Cosmetic Dentistry Procedures
The definition of cosmetics is a treatment or product intended to improve or restore a person’s appearance or attractiveness. This is exactly what the specialty branch of cosmetic dentistry is focused on. There are ten different specific divisions in the dental industry, and cosmetic dentistry focuses on and improves your mouth, teeth, and smile. A smile has been documented with research as a mood booster and has also been proven to add seven years to your life expectancy, since it influences and improves your immune system. A smile has been proven to make 88% more people feel good about themselves, and another 92% claim that a remarkably simple smile will brighten their day.
A healthy smile plays an essential part when it comes to the quality of your life. It is the actual foundation for your personality and influences your self-confidence and self-esteem. If you are unhappy with your smile, these basic functions can suffer. Cosmetic dentistry treats aesthetic imperfections such as discolored teeth, stained teeth, worn-down teeth, broken, chipped, or cracked teeth, misshapen teeth, as well as negative gum issues. Cosmetic dentistry frequently offers a smile makeover. The most common procedures are:
- Teeth Whitening- A quite simple and basic procedure that everyone will benefit from. With either a retail kit to perform the tasks at home or having it performed professionally in the dental office, teeth whitening will work wonders in removing coffee stains, red wine stains, and tobacco discoloration, as examples. The at-home process may take months, yet the procedure in the office can be completed successfully in one visit.
- Dental Bonding- A quick and effortless way to repair a damaged tooth, dental bonding is a matching-colored putty-like resin applied to the tooth. The durable plastic-like material is sculpted, smoothed, and shaped, and then hardened to give your tooth a fresh look.
- Dental Veneers- Instead of a resin applied to the tooth or multiple teeth, your dentist will use wafer-thin pieces of custom-fabricated porcelain to apply to the front surface of the tooth, giving it a brand-new surface. Beginning with an impression of the teeth, the veneers are made in a dental lab to look exactly like the natural tooth being covered. Then a thin layer of enamel is removed to accommodate the new covering.
- Inlays and Onlays- Like a filling, this cosmetic dentistry procedure will be used often in the center of a tooth to cover removed decay. It preserves both the health of the tooth and its appearance.
- Dental Crowns- Unlike veneers or dental bonding, a crown is more like a protective cap covering the entire tooth. This procedure, even though it is often done for the health of the tooth, is considered a cosmetic procedure.
- Dental Implants- The absolute best tooth replacement solution available, the dentist surgically places a tiny titanium post in your jawbone. Functioning like an artificial root, the post will fuse and bond to the bone. After an extension or abutment is placed on the post to extend it to the gumline, an artificial crown is placed on the abutment, and it will look and function naturally.
All these procedures are about the quality of your smile and the quality of life that follows.