Cosmetic

Veneers are a thin, semi-transparent tooth shaped “shell” that are custom made of porcelain. They are permanently bonded to your natural teeth which are located in your “smile zone” to enhance their shape, color, length or size. Veneers can fix gaps between teeth and/or improve the appearance of teeth that are discolored, misshaped or misaligned.

To place a crown, your dentist must reduce 1-2 mm of the tooth to make room for it. Your dentist will then use a piece of thread or cord or use a laser to push the gum down around the tooth, to take an impression of the tooth. The impressions are sent to the lab where the crown is made. During that time, you will have a temporary crown. These crowns are usually made of plastic and are made in your dentist's office on the day of your visit. They are not meant to last. If a temporary crown is left in the mouth, the cement eventually washes out, and the tooth can decay.

At a second visit, your dentist will remove the temporary crown and test the permanent one. Sometimes crowns need additional polishing, or glaze or some other adjustment before they are placed. Once the crown is ready, it's cemented to your tooth.

Bonding is among the easiest and least expensive of cosmetic dental procedures. The composite resin used in bonding can be shaped and polished to match the surrounding teeth. Most often, bonding is used for cosmetic purposes:

• To improve the appearance of a discolored or chipped tooth
• To close slight spaces between teeth
• To make teeth look longer
• To change the shape or color of teeth

Tooth whitening is the number one requested and performed cosmetic dental procedure. Tooth whitening is a procedure that lightens teeth and helps to remove stains and discoloration.

A thin coating forms on your teeth, throughout the day, which attracts stains. The tooth's enamel contains pores that hold stains.

Cavities need to be treated before teeth are whitened because the whitening solution can penetrate decay and reach inner areas of the tooth, which can cause sensitivity. Receding gums can cause roots to become exposed. Whitening will not work on exposed tooth roots, because roots do not have an enamel layer. Whitening also does not work on tooth restorations such as crowns or veneers.

Whitening can be done in the dental office or at home.

There is now new technology that allows you to replace old silver and gold fillings with a more natural looking, tooth-colored filling. Tooth-colored fillings are bonded to the tooth.

Other Benefits:

• Beautiful in appearance
• Completed in a single visit
• No filling leaks
• Less chance of tooth cracking

A gum lift may be performed to create a more even gum line. Patients with a gummy smile can quickly and safely have unwanted tissue removed, thus exposing more tooth to shape a more attractive smile.

You can think of a dental inlay or onlay as being midway between a filling and a crown. Inlays or onlays are used when not enough tooth structure remains to support a filling, but the tooth is not so severely damaged that it needs a crown.

An inlay is similar to a filling, but it lies within the cusps (bumps) on the chewing surface of your tooth. An onlay is more extensive than an inlay and covers one or more cusps.

Inlays or onlays can be made of gold, composite resin (plastic) or ceramics. They can last for decades. However, how long they last depends on the material used, the teeth involved, the forces of chewing and how well the patient maintains them with good oral hygiene and regular visits to a dentist.