Snap-On Smile

By Joseph Preziosi Jr., DMD

Snap-On Smile is a brand new state of the art removable provisional multipurpose restorative dental appliance having the advantages that it requires no shots (anesthesia), no drilling (cutting down healthy tooth structure) and no adhesives to achieve retention. Another unique aspect of Snap-On Smile appliances is that they can be used to treat a variety of dental conditions such as cosmetic smile enhancement (creating the gorgeous Hollywood Smile of everyone’s dreams), increasing a patient’s vertical dimension (opening a patient’s collapsed bite and establishes the proper facial shape), a removable cosmetic partial denture (replacing missing teeth and enhancing existing teeth) and as a provisional implant restoration (to maintain space and tooth orientation during implant fixture healing). Not only is a Snap-On Smile appliance very versatile in the variety of dental conditions it can be used to treat, it also is extremely flexible in its fabrication incorporating 23 different shades and 18 different smile designs and tooth shapes allowing it to be customized to everyone.

Other advantages or a Snap-On Smile appliance are that it’s modestly priced (only a fraction of the cost of final restorations), has a quick turn around time (usually only one to two weeks from impressions to placement of the provisional restoration), has the capability to cosmetically enhance the patient’s entire arch (all the teeth in either the upper or lower jaw) not just replace missing teeth, can be used on both arches to cosmetically enhance the patient’s entire mouth, is completely reversible and is very easy to care for.

The advanced materials (crystallized acetyl resin) and processing of a Snap-On Smile appliance allows it to flex over the patent’s existing teeth, allowing it to engage their undercuts, therefore requiring no messy adhesive for it to stay securely in the patient’s mouth. The elimination of adhesive makes cleaning the appliance a breeze. This advanced material allows the Snap-On Smile appliance to be made as thin as 0.5 mm without compromising its strength and is extremely stain resistant allowing it to maintain its aesthetic integrity for years to come giving it the look of veneers without the high cost of the final porcelain restorations. Since the Snap-On Smile appliance requires no adhesive it’s extremely easy to care for. It should be brushed on both its inner and outer aspects after every meal and when not in the patient’s mouth it should be stored in the container designed to protect it from becoming lost or damaged. There are also a variety of Snap-On Smile cleaning products available specifically formulated for the maintenance and care of your appliance. For patients who do have the required natural teeth present a Snap-On Smile appliance offers a quick, painless, economic dental solution for patients who are phobic, financially restricted, time constrained, medically compromised, have medical complications or are just not willing to go through the traditional treatment required for final restorations.

One of the few restrictions of a Snap-On Smile appliance is that it must always be removed by gently rocking them in a side-to-side motion using both hands; this is imperative to prevent them from braking. Snap-On Smile appliance should never be squeezed or flexed since this can lead to appliance fracture. This is critical since there is no way to repair a Snap-On Smile appliance if it brakes. Never leave a Snap-On Smile appliance in while sleeping unless it was designed for use as a bruxing appliance, night guard or orthodontic retainer and the doctor specifically instructs the patient to leave the appliance in while sleeping. Leaving the appliance in the mouth for long periods of time can cause a candida (fungal) infection, caries (tooth decay), and or periodontitis (gum disease). Contraindications for a Snap-On Smile appliance are patients who are completely edentulous (have no teeth), patients who are currently in active orthodontic treatment (braces or Invisalign), patients with severe or advanced periodontal disease of the remaining dentition (gum disease), severely misaligned teeth or developmental jawbone problems.

The reason a Snap-On Smile appliance is such a great way to enhance a patient’s smile is because it can change the shape, size, color and alignment of teeth while also replacing any missing teeth. Thus giving it cosmetic abilities far beyond conventional partial dentures. When a Snap-On Smile appliance is used to increase a patient’s vertical dimension on teeth that are severely worn from attrition, abrasion and or erosion it reestablishes the patient’s teeth natural height which in turn increases the patient’s facial height or vertical dimension achieving the correct distance between the chin and nose. As previously mentioned when a Snap-On Smile appliance used as a removable partial denture can not only replace the patient’s missing teeth like a conventional removable partial denture but can also enhance the appearance of the existing teeth since it covers all the teeth in the arch thus achieving a cosmetic as well as a restorative solution. A Snap-On Smile appliance used as an implant provisional restoration has the advantages of not impinging on the gingival (gum) tissue during the fixture-healing phase of treatment and does not cover the palate (roof of the mouth) because its retention is completely tooth borne making it much more comfortable for the patient then alternative provisional restorations. These attributes make it quite evident that a Snap-On Smile appliance is one of the most versatile and therefore useful restorations available in dentistry today.

About the Author:

Joseph Preziosi Jr., DMD
New Jersey Cosmetic Dentist
website: New Jersey Snap-On Smile