Cosmetic Dentistry
Cosmetic Dentistry invokes any aspect of treatment that makes your teeth more aesthetic. A beautiful smile often times will enhance your appearance, bolster your self–esteem and make you smile more often.
Our office offers:
- Tooth-colored fillings- shaded to match your existing teeth or to whiten them
- All porcelain fillings, crowns, veneers and implants
- One hour tooth whitening or at home tray whitening
- LUMINEERS™- custom made porcelain veneers that requires little or no tooth structure to be removed
- CEREC porcelain fillings, crowns, veneers-fabricates, or ceramic restorations for your tooth in one visit
Of course, cosmetic dentistry is also a process of diagnosing and treatment planning to give you the best possible smile. It may involve:
- Orthodontics- moving your teeth into the best possible position
- Periodontics- sculpturing your gum tissue to reduce uneven or thin areas of gingival tissue
- Oral Surgery-movement of either jaw to a more aesthetic position
- Endondontics-removal of an infected nerve that causes discoloration of a tooth
Our office is knowledgeable in all aspects of cosmetic dentistry. Please call for a consultation to see what cosmetic dentistry can do for your smile.
Teeth Whitening
Your teeth will darken over time. Changes in the color of your teeth can be caused by such factors as the food and beverages you consume (like coffee, tea and soda). Other known factors for discoloration may include childhood medications or illnesses, tobacco use, or improper oral hygiene. Restoring your natural white smile is a priority for our dental whitening team. We can provide a variety of options for whitening your smile.
Tooth whitening services are growing in popularity, and it is one of the most requested services offered by our practice. Everyone sees the growing consumer market focused on whiter teeth. The reality is that over-the-counter, “too good to be true” solutions typically don’t work.
We are trained professionals using industry-approved methods. Our goal is to meet the needs of every patient, and every patient’s needs are different. One of the methods used by our practice is a tray delivered, carbamide peroxide gel. Our process will whiten your entire smile in about two weeks. We also offer a one-hour whitening system, which produces similar results to the tray system, except it only requires one hour of treatment.
Nothing improves your appearance more than a bright, white SMILE!
Composite Bonding
Bonding is a common solution for:
- Fixing or repairing chipped or cracked teeth
- Reducing unsightly gaps or spaces between teeth
- Hiding discoloration or faded areas on the tooth’s surface
Composites are used to improve the appearance of your teeth and enhance your smile. As the name indicates, composite material, either a plastic or resin, is bonded to an existing tooth. Unlike amalgams or crowns, composite bonding removes much less of the original tooth.
Composite bonding has many advantages:
- It is a quick process, which typically lasts less than one hour.
- It requires less removal of the tooth’s original structure and is relatively inexpensive.
- Composite resins come in many different shades and provide better matching of shades to the natural color of your teeth.
- Composite bonding, however, is not as durable and long-lasting as veneers and crowns and may need to be re-touched or replaced in the future.
Composite bonding stains more easily and therefore requires proper care and regular cleaning. In order to ensure the longest possible duration of the bonding, composites should be brushed and flossed daily. Common staining elements include coffee, tea, tobacco, foods, wine, and chocolate.
Crowns
A crown is a permanent ceramic restoration that fits over an existing tooth that is decayed, damaged or cracked. Crowns are made of a variety of materials such as porcelain, gold, non-precious metal or a mixture of these materials. Porcelain generally has the most natural appearance, although gold is the most durable.
The treatment plan for a patient receiving a crown involves:
- Numbing the tooth to remove the decay in or around it.
- Re-sculpturing the tooth to provide sufficient space for the material used to fabricate your crown.
- Making an impression of your teeth in order to create a custom-made crown (usually takes two weeks).
- Making a temporary crown out of acrylic resin and fitting it onto the tooth during the interim period when the permanent custom-made crown is being created.
- Placing the permanent crown (when received from the lab) by removing the temporary crown and fitting the permanent one onto the tooth.
- After ensuring that the crown has the proper look and fit, the dentist cements it into place.
This process generally consists of 2-3 visits over a three to four week period.
Once the procedure is completed, proper dental hygiene, including daily brushing and flossing, is required to maintain healthy teeth, gums and crowns. This helps in the prevention of gum disease. Given proper care, your crowns can last a lifetime.
Bridges
A bridge is a restoration that fills a space that a tooth previously occupied. A bridge may be necessary to prevent:
- Shifting of the teeth that can lead to bite problems (occlusion) and/or jaw problems and resultant periodontal disease.
- Bridges safeguard the integrity of existing teeth and help maintain a healthy, vibrant smile.
Veneers
Veneers are thin, semi-translucent “shells” typically attached to your front teeth similar to false fingernails. You may also know them by the name LUMINEERS™ or other trademarked names. Veneers are customized from a porcelain material and bonded to your teeth. Veneers are a great alternative to otherwise “invasive” dental procedures to improve the appearance of your smile.
Common problems that veneers are used for:
- Spaces between the teeth
- Broken or chipped teeth
- Unsightly, stained or discolored teeth
- Crooked or misshapen teeth
Veneers are a great aesthetic solution to your smile that may even help you avoid orthodontic treatment. Subtle changes to your smile can be achieved with veneers, and in most cases, veneer application is completed in only two office visits.
Please contact our office if you have any further questions on veneers.