cosmetic
Veneers are a thin, semi-transparent tooth shaped "shell" that are custom made of porcelain. They are permanently bonded to your natural teeth which are located in your "smile zone" to enhance their shape, color, length or size.
Veneers can fix gaps between teeth and/or improve the appearance of teeth that are discolored, misshaped or misaligned.
Procedure:
1) The teeth are cleaned and any old surface restorations are removed.
2) An impression is taken of the prepped tooth and sent to a lab where a veneer is fabricated.
3) The veneer is applied with bonding resin and curing light.
4) After the veneer is set, it is shaped and polished to look like a natural tooth.
To place a crown, your dentist must reduce 1-2 mm of the tooth to make room for it. Your dentist will then use a piece of thread or cord or use a laser to push the gum down around the tooth, to take an impression of the tooth. The impressions are sent to the lab where the crown is made. During that time, you will have a temporary crown. These crowns are usually made of plastic and are made in your dentist's office on the day of your visit. They are not meant to last. If a temporary crown is left in the mouth, the cement eventually washes out and the tooth can decay. At a second visit, your dentist will remove the temporary crown and test the permanent one. Sometimes crowns need additional polishing, or glaze or some other adjustment before they are placed. Once the crown is ready, it's cemented to your tooth.
There is now new technology that allows you to replace old silver and gold fillings with a more natural looking, composite filling. Composite fillings are bonded to the tooth and research has proven them to be about 90% as strong as healthy natural tooth material.
Other Benefits:
- Beautiful in appearance
- Completed in a single visit
- No filling leaks
- Less chance of tooth cracking
Bonding is among the easiest and least expensive of cosmetic dental procedures.
The composite resin used in bonding can be shaped and polished to match the surrounding teeth.
Most often, bonding is used for cosmetic purposes:
- To improve the appearance of a discolored or chipped tooth
- To close slight spaces between teeth
- To make teeth look longer
- Or to change the shape or color of teeth
The most common type of home tooth whitening involves placing a gel-like whitening solution, which usually contains hydrogen peroxide, in a tray that resembles a Nightguard or mouth guard. Over-the-counter mouthpieces are unlikely to fit correctly and can cause gum irritation if the whitening agent seeps out. The tray is then placed over the teeth for a certain period of time, anywhere from an hour or two to overnight.
