What Is Cosmetic Dentistry?
Cosmetic dentistry is a service offered by cosmetic dentists to make your teeth look aesthetically appealing, which gives you the confidence to smile. Cosmetic dentists treat those dental conditions that alter your appearance. Examples of these conditions include discoloured teeth, rotting teeth and missing teeth. If you suffer from any of these conditions, you probably have difficulty smiling and socialising. Here's what you need to know about cosmetic dentistry services:
Discoloured Teeth Restoration
Teeth discolouration mostly occurs because you are consuming something that has a compound that is staining your teeth. It can also be because you have an underlying dental or genetic condition.
Of course, when your teeth are discoloured, you might not want people to see them, so you might avoid smiling, which can affect your confidence and social presence. Your cosmetic dentist offers three solutions: teeth whitening products, veneers or bonding.
- Teeth whitening products — these are gels that you are supposed to apply on your discoloured teeth regularly until the original colour is restored. Let your dentist recommend which gels to use because he or she knows the gels that won't affect your gums or damage your teeth further.
- Veneers — these are white tooth coverings that are attached to your teeth; they are referred to as dental crowns. The enamel of the discoloured tooth is stripped off, and then a dental crown of the same thickness as the enamel stripped off is placed to cover the tooth; this is done for all the discoloured teeth.
- Bonding — these are also white tooth coverings that are attached to your teeth, but instead of the discoloured enamel being stripped off, the surface of your tooth is roughened to make the bonding hold securely.
Silver Filling Replacement
Traditionally, dentists used metal/silver fillings to cover holes in decaying teeth. The sight of the dark metal filling can be problematic for you because it looks like dirt. The material used nowadays is the same colour as your teeth. It is referred to as porcelain fillings. You can have your silver filling replaced with porcelain fillings by visiting your cosmetic dentist.
Missing Tooth
If you have a missing tooth, especially if it is an incisor, which is one of your front teeth, your appearance might change when you smile; you need the gap filled. Cosmetic dentists offer dental bridges as a solution where the gap is filled using a fake tooth (pontic) that is attached to a dental crown.
The dentist strips off the enamel of one of the teeth beside the gap. This is to create room for a dental crown that is to be cemented on it. The pontic is permanently attached to this dental crown, meaning that when the dental crown is cemented on the enamel-stripped tooth, the pontic sits on the gap. This means that the pontic is held in place by the dental crown.
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