Cosmetic Dentistry
One of the largest growth areas in dental care reflects the increasing demand for high quality smiles in our patients. As patients require less active treatment, patients are now more focused on the importance of a nice smile.Evidence has shown that one of the most significant physical characteristics in the assessment of an individual on first meeting is the quality or otherwise of your smile.
Many of us are aware of the shortcomings of our own individual smiles, a factor that we now have the ability to change. Smile improvement is no longer just reserved for film stars and actresses as we are now able to offer high end treatments at a competitive price range.
Tooth Whitening
Cosmetic teeth whitening can give you a healthier, younger and more vibrant smile enhancing your appearance and your personal confidence.
An impression is taken of the upper and lower arches, and small gum shields which cover the teeth to be whitened are made. Whitening gel is then placed in the trays on the part which will touch the front surfaces of the teeth to be bleached, these trays are worn for a minimum of two hours each evening - this provides a very consistently successful result.
Be patient, this takes at least two weeks to start working. You must persevere, it will lighten them. The longer you do this, the better.
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White filling placement
Excellent durability, strength and cosmetic properties of white fillings now allow your dentist to offer these as a substitute for old silver amalgam. Silver amalgam has for many years been the treatment of choice in the repair of a damaged or decayed tooth. Amalgam has excellent physical properties and durability but looks poor in a white tooth and has mercury as a constituent. Patients should have no worries about the silver fillings in their teeth but will now be offered the option of a tooth coloured filling material as a better option in most cases.
White fillings are bonded into your teeth by your dentist and now last many years with similar wear characteristics to amalgam.
It is possible to replace healthy silver fillings for white to improve your smile.
Cosmetic Veneers
Whilst tooth whitening can lighten and improve the quality of your smile this may not offer the solution we require to give us a more ideal smile – this may be achieved with porcelain crowns or veneers.
Smile makeovers of quality are investments that many people are making to help them with work, their relationships and just an overall feeling of well-being and self-esteem. The results we can achieve are stunning, very much affordable and can be obtained in a relatively short period of time.
As more of our patients seek a more confident smile, the demand for improvement in appearance of front teeth continues to grow. One of our most popular cosmetic treatments involves the attachment of fine veneers of porcelain onto tooth surfaces to modify the appearance,contour and colour of the teeth.
A brief consultation with your dentist will enable you to discuss this treatment in more detail.
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Cosmetic crown placement
When teeth are badly decayed or heavily filled, a crown may be required to restore lost tooth tissue or protect what remains. Root-filled teeth are weakened due to the root filling and over time become more brittle. They will often require crowning to protect the tooth from fracturing. There are many types of crown and many different qualities of metal and porcelain.
1. Porcelain Bonded to Metal
The substructure of these crowns is of precious metal with porcelain bonded to the metal. This type of crown is used where the crowns are subject to heavy biting forces and porcelain by itself would not be strong enough. Their downside though is that they are not cosmetically the best and can be recognized by a dark line around the gum margin and they also do not reflect the light as well as all porcelain crowns.
We certainly place many of these crowns on posterior teeth where cosmetics is not the main issue but the patient wishes to invest in a comfortable, durable and good-looking crown.
Certainly for front teeth the superior all porcelain crown would be a better option for ultimate cosmetics.
2. Gold Crowns
Gold crowns are not as popular as they once were due to the cosmetics, although some people love them and even want them on their front teeth. However, gold crowns are one of the best crowns that can be used on a back tooth due to its wear characteristics and durability.
3. All Porcelain Crowns
These have fantastic properties. They reflect light in such a way that they do not appear as "false teeth" but look real and alive. They contain no dark metal so there is minimal chance of a dark line appearing around the neck of the crown.
Heavily filled or broken down teeth may require a more extensive porcelain cover to provide a little more protection to the underlying tooth tissue. A porcelain crown will offer such reinforcement with all of the visual benefits of a porcelain veneer. Crowns are exceptionally strong and the shade of the porcelain can be altered to suite smile cosmetics.
Many of our crown treatments use the new generation porcelains which are extremely strong and beautiful and offer the ultimate in cosmetic dentistry.
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