Cosmetic Dentistry - The Basics

A brilliant white smile full of perfectly aligned and proportioned teeth is not as difficult to acquire as in the past. Advancements in cosmetic dentistry in Denver means even the most challenging of dental conditions can be addressed and converted into a picture perfect smile.

For starters, most people wishing to improve the appearance of their teeth should concentrate on basic tooth care routines like proper brushing and flossing, and regularly scheduled dental appointments with their Denver dentist. When a person decides to go further to improve or revitalize his/her smile, he/she needs to avail themselves of the services of a cosmetic dentist or general dental practitioner who can provide effective treatment.

A host of alternatives are available for the patient looking for cosmetic dentistry, including: tooth whitening, fillings and crowns, inlays and onlays, veneers, composite bonding, and even full mouth restoration. If tooth straightening procedures are deemed necessary to produce the optimal cosmetic result, this would be carried out by an orthodontist.

The goal of the cosmetic dentist is to make the teeth and the mouth look better, often requiring materials not usually needed by general Denver dentists. The scope of treatments undertaken by the cosmetic dentist has also expanded to cover services normally associated with a conventional dentist, like filling cavities.

Inlays and onlays, or “indirect” fillings, are not molded in-situ but prepared in a controlled environment and fitted on to the tooth in the dentist’s office. In cases where conventional fillings are not a viable restorative option, inlays and onlays are the next alternative.They are also quite useful in fortifying and restoring function to teeth damaged by decay or earlier dental procedures. Whether an inlay or onlay treatment is required, depends on the position and the extent of coverage required.

Composite bonding is a procedure commonly used for both filling and repairing teeth. Cosmetic dentists generally use two alternative techniques - filling, which attaches two surfaces together, and “direct” bonding using resin material to fill and guard a damaged tooth.

Composite bonding, though, is not always the ideal treatment modality for restoring damaged teeth.

Veneers are patient-specific and made from a tough ceramic substance to protect chipped, cracked and otherwise damaged teeth, and to remedy irregular alignment and big gaps between teeth. Veneers are, in effect, an all-purpose solution for most cosmetic dentistry issues. Dental veneers are often the treatment of choice for a large number of dental patients as they provide a trouble free, sturdy and normal looking course of cosmetic dental treatment.

Sometimes a tooth may be so greatly damaged that that a veneer is not sufficient, and the remaining solution is placement of a crown. Crowns and caps provide function for even the most heavily damaged teeth by encasing the properly prepared remains of a tooth. Denver dentists will always try to retain the natural tooth to the maximum extent possible, paring off only the portion that is absolutely essential for fitting a crown or a veneer.

Some portions of the affected teeth have to be filed or ground down in order to fit in the crown or cap, which may not be the best solution, and Denver dentists will investigate every potential treatment possibility so as to avoid any further destruction of tooth material.

Porcelain, gold and a combination of porcelain and metal are the main materials used in crown fabrication.

The metal-porcelain combination produces the strongest, most hard-wearing and most aesthetically pleasing crowns.

When little space is available and, because they are narrower than those crowns with a metal core, porcelain-only crowns are the best option. They are not nearly as strong as the other varieties, though, and are susceptible to breakage under the strain of intense use.

For those patients with a heavy bite or grinding habit, gold crowns are the most effective treatment to replace damaged molars. However, gold is very noticeable and patients may opt for a more aesthetically pleasing result.

Smile makeovers and full-mouth restorations are available treatment options for circumstances requiring the restoration of several cosmetically compromised teeth. The smile makeover is a purely aesthetic process of improving the appearance of the teeth and can require everything from whitening to crowns or veneers.

Full-mouth reconstruction is a more comprehensive process, and involves a complete appraisal of the patient’s needs before a smile makeover is done. Over the course of his/her evaluation, the cosmetic dentist may identify defects in the structure of the patient’s teeth and bone, bite patterns and muscles near the mouth that require more extensive treatment. Such issues can be addressed with implants, treatment of gum disease, orthodontics and even bone grafting or soft tissue (gum) surgical procedures to build up bone and gum to accept restorations.

Patients need to consider every treatment option presented by their Denver general or cosmetic dentist and choose the one that will most reliably give them the results they would like to see achieved.