Cosmetic Dentistry Made It Simple Guide:

Learn How You Too Can Have The Perfect Smile

After spending a few extra minutes in the mirror this morning, you’ve decided that your smile needs a bit of a touch-up. Your teeth are looking more yellow than white these days, and you’ve always wished they were a little straighter. Obviously, you need to go to a dentist, but after searching the internet, you start seeing this term: cosmetic dentist. Is this the kind of doctor you should visit when it comes to your smile’s appearance? How is this different from general dentistry? Basically, a general dentist is a family dentist who cares for kids, adults and seniors dentistry by ensuring teeth are healthy and strong. On the other hand, cosmetic dentistry aims to improve the appearance of your smile by treating your teeth and gums.

What do cosmetic dentists can do for you?

Today, we’ll tell you why a cosmetic dentist is exactly who you need to see when it comes to making your smile more beautiful. A cosmetic dentist is a doctor who practices…cosmetic dentistry. That may seem obvious, but the question then becomes, “What is cosmetic dentistry?” Cosmetic dentistry is a collection of services specifically dedicated to improving the appearance (and at times, the function) of your smile to make sure that your smile is “camera ready” what can involve the following procedures:

• Teeth whitening (bleaching), laser whitening (Zoom!)

• Straightening of teeth (orthodontics) by the use of traditional braces or the most popular alternative to traditional metal braces - the invisible braces called Invisalign.

• Sleep apnea or apnoea & snoring problems - a cosmetic dentist can provide the correct sleep appliance and make changes to your oral device as needed.

• Adding or removing dental materials to teeth, such as bonding (composite); veneers (laminates); crowns (caps); bridges (prosthetic device) and dental implants

• Remodelling gums (gum lift) for creating longer or more symmetrical teeth

• Reshaping teeth to correct crooked or excessively long teeth

• Fix teeth imperfections like teeth colour; position; shape; size and alignment as well as bite correction due to teeth grinding or malformation.

A cosmetic dentist has many tools and ways to enhance your smile’s look so you can always feel confident about your teeth.

Things to check about a Cosmetic Dentist

A cosmetic dentist will have taken extra training specifically dedicated to this collection of treatments. They’ll have real-world experience applying them, vast technical knowledge of how they work, and a refined, artistic touch as well.

An easy way to check about Cosmetic Dentists credentials and experience is to go to their website. In the ‘About Us” menu you should find the dentist biography. Don’t forget to read what patients say about the dentist – Google and Yelp are the most trusted reviews sources online, today.

Search for these good signs:

• Does he or she have the right qualification, such as a post graduated training by a reputable institution?
• Have he or she received any academic prize or honours?
• Does he or she have register with the local Dental Board?
• Does he or she have any professional membership?
• Genuine positive reviews of existing patients

So now that you know what a cosmetic dentist is and do, now comes the fun part: How cosmetic dentists can actually improve your smile?

7 Simple Cosmetic Dentistry Procedures That Will Make You Smile Camera-Ready

These are the treatments to keep your eye out for when you are looking for a cosmetic dentist:

1. Dental Fillings: we, in cosmetic dentistry use tooth-coloured composite fillings as opposed to metal dental fillings used in dental restoration - to improve your smile aesthetics. Made of a composite resin they can be specially shaded so that they blend in completely with the colour of your teeth, making them much more subtle than traditional fillings. This form of tooth bonding is durable as it lasts for many years.

2. Dental Veneers: opposite of a tooth crown that covers the whole tooth like a cap; porcelain veneers; made of extremely thin ceramic covering, are bonded only to the front of the teeth. They can eliminate a whole variety of flaws at once, including stains, chips, cracks, gaps, and even slightly misaligned teeth. Veneers also look exceptionally realistic and can resolve numerous dental cosmetic problems, ranging from crooked teeth, to cracked or damaged enamel to noticeable gaps between two teeth.

3. Tooth Crowns: the unlike dentures, which are removable, dental crowns are a fix tooth-shaped cap placed (cemented) over teeth surface or implants to restore or improve its appearance, shape or alignment. These all-ceramic crowns can be shaped and coloured to mimic a natural tooth in every possible way, so when you need a broken tooth or cavity repaired, they’re the best way to get the most beautiful result.

4. Composite Bonding: tooth bonding or composite bonding refers to an esthetic restoration of decayed, damaged or discoloured teeth. It is a popular cosmetic alternative to amalgam fillings because its material resembles the colour of your own tooth enamel. There are custom-made fillings that require an impression or mould of your teeth – Outlays and Inlays. Made by a dental laboratory the material is permanently cemented onto the tooth by your dentist.

Onlays – sometimes referred to as a partial crown

Inlays - a larger type of filling for cavities

This dental procedure can take less than an hour, as your dentist drills out the tooth decay and apply the composite onto the tooth's surface, then "sculpts" it into the right shape before curing it with a high-intensity light.

5. Teeth Whitening: Over the years, teeth become stained and worn from food, drinks, medication and personal habits such as smoking. A cosmetic dentist can give you a customized at-home teeth whitening kit that will be much more potent and reliable than anything you can get at the store. Usually, you’ll only need to use the kit daily for a couple of weeks to get a smile that’s up to 8 shades whiter.

6. Dental implants: implants are used by your periodontist (specialist in gums and other supporting tissues of the teeth) to replace teeth after tooth loss. The dentist inserts a small titanium screw into the jaw at the site of the missing tooth, which serves as the support for a crown. These implants are almost indistinguishable from the surrounding natural teeth, and once the bone and supporting tissue fuse to the implant, they are permanently secured into place. Patients need to practice diligent oral hygiene during the implant placement period to clean plaque and food debris from the area.

7. Braces | Invisalign: Invisalign is a leading brand for a kind of clear braces. This treatment uses a series of custom-made clear plastic aligner trays to straighten the teeth as opposed to metal braces. They’re practically invisible on the teeth, allowing you to get a straighter smile without the daily hassles of brackets and wires.

Did you know cosmetic dentists also provide restorative benefits?

For example, dental fillings are a common procedure used to treat decayed teeth.

Previously, most dental fillings were composed primarily of gold, amalgam and other materials that left visible dark spots on the teeth.

Today’s dental fillings may be considered cosmetic to a certain extent because you can select fillings made of porcelain or composite materials that closely match the colour of your teeth, thus maintaining the natural appearance of your teeth and smile. Many people may ask their cosmetic dentist to have their older fillings replaced with newer, tooth-coloured fillings to enhance their oral appearance.

What happens in a cosmetic dentist consultation?

As a normal visit to a traditional dentist, your initial consultation with the cosmetic dentist is an opportunity for you to learn about the practice that you’ve narrowed down your search to, as well as discuss what you like and don’t like about your smile. It’s also an opportunity to establish realistic expectations for your treatment.

Cosmetic dentist consultations typically include records gathering. Because these records are important for developing a unique and precise treatment plan that will satisfy your needs, a significant amount of time may be spent for this purpose. Records gathering involves, but is not limited to:

• A comprehensive intraoral examination and inspection of any existing dental work.

• Intraoral photographs

• Radiographs (X-rays)

• Impressions of your upper and lower teeth (models and study casts will be made later).

• Reviewing different tooth shapes and sizes to see what appeals to you.

• Discussing tooth colour

• Using a computer monitor, reviewing your smile tooth by tooth so you can thoroughly understand what can be changed and how.

Cosmetic dentist

In case the cosmetic dentist provides you with a diagnosis and treatment plan during the consultation, it is important that he or she share that information with you in detail.

Diagnosis and Treatments

Make sure that you understand your diagnosis and any viable treatment alternatives. Also, ensure that you feel completely comfortable with the level of detail and thoroughness of the explanations you are given by the cosmetic dentist so that you can make an educated decision about your dental treatment plan.

Likewise, when providing you with a treatment plan, your cosmetic dentist should be able to tell you about the type of materials that will be used in the fabrication of your restorations.

Be sure to ask the dentist about how long the results are expected to last and the type of maintenance required in order to sustain the benefit of the dental procedures. For example, teeth whitening must be repeated every three to six months – depending upon the procedure you choose – in order to maintain the benefits. Similarly, you may be required to wear a protective mouth guard at night to help maintain your veneers.

When you select a cosmetic dentist, you are selecting a dental professional who will help you change your appearance by changing the look of your teeth and your smile.

It is a very personal and important choice. Most procedures are not reversible, so you will want to take your time, ensure that you feel comfortable with the dentist and that you feel confident with his/her skills and capabilities. When you do, you will likely be happy and completely satisfied with the results that are achieved with the dental treatment you receive.

Conclusion

While traditional dentistry focuses on oral hygiene and preventing, diagnosing and treating oral disease, a cosmetic dentist focuses on improving the appearance of the teeth, mouth and smile.

In other words, restorative, general and/or family dental clinics address dental problems that require necessary treatment, whereas cosmetic dentistry provides elective – or desired – treatments or services.

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