Restorative dentistry is the art of reproducing a tooth that has been lost. Crowns are primarily the most common restorations, however dental implants, caps, dentures and veneers fit this category as well. Dr. Kourosh Maddahi, has a cosmetic dentistry office in Beverly Hills and feels that the underlying all of these is the quality of the work done. "We all know that when we send something precious out to be restored we expect it to look like the day we bought it when the work is done. This is where Shade Vision enters the scene. With a computerized camera aimed at the tooth the Shade Vision System reads off the variations of hue, value, and color of each tooth to map the shade of the restoration exactly while saving the reading on the computer screen."

All-ceramic crowns are often the first choice. These are made of high quality porcelain, and more closely imitate the properties of teeth to give the most natural and aesthetic appearance. They are the restoration of choice on the front teeth because the translucency of an all-ceramic crown creates a beautiful, natural look. The existing teeth are kept and used as a base for crowns.

Dental implants or implant restoration is a tooth replacement process which can have a success rate proportional to the dentist's skill. With a steady hand, the eye of an artist, and years of experience, a dentist can expertly diagnose the quantity and quality of the implant site in conjunction with the patient's medical profile to determine how to best proceed to form the structural and functional connection between the bone and the implant. Once the implant is anchored, the carefully crafted prosthetic tooth or crown is attached to the implant, then the patient will have teeth that appear completely natural without the inconvenience of dentures.

"Creating beautiful, natural smiles is what I like to do.", says Dr. Maddahi. "The dental implant procedure is one that I pride myself on. My years of experience allows me to have complete certainty that I am giving my patients the highest quality restorations available. Also, I make sure that I am always researching the cutting-edge technology of dentistry and offering that to my patients"

The use of digital x-rays greatly shorten the time it takes to get the work done. Three seconds after as the camera is clicked, the X-ray image transfers to the computer. Using digital X-rays the dentist has the ability to magnify, colorize, and alter the density of the image. IntraOral Cameras are small cameras in the shape of a pen that the dentist uses so a patient can see on a computer screen with crystal clarity every tooth and gum surface in his or her mouth as the camera is moved from structure to structure. It is an important diagnostic tool for the doctor and gives the patient the same view of what the cosmetic dentist is viewing. Digital Cosmetic Imaging shows each patient a computerized split image photograph of his or her smile. On the top one half of the screen is their current smile and on the bottom is a digital simulation of their smile after the cosmetic dentistry has been performed, allowing an immediate decision on work to be done.

Dentures are artificial teeth that are used when a person has lost their real teeth. There are removable dentures and fixed (bridges) dentures. Porcelain dentures came into use in the 1700s. The famous Wedgwood Potters of Stoke-on-Trent, England, supplied some of the first porcelain paste for dentures. It has only been since the 20th century that plastics and acrylic resin dentures have entered the market. One of the drawbacks of dentures is that after many years of wearing them the underlying ridge upon which the dentures rests can deteriorate. This is avoided with implants. Thus implant dentistry is the preferred option where possible since implants stop bone re-absorption.

Dr. Kourosh Maddahi, has been specializing in creating beautiful, natural smiles for 20 years and is located in Beverly Hills at 436 N. Roxbury Drive, Suite 202 and can be reached at 310-888-7797.