Cosmetic Dental Procedures
Cosmetic Dental Procedure
Porcelain Veneers
A Porcelain Veneer is a thin porcelain shell that covers the front surface of the tooth. Veneers are used to help change the color, shape, size, and/or length of your tooth
and are custom made in a dental lab for the color and shape you and your doctor choose. Since Veneers are a thin piece of porcelain, not a lot of tooth structure needs to be removed, which makes it nearly painless with no recovery time needed. Porcelain Veneers are great for changing the appearance of teeth.
Bonding
An alternative to Veneers that can be more affordable
is dental bonding. Bonding is usually done with composite material that is made of ceramic and plastic compounds. Since there is only a small amount of tooth structure removed with bonding, it is nearly painless like veneers. Also like veneers, bonding is great for changing the color, shape, size, and/or length of teeth, but doesn’t last as long, and can change color with time.
Crowns
A great cosmetic alternative to veneers and bonding are crowns. Crowns are great for restoring teeth which might be severely broken or have severe tooth decay. For more information on crowns, refer to “Basic Restorative Dental Procedures”.
Teeth Whitening
Whitening is used to remove stains and discoloration on the surface of your teeth. There are several different types of whitening products at our office such as disposable whitening trays
that are stronger then store bought whitening strips. Our office also can make custom whitening trays
which patients use at home with whitening gel. It is normal for the teeth to become sensitive after using whitening products on your teeth. This sensitivity can last a couple days or a couple weeks. Whitening may not be a good solution for the following situations:
- Teeth with dead pulp due to trauma
- Discoloration due to certain childhood medications for example tetracycline
- People with fluorosis, which is caused by receiving too much fluoride as a child during the teeth developing stage