01The evaluation
Whether cosmetic work suits your teeth, the options and what each would cost, and the plan in writing.
Cosmetic Dentist in Alexandria, VA
Designed first, made on Duke Street.
Veneers and crowns made in the office's own lab, planned by a board-certified prosthodontist.
What Can Change
The problems cosmetic work is for.
At your smile evaluation on Duke Street, Dr. Nahlah works out which of these need only whitening and which need porcelain made in the office lab:
- Stains and yellowing, on the surface or deep in the tooth
- Chips, cracks and worn edges
- Gaps and mild crowding between the front teeth
- Teeth that look short, long or out of proportion
- Front teeth that are broken or heavily filled
A bite problem is not on the list. If the way your teeth meet is causing the damage, you hear that first, before any porcelain is discussed.
Which Treatment
What the Duke Street office makes, and when.
Whitening is the answer when the teeth are sound and only their color bothers you: about an hour in the chair, and always before any porcelain is made, because porcelain keeps the shade it is made in.
Porcelain veneers are made by hand in the Alexandria lab for chipped, gapped or uneven front teeth, and for stains that bleaching cannot reach.
Crowns and bridges are designed and milled in the same building, for a tooth too damaged to carry a veneer or the space of a missing one. Looked after, a crown lasts fifteen years or more.
When several are combined: smile makeovers
The Lab
The Alexandria office, with its own lab.
The Duke Street office has its own laboratory, like the Tysons Corner office. Veneers, crowns and bridges are designed and milled in the building rather than sent to an outside lab and waited on.
That matters most at the fitting. A shade or an outline that is not quite right can be talked through with the lab in person, not written on a form, and a remake takes days.
- Porcelain designed and milled on Duke Street
- Shade and shape agreed face to face
- One practice responsible for the whole result
Your Visits in Alexandria
Four stages, and nothing prepared until you approve.
01
02Photographs and your design
Your smile is photographed and the teeth scanned, and a free Digital Smile Design of the result is built from them. You approve it before any tooth is touched.
03Prepare and scan
Veneers need under one millimeter of enamel taken off each front surface. The prepared teeth are then recorded with a digital scanner, not a tray of putty.
04Made here, then bonded
The lab in the office makes the porcelain, the shade is checked against your own teeth, and the veneers are bonded: as few as two appointments once the design is settled.
Real Cases
Three cosmetic cases from this practice.
BeforeAfter
BeforeAfter
BeforeAfterThe Specialist
What a prosthodontist adds to cosmetic work.
Three further years of training
After dental school, a prosthodontist spends three more years in specialty training on restoring and replacing teeth, veneers and crowns included. General dentists refer their complex restorative cases to one.
The lab side of the work
That training includes the laboratory work behind veneers and crowns, not only fitting them. At Duke Street the lab is in the same office.
Board-certified since 2013
Dr. Nahlah is a Diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics and a Fellow of the American College of Prosthodontists, and he teaches prosthodontics residents at Virginia Commonwealth University.
One plan for the whole smile
Where a smile needs more than porcelain, such as an implant for a missing tooth, the same specialist plans all of it, so every part is designed to match.
Questions
Cosmetic dentistry in Alexandria: questions.
Who does the cosmetic work at the Duke Street office?
Dr. Nahlah himself. He is board-certified in prosthodontics, plans each cosmetic case at 2855 Duke Street and carries it out, with the porcelain made in the office's own lab.The Alexandria office →
Is a prosthodontist a cosmetic dentist?
A prosthodontist is the dental specialist in restoring and replacing teeth, and veneers, crowns and smile design are part of that training. Dr. Nahlah has been board-certified in the specialty since 2013.What a prosthodontist does →
What does a smile evaluation in Alexandria include?
Time with Dr. Nahlah, a straight answer on whether cosmetic work suits your teeth, the price of each option, and a free Digital Smile Design of the result, made from your own photographs and scans.
How much do veneers cost at the Alexandria office?
It depends on how many teeth are involved and the material chosen, and you get the figure at the smile evaluation. Most PPO plans are taken and the front desk files the claim; financing terms run to 96 months.Insurance and financing →
Are the veneers made in Alexandria or sent out?
Made here. The Duke Street office has its own lab, where each veneer is designed by hand and milled, so its shade and shape can be adjusted without sending the work away.Porcelain veneers →
Can cosmetic work be combined with dental implants?
Yes. Where a tooth is missing rather than damaged, an implant can carry a crown or a bridge in the same plan as veneers on the teeth around it, as in the third case above.Dental implants in Alexandria →
Where to go next.
Book a smile evaluation in Alexandria.
The Digital Smile Design preview costs nothing. New patients call (571) 617-7245, or book online with the Duke Street office.
Alexandria
Dr. Nahlah Implants and Prosthodontics Specialists2855 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
New patients(571) 617-7245
Current patients(703) 940-5410
DirectionsBook now