Traditional dentistry involves tooth hygiene and the curing and protecting from tooth disease while cosmetic dentistry focuses on the overall appearance of someone's teeth and smile. For those who have taken care of traditional dentistry needs cosmetic dentistry can be a desirable enhancement of your overall appearance.
Cosmetic dentists can fix and change a variety of things including discoloration, cracks, missing teeth, and decay. New technologies and materials have made this process more comfortable for patients and results in higher quality and longer lasting improvements in your smile.
There are a variety of techniques and procedures used in order to makeover someones smile. These techniques and procedures include: veneers, artificial teeth, whitening, fillings, and composite bonding.
Indirect fillings are made of a long lasting material such as porcelain and are used to fill in areas where there has been decay. These are superior to the fillings from a traditional dentist because they are created in a lab and then fitted and bonded into place.
Indirect fillings are often known as inlays and onlays. Inlays are applied into the center of the tooth where decay is often caused by cavities and onlays are applied to the biting surface of the tooth.
Another technique is composite bonding which is used to correct broken, yellowing, or decaying teeth. A composite material is put into cavities or even onto the surface of teeth and hardened with a special light, which blends perfectly in with the rest of your teeth.
Composite bonding is a great alternative for people who have problems, like yellowing or cracks, because it is relatively less expensive than some of the other procedures. It is also desirable because it looks just like enamel and can be applied to those teeth that are most commonly seen.
Teeth whitening is the most common cosmetic dentistry procedure, and has seen a lot of increase in use in the past few years. Bleaching teeth can dramatically improve someones smile by removing stains and discoloration caused by coffee, cigarettes, tea, wine, food and other drinks.
Even though this is the most popular form of cosmetic dentistry only fifteen percent of the population has actually tried it. Just about everyone who tries it has satisfactory results whether they have had an appointment with a dentist or used an at-home kit.
Whitening is the most common term used, but bleaching is another word associated with the process. Bleaching is when the teeth can be whitened beyond what is natural while whitening is only restoring to what could be natural.
There are two types of dental stains that someone can suffer from, extrinsic and intrinsic stains. Extrinsic stains are on the surface of your teeth and can be corrected with brushing and whitening; intrinsic stains are on the interior of your teeth and sometimes can be removed with extended take home teeth whitening.
Veneers are porcelain laminates that bond to the surface of ones teeth with an adhesive to correct and cover worn, cracked and discolored teeth. Veneers are often used by those who have not had satisfactory results with whitening or desire to fill gaps between teeth.
Essentially a veneer is a casing around ones teeth, and is considered cosmetic dentistry because it can correct almost all visual problems with your smile. The improvement of materials used for veneers has made them an increasingly attractive alternative.
Dental Implants are artificial tooth replacements which are used to fill in the gaps where teeth have been lost. This can be a great decision not only because one's smile looks better when there aren't any gaps but also because it can inhibit face collapsing which often happens when someone looses teeth.
Although there are a variety of options of correcting tooth loss none have been as effective or visually attractive as tooth implants. New developments in the field have also improved the success rates in this procedure.
It is possible that a desired smile makeover is not sufficient and that full mouth reconstruction is necessary. While the two (smile makeover and mouth reconstruction) are different the two areas are converging due to the commonalities in materials used and patients' desires to not only fix problems but have an improved appearance.
Author Resource:-
Jack R. Landry is a former dental assistant and has authored hundreds of articles relating to oral health and cosmetic dentist in Santa Cruz. He has been a guest dental lecturer for over 15 years.
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