dental veneers

There’s nothing like a little Chicago crosstown rivalry to get the blood boiling. While we’ll leave the big game analysis up to the professional players, we’re here to compare the teams in a new, but equally important way: by their mascot’s teeth. After all, who wants to follow a team that represents bad dental health?

White Sox: Southpaw

White Sox definitely wins the award for one of the most random mascots. Southpaw, the White Sox’s mascot, is not an alligator, frog, or a dirty sock, despite people’s assumptions. In reality, he’s just a big, strong green guy with big love for the Chicago White Sox.

But what about his dental health?

We can’t actually see Southpaw’s teeth, which is not typically normal for such a big guy. According to the White Sox website, his favorite foods are fruits and veggies, so he’s on the right track for having great teeth (and he definitely needs teeth to eat these things). But we’re worried that his teeth are too small for his mouth. We’d recommend dental veneers to lengthen the teeth or maybe even braces to move his teeth down and allow them to be more visible.

Get to know Southpaw more here!

Cubs: Clark

When it comes to teeth, the Chicago Cubs mascot, Clark the cub, has an advantage: He’s young. Just like most parts of your body, your teeth get older as you get older. You may lose enamel as you age, making your teeth weaker. And your teeth will inevitably get worn down thanks to chewing and bad habits, like grinding or chewing ice.

There’s no doubt about it - Clark’s teeth are amazing. They are beautifully sharp, straight and white. We’re not sure what Clark’s eating or what his oral hygiene routine is, but we hope he keeps it up as he gets older. He’s on the right track.

Get to know Clark more here!

Final Score: Which Chicago Mascot Has the Best Teeth?

Without Clark and Southpaw coming into Water Tower Dental Care for an appointment, it’s hard to judge the health of their teeth. But only taking their appearance into consideration, we have to give Clark the Cub the award for Mascot with the Best Teeth in Chicago. They are the perfect size for his mouth and look strong and healthy.

Southpaw, when it comes to food, it sounds like you’re eating the right food for healthy teeth. We just hope that your teeth are large and strong enough to stay healthy for years to come!

Want to see how your teeth stack up to these iconic Chicago mascots? Schedule an appointment with Water Tower Dental Care today! We’ll help you get on the path to a healthy and beautiful smile.

Babies are incredibly cute - especially your own baby. But what happens when your baby’s teeth start coming through and you notice a big gap between their front teeth? You may start to wonder if there’s something wrong with your baby’s mouth, or if you did something wrong. Before you rush your baby to the dentist, read this article. It’s likely that your baby’s gaps are completely normal! In fact, they can actually be a good sign.

Why Baby Teeth Are Important

Why worry about your baby’s teeth when they are bound to fall out one day anyway? Baby teeth are actually very important, both for your child’s health right now and their future.
It goes without saying that baby teeth help your child chew food and speak. But a lesser known fact is that baby teeth actually create a path for your child’s adult teeth to grow in by holding a space for them, according to the American Dental Association (ADA). If your baby loses a tooth too early, then a permanent tooth may drift into the area, making less room for adult teeth to come in later. This can lead to a crooked or crowded smile.

What Causes Gaps Between Your Child’s Teeth?

Now that you know how important baby teeth are to your child’s future smile, we’re here to hopefully alleviate your worry It’s very normal for children to have gaps between their baby teeth. In fact, it’s typically a good thing! Many children have gaps between their teeth because of natural development, their teeth are small, or their frenulum. While the first two causes are relatively self-explanatory, let’s explain the third a little more.
Your frenulum is the piece of connective tissue that connects your gum between your two front teeth and upper lip. If you lift up your upper lip, you can probably feel it! This frenulum is thought to help position your baby’s teeth, according to Victoria State Government. When the frenulum is oversized, it can cause a gap between your front teeth. Typically, when your baby turns one, the frenulum will naturally shorten. More teeth will grow in to fill the gaps. If there’s still a gap in your baby’s front teeth, large molars may close it when they grow in.
Other causes of gaps, like small teeth, also typically resolve themselves when your child gets their adult teeth. Large gaps can actually be a good thing because they give your adult teeth more space to grow in. This could mean you don’t have to cough up the money for braces when your child grows up.

When Gaps Between Your Baby’s Front Teeth is a Bad Thing

If your child has excessive gaps in their teeth, which is uncommon, it may be a sign that something is wrong. Gaps in your baby’s teeth can also be caused by extra teeth that prevent other teeth from growing in, missing teeth, a large jaw compared to their teeth size, or an oversized frenulum. These causes may affect your baby’s adult teeth, leading to teeth misalignment or a permanent gap.

Treatments for a Gap Between Your Front Teeth

Like we said earlier, it’s likely that the gap in your baby’s front teeth will close naturally. However, there are some uncommon incidents in which the gap persists into your child’s adult teeth. If you think your child is experiencing a gap between his or her front teeth because of extra teeth, missing teeth, a large jaw, or an oversized frenulum, you should take your child do the dentist.
The ADA recommends visiting the dentist within 6 months after your baby’s first tooth comes in. This visit should help you to identify what’s really at the root of your baby’s front tooth gap.
If your baby’s front tooth gap isn’t normal and won’t naturally fix itself, you have several options. Remember, a tooth gap could just be a cosmetic issue. A tooth gap can affect your child’s self esteem, but it can also be a unique and loved feature in your child’s appearance. Make sure to think long and hard about getting your child’s gap closed if it’s purely cosmetic. Gapped teeth may also cause teeth misalignment. In this case, it will likely be best to fix the problem.
Here are some treatments your dentist may recommend to close a gap between your baby’s front teeth.

• Veneers can be placed on your child’s front teeth to close a small gap between the teeth. These veneers will be slightly wider than your child’s normal teeth to close up the gap.
• Frenectomy is a surgery that can remove the oversized frenulum that is causing a gap between your child’s front teeth. This will typically be done before the teeth are moved with the other treatments.
• Removable treatments, like a plate or Invisalign, can be used to move the teeth closer together.
• Fixed treatments, like braces, can be used with rubber bands and wires to move the teeth closer together.

As you can see, gaps between your child’s front teeth are typically not anything to be worried about. That being said, it’s important to bring your baby to the dentist regularly in case there is a more serious issue behind your baby’s gap. Make sure to bring your baby into the dentist if there are any issues after their first tooth grows in - and not later than their 3rd birthday. The ADA actually even recommends after their 1st birthday. This way, your dentist will be able to closely monitor your child’s baby teeth to see if any issues arise.
There’s no better place to bring your child in for a checkup than Water Tower Dental Care! We’re experts in baby teeth and will make sure to keep you and your child comfortable during your child’s first dentist appointment. Contact us to make an appointment today!

When it comes to your social and professional life, teeth can make a big difference. That’s why we’re focused on making your smile as beautiful as possible. Over the years, we’ve become known as the top cosmetic dentistry in Chicago for our work on pearly whites. Here are a few of our most popular teeth treatments in Water Tower Place, Chicago and why so many people love them.

Invisalign Clear Braces

Traditional braces are so five years ago. But really, why wear annoying, obtrusive and unattractive traditional braces when you can wear invisible braces? Invisalign has become one of our most popular dental treatments because of how easy and transparent it is. Just like traditional braces, Invisalign straightens out your teeth over time. But it does this with clear aligners that can easily be removed whenever you’d like. Learn how Invisalign can fix your underbite too! Take a look at our before and after Invisalign photos here.

Teeth Whitening

There’s a reason most celebrities have shiny white teeth. Whether it makes sense or not, pearly whites make you look young, healthy and successful. We have a ton of patients come through our offices for Zoom! Teeth Whitening because it can make your teeth up to ten shades whiter after just one single one-hour treatment. Fast, effective and long lasting, you can’t beat Zoom! when it comes to teeth whitening. We also offer take home teeth whitening trays if you prefer your couch to the dental chair.
[caption id="attachment_2288" align="aligncenter" width="604"] A Water Tower Dental Care patient before and after Invisalign, teeth whitening and dental veneers.[/caption]

Dental Veneers

Mask your teeth imperfections with dental veneers! Veneers are so popular because they successfully cover up a variety of different teeth problems, including stains, odd shapes, chips, big spaces, and crooked teeth. Whether Mother Nature didn’t give you the teeth of your dreams, or injury or age has left you with teeth you don’t recognize, veneers can be carefully placed onto your teeth to perfect issues. Check out our before and after porcelain veneers photo gallery!
Carefully designed for your mouth, more permanent porcelain veneers are best for severe dental issues, while minimal prep veneers are the better choice for those who have smaller problems and/or less time. Find out which type of veneer is best for you here.

CEREC One Visit Crowns

Traditionally, it took at least two visits and countless hours to fit, create and place dental crowns. With CEREC One Visit Crown technology, crowns can be perfectly customized and placed to match your teeth in just one hour. You can see why this treatment has become one of our most popular. Take a look at Water Tower Dental patients before and after CEREC One Visit Crowns. Learn more about fixing a broken tooth with CEREC One Visit Crowns here!
These are our most popular cosmetic dental treatments for a reason: they make your smile look better than ever while saving you time! Contact us to learn more about the treatments our office in Water Tower Place, Chicago offers.

A smile says a lot about you. A sparkling and straight grin will tell people that you take the time to take care of yourself and your teeth, and can give you a serious confidence boost. Unfortunately, not all of us have the teeth we wish we had. Genetics and accidents can leave us with chipped, stained or crooked teeth that we’re unhappy with. But there’s a solution. Dental veneers can cover up your dental imperfections in a quick and efficient way for years to come.

When you decide to transform your smile with dental veneers in our Chicago office, you’ll have two different options to choose from: minimal prep veneers and traditional porcelain veneers, which require some preparation. You may be wondering which is best for you. We’re here to help.

Traditional Porcelain Veneers vs. Minimal Prep Veneers

Though minimal prep and traditional veneers have similar results, they improve your teeth in different ways. Both solutions fix chipped, stained, oddly-shaped or awkwardly-spaced teeth. The more permanent veneers that require some preparation are typically best for teeth with severe problems, while minimal prep solutions are a great choice for those who have less time to spend in the dentist’s office.

Preparation for traditional porcelain veneers is all about making sure that the end result will be the teeth of your dreams. The entire preparation process typically takes a few weeks, and is pretty easy and straightforward.
At our dental offices in Chicago, the first step is giving your teeth a photo shoot. We take digital pictures of your teeth and alter them to show you how the veneers will change your smile for the better by hiding your teeth’s chips, stains and odd shaping. Next up is your trial smile! We create a temporary acrylic mold that looks exactly like your veneers will. You’ll wear these for a week to make sure you’re happy with your smile-to-be. If you’re satisfied with what you see, we’ll remove some of your teeth enamel and fix your veneers snugly onto your teeth. Take a look at our patients before and after they got their porcelain veneers here!

Minimal prep veneers can be designed and fixed over your teeth in just a couple of visits, since very little preparation is necessary. This means less time in the office and more time doing what you love most. Another major reason people choose minimal prep veneers over traditional porcelain ones is that your dentist doesn’t need to remove enamel. Instead, the paper-thin veneers are placed over your teeth, preserving your original smile underneath. Check out before and after pictures of our minimal prep veneer patients here!
Along with these differences in preparation and fixing, traditional veneers typically last years longer than minimal prep veneers and are more resistant to chipping and stains. Since preparation is longer, they also cost more than minimal prep veneers.

Which Treatment Should I Choose?

If you want to cover very crooked or severely stained teeth, traditional veneers are definitely the way to go. Since minimal prep veneers are paper thin, they don’t do the best job at covering up extremely noticeable problems. Traditional veneers are also guaranteed to last longer than and are much more resistant to damage. If, on the other hand, you only have small stains, minimal chips or slightly crowded teeth, minimal prep veneers might make more sense for you.
Whichever you choose, you’re sure to end up with a smile you’re proud of. Both treatments require artistry and skill, so make sure to look at before and after photos and reviews before choosing a dentist to design and place your veneers.
Our skilled cosmetic dentists at Water Tower Dental Care work with you to choose the shape, shade and style of your veneers to match your facial structure and desires. We then design and craft them with extreme detail to match your style and cover up the features you don’t want to see. When you combine our dentists’ artistry with the most advanced veneer material available, which we always use, you’re sure to leave our office with a smile that’s genuine, bright and brilliantly white.
The only way to truly find out which type of dental veneers are best for you is to come visit us at our office! We’ll set you on the right path to a beautiful smile with dental veneers. You can find us at the world-famous Water Tower Place Building on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, or feel free to give us a call at 312-787-2131.