It has never been easier to get an attractive healthy smile.
If your teeth are stained, discolored, worn, chipped, broken, misaligned, misshapen, or have gaps between them, modern cosmetic dentistry can give you a better smile. A “smile makeover” improves the appearance of your smile through one or more cosmetic dentistry procedures. Our dentists work with you to develop a treatment plan. Below you’ll find some information that can help you learn more about the various types of cosmetic dental procedures available.
Bonding
Bonding is a treatment that can be used to repair teeth that are decayed, chipped, fractured or discoloured or to reduce gaps between teeth.
For this procedure, a dentist mixes composite resin — a type of plastic — into a paste, then tints the mixture to whiten or match the color of your teeth. Several layers of resin are applied to each tooth. Each layer is hardened under an ultraviolet light or laser. Final steps include shaping and polishing the resin material so the finished tooth looks natural and smooth.
Bonding can also be used to build up older teeth to make them appear younger. Bonding is an option for people of all ages, including children, as the resin can be replaced as teeth grow.
Teeth Whitening
Teeth whitening can be one of the simplest and least expensive ways to improve your smile. Teeth can be bleached with in-office products in your dentist’s office, or you can buy a tray and gels to bleach your teeth at home. There are also convenient at home whitening products:whitening toothpastes, rinses, and strips.
Veneers
Dental veneers are wafer-thin, custom-made shells of tooth-coloured porcelain or resin that cover the front surface of the teeth. After removing a bit of enamel from the tooth surface, these thin shells are bonded (cemented) to the front of the teeth, changing their colour, shape, size, or length. Veneers are often called “Hollywood teeth.”
Dental Bonding
In dental bonding, a tooth-coloured, putty-like resin, which is a durable plastic material, is applied to the tooth and hardened with an ultraviolet or laser light, bonding the material to the tooth. Your dentist then trims, shapes, and polishes it. Bonding can repair decayed, chipped, cracked, or misshapen teeth; it is also a good cosmetic alternative to, or replacement for, amalgam or silver.
Crowns
A dental crown, also called a cap, fits over and replaces the entire decayed or damaged tooth above the gum line, restoring its shape, size, strength, and appearance. Crowns keep a weak tooth from breaking or hold a cracked tooth together; they can be used cosmetically to cover misshapen or severely discoloured teeth. Crowns can be made from metal, porcelain-fused-to-metal, resin, or ceramic.
Implants
Dental implants are titanium replacement tooth roots inserted into the bone socket of the missing tooth. As the jawbone heals, it grows around the implanted metal post, anchoring it securely in the jaw and providing a foundation for a replacement tooth.
Other Options: Bridges, Dentures & Braces
A bridge is made of crowns for the teeth on either side of a gap with false teeth in between. A denture is a removable replacement for missing teeth. Dental braces can straighten crooked or misaligned teeth and works by applying continuous pressure over a period of time to slowly move teeth in a specific direction.