelain Veneers for Chipped or Gapped Front Teeth

Cosmetic Dentistry

Porcelain veneers can change the shape, color, length, or width of your teeth. A veneer is a thin, semi-translucent sheet of porcelain that is custom crafted by an expert ceramist and then permanently bonded to your teeth. While veneers are not suitable for every patient, they are the most aesthetic alternative for a variety of dental conditions involving the front teeth. These conditions include spaces between teeth, broken or chipped teeth, stained or washed-out fillings, permanently stained or discolored teeth that cannot be bleached, or crooked teeth.

One of the great advantages of veneers is that only a small amount of tooth structure is removed during the procedure resulting in a healthy “natural” look with little or no discomfort during the procedure. Another advantage is that the procedure usually takes only two visits. Veneers can last indefinitely when taken care of properly. They are also more resistant to stains and chipping than regular bonding.

Dr. George Kirtley, DDS in Indianapolis, IN uses state-of-the-art techniques to apply your porcelain fillings and maintain a natural appearance for your dental care.

Aesthetic Dentistry’s Leading Star

Cosmetic Dentistry, ,

Dr. Kirtley graduated from Indiana University School of Dentistry. Feeling he wanted to add more education to his newfound knowledge of dentistry, he attended three years of training in Implant Surgery and restoration, Aesthetic Training at the Rosenthal Institute in New York, Palm Beach and Indianapolis; Occlusion with Pete Dawson and much more spanning most of my profes­sional career from the mid 1980s.

He briefly worked as an associate after graduating from dental school and knew then he wanted to have his own practice. The “Aesthetic Revolution” as he calls it, started after he opened his own practice. The artist aspect of aesthetics intrigued and challenged him. It’s a profession that allows creativity with each new patient every day.

Later, Dr. Kirtley went on to educate other dentists with his vast knowledge of dentistry. As he states “there is nothing more gratifying than helping someone else to succeed and to then see them do the same for yet an­other, never allowing the bond to be broken. That is how professions become great and how humanity improves… as long as we are teaching the right things.

How does he maintain a highly successful aesthetic practice? A well trained staff, good management systems, and an excellent marketing plan. Most important is the ability to give the care you say you can and high end continuing education.

Dr. Kirtley is the only dentist worldwide who has the distinction of being Accredited by both the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry and the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.