Cosmetic Dentistry: Choosing the right type of procedure

Cosmetic dentistry can give you a winning smile that you can be proud of. However, with many types of cosmetic dentistry offered, choosing the right procedures to get the results that you want can feel overwhelming. To help you sort through your options, we have a guide to the types of cosmetic procedures that you can choose from here at Matthews Family Dentistry. With this information and your dentist’s recommendations, you can make an easier decision to improve the appearance of your smile.

Veneers

Your teeth may have minor imperfections that can impact how your overall smile looks. These flaws could include chips, gaps between teeth, minor discoloration of individual teeth, or teeth that don’t have the same length as those around them. When these issues do not cause problems with your dental health, a dentist can correct them with veneers.

Veneers use poly-ceramic or ceramic materials to create a long-lasting cover placed over each treated tooth. To place the veneers, the dentist must remove a small amount of the top surface of each tooth. In doing so, you will have a better fit for the veneers. The changes to each tooth, though, are very minor, making veneers one of the most conservative options for improving the appearance of teeth.

Because the process causes a permanent change in your teeth, you cannot switch to dental bonding to replace lost or damaged veneers. In rare instances, veneers may chip, requiring replacement. Otherwise, your veneers should last for years, giving your smile a natural look while fixing minor cosmetic issues.

Dental Bonding

Dental bonding offers similar benefits to veneers. In fact, for some patients, bonding is the first corrective option they choose to fix issues with chipped teeth or uneven teeth edges. They are generally not used to change your overall smile, rather correct imperfections in individual teeth.  Unlike veneers, bonding does not require the removal of enamel to prepare teeth for the repairs. Bonding, however, does not remain in place for as many years as veneers do. When you need to replace dental bonding, you can choose to use bonding again or switch to veneers. This flexibility makes bonding a desirable option for those who feel uncertain about getting veneers.

Like veneers, bonding matches the color of your teeth to make the treated teeth nearly impossible to see in your mouth. You will enjoy a smile without unsightly chips or gaps between your teeth when you choose dental bonding.

Teeth Whitening

Among the many types of cosmetic dentistry procedures, whitening is highly popular. It seems that most people want to improve the brightness of their smiles. A rise in over-the-counter whitening products and bleaching toothpaste brands attest to this. However, these solutions from stores don’t provide the same whitening that you can get from a dentist. Plus, they have the chance of causing gum and tooth sensitivity.

Dental whitening from the dentist uses stronger products in specially designed trays to get better results and minimize side effects. You place the bleaching gel into the trays and wear them at home. This prescription-level bleaching offers much better whitening than anything that you could buy without a dentist’s approval.  These products generally cause less tooth sensitivity than the over-the-counter products and your Dentist can give you tips on further reducing sensitivity.

When you use these trays and maintain regularly scheduled dental cleanings, which can also remove minor surface stains, you can get a whiter smile.

Invisalign Teeth Straightening

Adults no longer need to wear wire braces to achieve better dental alignment. Issues such as crooked teeth, gaps, underbites, or overbites don’t need to remain facts of life. Aligner trays can correct these problems to produce a better-looking smile.

Invisalign is one of the best-known brands of clear dental aligner trays. Only approved dental professionals can fit patients for this system. By using dental scans and photos, a computer system creates designs for customized aligner trays to move the patient’s teeth slowly into place.

Once the Dentist uses the computer to capture images of your teeth, the plans go to a lab for creation of the plan. After the customized trays return, the patient wears the first tray for one or two weeks before switching to the next aligner in the process. The dentist will specify the timeframe for each tray. The number of treatments and the timeline will depend on the patient’s current dental state and how far the teeth need to move. However, many patients only need a few months of treatment.

The benefits of Invisalign trays over braces are innumerable. First, the trays are made of smooth, clear SmartTrack® material that firmly positions the teeth and does not cause discomfort inside the mouth. This treatment also does not require dietary changes because patients can take out the trays to eat, floss, and brush. Since the trays are removable, food cannot get trapped in them, as can happen with braces.

Adults prefer Invisalign because other people don’t notice when they wear the trays. Treatment requires up to 21 hours of keeping the trays in place daily. However, since the trays are clear and don’t interfere with talking or appearance, they are not very noticeable.

Adults can now get straighter smiles without worrying about spending months with a mouthful of metallic braces, thanks to Invisalign and dentists like ours at Matthews Family Dentistry, who offer this treatment.

Complete Smile Makeover

A complete smile makeover combines multiple types of cosmetic dentistry procedures to upgrade the smile’s appearance. The types of treatment in this makeover may include veneers, whitening, or Invisalign. Patients work closely with the dentist to customize the treatments in this makeover package to get the most dramatic results in creating a straight, white, bright, and even smile.

Contact Matthews Family Dentistry to Access Many Types of Cosmetic Dentistry for an Aesthetically Pleasing Smile

If you’ve always wanted to improve your smile, now is your chance. Visit us at Matthews Family Dentistry to work with one of our dentists to find the best types of cosmetic dentistry for you. Find out how we can help you to get the smile that you’ve always wanted by scheduling a consultation with us at Matthews Family Dentistry.