How to Save your smile using cosmetic dentistry
What is cosmetic dentistry?
Cosmetic dentistry is generally used to refer to any dental work that improves the appearance (though not necessarily the functionality) of teeth, gums and/or bite. It primarily focuses on improvement in dental aesthetics in color, position, shape, size, alignment and overall smile appearance.
Here are some different examples of cosmetic dentistry:
1. Teeth Whitening
Believe it or not, teeth whitening can be one of the least expensive and simplest ways to save your smile. For $500 or less, your teeth can be bleached professionally with in-office products in-office or you can bleach your teeth at home. There are over the counter products that can also be more convenient options that include whitening rinses, toothpaste, and Whitestrips. These can cost between $3 to over $50 in retail stores.
2. Dental Veneers
Known as “Hollywood Teeth”, dental veneers are thin shells of tooth-coloured porcelain or resin that cover your tooth from the front to change its colour, shape, size, or length. Before they’re placed, about a half millimetre of enamel from your tooth surface is removed and then these are bonded or cemented to the front of the teeth.
3. Dental Bonding
Using an ultraviolet or laser light, a tooth-coloured resin is applied to the tooth to harden and bond the material to the tooth. It is then trimmed, shaped, and polishes by your dentist. Bonding is quite useful when repairing chipped, cracked, misshapen or decayed teeth; it also serves as a cosmetic alternative to, or replacement for, silver or amalgam fillings. Bonding can take about 30 to 60 minutes per tooth.
4. Dental Crown
These are known in dentistry as a cap that fits over the entire damaged tooth above the gum line to restore its strength and appearance. These crowns can hold a cracked tooth together, keep a weak tooth from breaking, or cover up discoloured or mishappen teeth. Materials for crowns can range from porcelain-fused-to-metal, resin, metal, or ceramic.
5. Inlays and Onlays
Inlays and Onlays are made from porcelain, gold, or composite to fill decayed or damaged teeth. Because of this, they are called indirect fillings.They are molded into place when you visit a dental office but are created in a dental lab before being bonded into place by your dentist. The bonding happens the centre of your tooth and is called the inlay and is called an onlay when the filling happens on the outer edge of your biting surfaces. Inlays and onlays are an alternative to crowns and preserve as much as possible of your natural tooth.
6. Dental Implants
Dental implants are a replacement tooth made of titanium that are inserted into the bone of the missing tooth. As the jawbone heals, the bone root grows around the implanted post, securing it in place inside the jaw and providing the foundation for a replacement tooth.
Other Options
We use Laser dentistry that doesn’t involve drills and heals quicker than traditional dentistry when we do some of our cosmetic dentistry, so you’re not uncomfortable during your dental visit.
Learn more or book an appointment today!