Cosmetic Dentistry & Aesthetic Dental Procedures
Cosmetic dentistry provides patients with an improved smile. Modern techniques in dentistry help patients with stained, discolored, chipped, worn, broken, misshapen, and misaligned teeth, in addition to gaps between them. As dentists are well-equipped with a great selection of tools and techniques, they can refine your smile significantly and give your appearance a wonderful makeover. These procedures are now quicker and more effective. Although most cosmetic procedures are non-essential, they do offer a multitude of benefits, such as making regular cleanings simpler, boosting your confidence, and reducing teeth grinding. Overall, you can vastly improve your quality of life, since a healthy smile is vital to all aspects of daily encounters, such as workplace conversations and social gatherings with friends or family.
Smiling becomes easier when you do not have to worry about crooked, stained, or chipped teeth. Also, in nearly every case, a patient's tooth gap or receding gumline can be fixed through cosmetic dentistry. To develop a treatment plan, our dentist will discuss the options with you, determining what is suitable for your circumstances. Before deciding to undergo any cosmetic procedure, we carefully and thoroughly set proper expectations associated with your treatment plan, including the benefits, risks, and costs.
Zoom Teeth Whitening
Before we start treatment, your teeth will be thoroughly cleaned. To begin treatment, the Zoom!® hydrogen peroxide whitening gel is applied to your teeth and works by breaking up stains and discoloration on your teeth. After 15-minutes, the gel is removed and reapplied. Some patients may experience varying degrees of discomfort during treatment, however, the Zoom!® light produces less heat than other systems.
It is important to note that some patients may experience tooth sensitivity during the whitening process. This is sometimes due to the whitening agent that has penetrated the enamel to help remove stains on your teeth. This process can cause some patients to experience mild discomfort. However, this discomfort is temporary and will subside within 24-48-hours. It is also important to note that while every patient wants to have the brightest and whitest smile possible, not every patient is able to achieve these results. This is due to genetics, current stains, oral health, medications, tobacco, and a number of other factors that influence the brightness of our smiles. Some patients may also have permanently stained teeth, such as yellow or brown, and the teeth whitening procedure can only do so much. So, while we all want the brightest and whitest smiles, we want to ensure our patients expectations are properly met. We can cover all these details, and more, when you come in for your next dental appointment.
Dental Veneers
These thin porcelain shells are used to cover imperfections and enhance your smile. In some cases of minor misalignment, porcelain veneers are used to create the appearance of a straighter smile. In addition to traditional veneers, there are also Lumineers, which may be an option for patients who require minimal alteration to their tooth's surface. Depending on your cosmetic concerns, you may need anywhere from 6-10 veneers or more. Veneers are often combined with other restorative procedures such as porcelain crowns and dental bonding on adjacent teeth.
Why Porcelain Veneers?
If you have crooked teeth or spacing issues that affect your smile, you may think braces are your only option. However, there are other procedures worth considering than just traditional orthodontics, such as porcelain veneers. Numerous patients have used porcelain veneers to improve the alignment and symmetry of their smiles.
How Porcelain Veneers Work?
Porcelain veneers are thin shells that are affixed to the front portions of your teeth. When a porcelain veneer is in place, it masks cosmetic imperfections. Since porcelain veneers are semi-translucent, they blend in seamlessly with the structure and color of your natural teeth. When your friends and family are up close, they will not be able to tell that a porcelain veneer has even been placed. Once porcelain veneers are on, the results are immediate. The aesthetic benefits are clear once you look in the mirror and smile.
Dental Bonding
Often, bonding is used to improve the appearance of your teeth and enhance your smile. Composite material, either a plastic or resin, is bonded to an existing tooth, and comes in a variety of colors to match the natural look of your teeth. Unlike veneers or crowns, bonding removes little, if any, of your original tooth. Dental bonding is a common solution for fixing or repairing chipped or cracked teeth, reducing unsightly gaps or spaces between your teeth, as well as for hiding discoloration or faded areas on a tooth's surface.
Aesthetic contouring is also a common use for dental bonding and refers to a procedure in which our dentist can reshape your teeth by sculpting their sides. This procedure can correct cracked, chipped, crooked, or misaligned teeth. Instead of braces, crowns, or veneers, you can choose to have aesthetic contouring to change the shape and look of your teeth to enhance your smile.
Laser Dentistry
Needle-free laser dentistry has grown more popular in recent years, making treatments more precise and comfortable. This newer procedure utilizes intense beams of light projected by a dental laser and has been safe to use in dentistry since 1990. Since then, many dentists have incorporated dental lasers into everyday procedures reducing bleeding, anxiety, and post-treatment recovery times. The beauty of dental lasers is that they cause less bleeding and swelling on surrounding tissue than traditional techniques, meaning less discomfort. Overall, laser dentistry benefits include: faster healing and tissue regeneration, preservation of your natural teeth, reduced bleeding during and after treatment, reduced need for anesthesia, minimized need for stitches and sutures, and reduced risk of bacterial infections after procedures.
Laser dentistry is incredibly versatile and plays an important role in a growing number of common dental procedures. Though it is most notably associated with cosmetic treatments, it is equally effective for preventive procedures.
Next Step to Brightening Your Smile
During your consultation, our dentist thoroughly discusses all treatment options with you to determine how to get you to your ideal smile. We start by performing a complete oral exam using advanced tools to evaluate your bite, tooth shape, color, and overall oral health. At each stage of treatment, we leverage our advanced dental technology and extensive knowledge to create outstanding results. As a dental practice that believes in the advantages of biological dentistry, we always recommend the most conservative treatment options and use bio-compatible materials to preserve the integrity and health of your teeth and smile.
We are able to coordinate nearly all cosmetic dental procedures we offer out of our dental office, without the need to refer you to a dental specialist. This is more convenient for you and allows us to ensure every aspect of your care is held to our high standards. When administering your treatment, we provide detail-oriented care and realistic results.