Cosmetic Designs

In addition to his years of experience, Dr. Thomas has completed numerous advanced courses in cosmetic dentistry techniques and materials. His enthusiasm for staying up to date on trends and technology innovations in cosmetic dentistry also led him to serve as a dentist instructor at the Ross Nash Institute for Dental Learning.

Is Cosmetic Dentistry Right for Me?

Cosmetic dentistry serves a variety of needs, and even small changes can make a big difference. Common concerns that are addressed with cosmetic dental procedures include:

Restorative dental treatments that are used to rebuild health, including dental implants, crowns, bridges and dentures can be designed to bring back lost tooth function as well as enhance smile appearance.

Your new smile begins with a cosmetic dentistry consultation and comprehensive dental examination with Savannah dentist Dr. Richard Thomas. During this visit, Dr. Thomas will take photos of your teeth to review with you and recommend options to change your smile.

Your best smile is just a phone call away! Contact Our Dental Designs of Savannah Team.

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Dr. Richard Thomas provides a wide variety of cosmetic dental treatments in our Savannah dental office, including:

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Cosmetic Dental Veneers

What are dental veneers?

Unlike dental crowns that cover the entire tooth above the gum line, cosmetic dental veneers are thin facings that are bonded to the tooth surface. Veneers are usually made of dental porcelain; porcelain maintains a polished appearance and reflects light in a manner that is similar to natural teeth (a property known as translucency).

Dental veneers may be used to conceal gaps between teeth or cover discolored, worn-looking teeth to create a brighter, more youthful appearance. If you have front teeth that are slightly crowded or overlapped, it may be possible to design your veneers to make these teeth appear straighter and more evenly aligned.

Designing Your Custom Dental Veneers

Dr. Thomas will plan your cosmetic dental veneers with you to determine the tooth shape and color that is best suited for your smile. Using our 3D digital impression technology, he will send images of your natural teeth to our dental laboratory with his instructions for the design of your new veneers. The laboratory creates your custom veneers to specification using the combination of porcelain shades as prescribed by Dr. Thomas.

To place your veneers, Dr. Thomas will shape the existing teeth slightly to support and retain the veneers properly. The veneers are bonded in place to complete your smile.

Dental veneers offer advantages over dental crowns in that a dental veneer does not require removal of as much natural tooth structure as a dental crown. However, veneers are not recommended for teeth that are badly decayed or damaged; dental crowns are generally used when it is necessary to rebuild and reinforce tooth structure to prevent further damage.

Teeth Whitening at Dental Designs of Savannah

Savannah dentist Dr. Richard Thomas offers two professional teeth whitening options: power whitening at our office in about an hour, or, the application of professional-strength whitening gel using custom mouth trays at home for a few weeks.

Regardless of how well you care for your teeth, it is inevitable that, over time, some yellowing or discoloration will occur. This gradual change can be caused by aging, substances that stain your teeth (such as coffee, wine and tobacco), excessive fluoride, some medications or the deterioration of the nerve in a tooth. Professional teeth whitening is a safe and economical way to break through stains and lighten the tooth surfaces to make your smile whiter and brighter.

In-Office Teeth Whitening at Dental Designs of Savannah

Savannah general and cosmetic dentist Dr. Richard Thomas provides in-office professional teeth whitening services to make your smile shades brighter in less than an hour.

We make it easy to get a whiter smile! Your teeth whitening treatment is comfortable and convenient:

1. Schedule an appointment with Dental Designs of Savannah. If you are a New Patient, Dr. Thomas will thoroughly examine your teeth to make sure you get the best possible result from teeth whitening. Learn more about your first visit with Dr. Thomas and Team.

2. After seating you in the dental chair, we will isolate your teeth with a soft plastic material to keep saliva from washing away the whitening gel after it is applied.

3. The whitening gel is applied to the teeth and activated with a light to start the whitening process. In 10-15 minutes, the gel is rinsed away and re-applied. After a few applications, your whitening treatment is complete. Most patients achieve a whitening tooth shade that is 4-8 times lighter than their starting shade.

Take-Home Teeth Whitening

1. Your take-home whitening begins with an appointment at our Savannah dental office to create models of your teeth. We use these models to design custom upper and lower mouth trays to hold the whitening gel in place on the tooth surfaces and avoid contact with the gums.

2. At home, you will dispense a small amount of whitening gel into each tray and wear them for 1-2 hours a day for a few weeks. Some patients choose to whiten their teeth while they sleep; because this is a longer period, it may lead to slight tooth sensitivity. Patients with sensitive teeth can usually whiten, they may just want to only apply the gel once every few days. We also have medicated gel that we can provide to reduce tooth sensitivity and make teeth whitening more comfortable. Even with the slower approach of take-home teeth whitening, you will still obtain noticeable results.

Touch-Up Teeth Whitening

It is normal for teeth to stain again after teeth whitening as you resume your regular daily routine. We have whitening touch-up kits available; these work especially well just after you have your teeth polished by our dental hygienist. Be sure to ask about teeth whitening refills when you schedule your next preventive care appointment with our Dental Designs of Savannah team.

Cosmetic Tooth Bonding

If you have a gap between your teeth that you would like to close, a small area of stain or tooth decay, or a slightly chipped tooth, cosmetic dental bonding may be an option for your smile. Cosmetic dental bonding is a technique that utilizes dental resin material (dental composite) to adhere to the natural tooth surface to make minor changes or conceal small flaws.

To place your bonded restoration, Dr. Thomas will shape the tooth to retain the composite material. After selecting a shade to match your natural tooth, the material is applied and cured using a special light that activates the hardening process of the dental composite. The tooth is lightly polished, and your cosmetic bonding is complete.

Cosmetic dental bonding does not require removal of as much tooth structure as a dental crown, and the cost of the procedure is less than dental crowns or veneers. Bonded restorations are limited to small areas, however, and the material will stain over time, unlike dental porcelain that is used in crowns and veneers, which is more durable and resistant to staining.

Invisalign®

Dr. Richard Thomas is a certified Invisalign® clear braces provider in Savannah. Invisalign® orthodontics is a patented approach to movement of teeth using a series of clear plastic aligners.

If you have crowded, overlapped or rotated teeth, Dr. Thomas may recommend Invisalign® orthodontic treatment to gradually move your teeth into proper alignment.

To get started with Invisalign®, Dr. Thomas will see you initially for a complete dental examination to gather records of your teeth, bite, jaw bone and jaw joints. Using our 3D digital impression technology and cone beam radiography, Dr. Thomas will plan movement of your teeth using Invisalign® software; the Invisalign® imaging tools also allow him to share the anticipated results of your orthodontic treatment with you.

Your Invisalign® clear plastic aligners are manufactured at the Invisalign® orthodontic laboratory based on your personalized treatment plan. The aligner trays are worn on the upper and lower teeth every day, and you return to our office every few weeks to receive a new aligner. With each aligner, the teeth are moved into the pre-planned position to achieve your straighter, beautiful smile. Learn more about how Invisalign® can improve your smile appearance.

Dental Implants

A dental implant is a small titanium cylinder that is inserted into the jaw bone at the location of the missing tooth to support a dental restoration, such as a dental crown, bridge implant or denture. Dental implants provide replacement options for missing teeth that not only enhance your smile, they help preserve and protect your oral health.

Restorative and cosmetic dentist Dr. Richard Thomas works closely with surgical specialists, oral surgeons and periodontists, for the planning and placement of dental implants. The surgical specialist will place the dental implant based on Dr. Thomas' restorative treatment plan. After the implant has healed for a few months, Dr. Thomas restores the implant with a natural-looking tooth replacement, such as a dental crown or bridge. Dr. Thomas designs custom life-like partial and complete dentures to attach to dental implants for a secure fit. Learn more about Dental Implants.

Porcelain Crowns

Porcelain dental crowns offer endless possibilities to make dramatic changes to your smile. Dental porcelain is the artistic material choice for dentists; it is available in numerous shades to match your natural teeth and resists staining, so your porcelain crowns stay fresh and bright.

Savannah restorative and cosmetic dentist Dr. Richard Thomas applies years of training and experience to create cosmetic smile designs with porcelain crowns and veneers. Whether you have broken, decayed or missing teeth, or are uncomfortable with the shape or color of your natural teeth, Dr. Thomas can provide you with cosmetic dentistry recommendations to help you enjoy smiling again.

Your porcelain dental crown appointment begins with 3D digital impressions of your existing teeth. Dr. Thomas will use your virtual models to communicate with our dental laboratory throughout the smile design process. He may request a ‘wax-up’, a model of your proposed smile to review with you and make sure you are pleased with your new look.

After finalizing your cosmetic dentistry treatment plan, you will return to our Savannah dental office for the next phase of your porcelain crowns procedure. Dr. Thomas will design temporary crowns for you to wear while your custom porcelain crowns are being made. This is another opportunity to talk about any minor changes that you would like to make in your final restorations.

We will invite you to return to our practice when your new porcelain crowns are ready. Our commitment to the details in planning, technology and communication with you and our dental laboratory will result in what matters the most - a smile transformation that you are overjoyed with! We hear it so often from our cosmetic dentistry makeover patients, “I can't stop smiling!” We are dedicated to this level of success with every patient that we care for.

Tomorrow's Bright Smile… Contact Us Today

At Dental Designs of Savannah, our mission is to provide dentistry that changes people's lives. Contact Our Dental Team to schedule a cosmetic dentistry consultation and take the next step to your future smile.