Cosmetic Dentistry: Types of Cosmetic Dental Work

Cosmetic dental procedures are procedures done at the dentist’s office to give one a better and brighter smile. Some of the dental flaws corrected by cosmetic dentistry are stained, broken, misaligned, chipped, worn, and discolored teeth. If you have numerous dental flaws, your dentist may suggest a smile makeover to improve your teeth and smile appearance. Technically, a smile makeover will involve more than one cosmetic dental treatment procedure, as each dental flaw will need a specific procedure to be fixed.

What’s the First Step in Cosmetic Dentistry?

At Madison Lakes Dental, our cosmetic dentist will first do an oral examination, which at times may involve the use of oral x-ray imaging to depict a better image of your oral health condition. The information obtained in this first step will help the dentist know which types of cosmetic dental work one needs, hence facilitating the creation of a suitable treatment plan.

Types of Cosmetic Dentistry

When you visit our best dentist for cosmetic work, here are some procedures you’ll benefit from:

Teeth Whitening

Teeth whitening, also known as teeth bleaching, is one of the least expensive and simplest ways to brighten your smile. Teeth bleaching removes teeth discoloration and stains that normal teeth brushing cannot otherwise be eliminated. You can choose to bleach teeth at the dentist’s office or home.

With in-office teeth bleaching, you are guaranteed to get faster and better results with fewer side effects. It will involve a standard routine where a trained dental practitioner will first measure the shade of your teeth that will be used to gauge the improvement of the whitening process.

Next, your dentist in Madison will cover your lips, gums, and eyes to prevent them from getting damaged by the bleaching gel. Then, with the help of pumice, your teeth will be polished, and a whitening gel applied. This gel may contain active carbamide or hydrogen peroxide released once applied. A special beam of UV light is used to enhance the effects of the bleaching gel, and the session lasts for about 30 minutes.

At-home teeth whitening uses a series of whitening trays that one is supposed to wear. The trays contain whitening agents that remove stains on teeth.

Dental Veneers

Teeth veneers are custom-made, wafer-thin shells made of resin or porcelain placed on the front teeth surface. They help change bad teeth’ shape, length, size, and color. However, some parts of the dental enamel have to be filed down to make room for these shells before they are placed. This is one of the drawbacks of this procedure since the enamel does not regenerate.

Dental Bonding

Tooth bonding is done to repair misshapen, cracked, chipped, or decayed teeth and is an alternative treatment to silver or amalgam fillings. With dental bonding, a putty-like resin similar to teeth in color is applied on the damaged tooth and hardened with UV light forming a bond with the tooth. Your dentist will then shape, trim, and polish the bonded tooth to match other teeth. The bonding procedure on one tooth will take around 30 minutes to an hour.

Dental Crowns

A tooth crown or dental cap is a protective cap fitted above your gum line to restore a severely damaged or decayed tooth’s strength, appearance, size, and shape. A crown prevents a weakened tooth from cracking or breaking.

Dental Implants

Tooth implants are among the best ways to replace missing teeth. Implants act as artificial tooth roots for missing teeth. Their bio-compatibility with human tissue makes them establish a firm bond with the jawbone, thus offering a great foundation for tooth replacement. However, when the metallic post is inserted, you’ll need to take some time off for the jawbone to heal before you proceed to the next step. Although Implants have a 98% success rate, the procedure is lengthy and will require patience.

Invisalign Braces

Invisalign®️ is a teeth straightening method that uses a set of clear trays to align teeth to the desired position. Clear braces are an alternative to traditional braces and are a suitable option for people who want to avoid the food restrictions that come with traditional braces. One advantage of straightening teeth with Invisalign is that it is discreet since the clear trays are hard to spot. Persons of different age groups, including the old and young, can also use Invisalign, so its popularity has increased.