I had jaw surgery and my teeth shifted. I needed to get braces (again) but the best result with the braces could only be achieved by leaving a small gaps in my smile. Dr. A did an amazing job making my smile complete again with porcelain veneers. I had to move away from Chicago, but every dentist I've seen since then raves about the work she did--they're very impressed and so am I.
Porcelain veneers can provide a completely improved smile in just a few appointments. Before getting veneers, it is important that you consider a few things. If you are interested in bleaching, now is the time to do it. Porcelain veneers will not change color. You should also start to consider what you are looking to enhance. Do you want to change the shape or size of your teeth? Do you want your teeth straighter? I ask many questions to help each patient express what they are looking for in their new smile. Regardless of which porcelain veneer treatment is right for you-conventional, Lumineers or DURAthin veneers, or a combination of any of these, the most important choice is which dentist performs your smile makeover. Make sure she/he has had extensive training in cosmetic enhancements. The number of pre-operative visits to work out details to ensure predictable results depends on the complexity of your situation and the changes you desire.
You are probably just in time to be treated w/a palatal expander. They are less effective once your bones have fused and stopped growing and you're probably pretty close to that. Make sure your dentist does it slowly and you may need some orthodontic fine tuning after you're done. It will absolutely widen your smile and improve your air flow. As Dr. Lauson said, it will not only improve your smile, it may improve your health and your quality of life! I treat TMJ pain and migraine patients as well as sleep apnea patients and the great majority of them suffer from a narrow palate.
Without seeing your bite on your back teeth, it's impossible to say if Invisalign will definitely work for you. With what I can see, it probably will work. Your cost will be dependant on the number of aligners needed to complete your treatment, as well as who performs your care.
Your dentist is the one who fills out the prescription for your treatment and then Invisalign comes up with the treatment itself, along with the number of trays needed to reach your goal. Sometimes teeth don't move exactly as the computer simulation expects, like it sounds happened in your case. Don't worry about your teeth having moved too fast unless you switched your trays out more frequently than every 2 weeks. Pulpitis can happen just from the teeth moving as well as the bite changing-the sore tooth may be feeling more pressure than it did before. The fact it calmed down is a good sign, but have your bite checked just in case.
If your teeth are significantly stained and yellow, in-office whitening supervised by your dentist is your best bet. I find the AcquaBrite whitening system to be the most effective, even for stubbornly stained teeth (like tetracycline-stained grey/brown teeth), with little to no sensitivity. Using a combination of in-office whitening gel along with at home bleaching, we've gotten awesome results with our patients.
