Types of Cosmetic Dentistry Commonly Practiced
Cosmetic dentistry is a term exclusively used to refer to dental procedures that focus on improving your teeth appearance. Cosmetic dentistry in Vernon focuses on altering the dental aesthetic in terms of tooth shape, size, colour, alignment, position and the overall appearance of your smile.
Most cosmetic procedures are elective, meaning you choose what type of therapy you want to be performed on you. Some treatment cases are rather restorative in addition to improving appearance. You need to select the best place for cosmetic dentistry that suits your preference for the best results.
Cosmetic dentistry in Vernon involves:
- Addition of dental devices to your teeth and gum tissue, e.g. bonding, veneers, crowns, veneers and gum grafts
- Amputation of some tooth or gum structure, e.g. enameloplasty and gingivectomy
- Non-restorative procedures that don’t involve the addition or removing of any materials, e.g. teeth whitening, laser bleaching, gum depigmentation
- Tooth straightening, i.e. orthodontics
- Conservative procedures such as dental laminates and veneers
- Tooth scaling and cleaning
Some common types of cosmetic dentistry
Dental Veneers
Veneers are a form of cosmetic dentistry which involve covering the front side of your teeth with wafer-thin customized shells. They are mainly made from porcelain or composite resin hence primarily referred to as porcelain veneers. The application procedure involves removal of about a millimeter of your tooth enamel then the bonding material is cemented on your teeth. They correct discoloured, crooked and misaligned teeth.
Bonding
Dentists use teeth bonding to fix chipped, cracked, decayed, and misshapen teeth. Dental bonding is widely used as an alternative to amalgam silver fillings. The procedure takes about an hour to complete and uses a durable plastic resin putty-like substance to fill gaps in or between teeth. It’s a lesser costly therapy for patients with chipped and fractured teeth and those with treatable tooth decay.
Dental Crowns
Crowns are caps used to cover the entire damaged or decayed part of the tooth placed above the gum line. They restore the shape, size and appearance of your teeth.
Apart from appearance, dental crowns also have preventive and restorative properties such as holding together a cracked tooth, strengthening damaged teeth, so they don’t easily break and covering severely crooked and discoloured teeth. They are formulated from metal, porcelain, porcelain-fused-in-metal (PFM) and resin.
Dental Implants
Implants involve dental surgery to place a tiny titanium screw-like pole inside your jaw in the place of a missing tooth. This pole acts as a support for the crown which is fitted afterwards. The replaced tooth is 100 percent similar to the surrounding teeth and is not noticeable by outsiders.
With time the bone and surrounding tissue bond with the new implant, in which case it is permanently secured in your mandible. Implants are meant to last a lifetime and don’t require any special care as other restorative forms.
Tooth Whitening
Tooth whitening is one of the simplest and least costly cosmetic dentistry procedures offered at Ryan K Dentistry. It involves removing plaque, tartar or debris trapped on the surface of your teeth to restore their exceptional appearance. Tooth bleaching can simply be done by your dentist in the office, or you could purchase a mold or gels to DIY at home. Available products for purchase include mouth rinses, whitening kinds of toothpaste and white strips.
If you have settled on a cosmetic dentistry procedure, it’s best to consult with close friends or family. They can recommend the best place for cosmetic dentistry. You can research for listings of the best cosmetic dentistry clinics.