Options Abound At Your Cosmetic Dentist's Office
Have you ever desired one of those "million-dollar" smiles? Well, your desire could possibly come true. Advancements in cosmetic dentistry materials and techniques have brought prices down considerably in the past decade, and now more options than just braces exist for those who want straight, white teeth. You can now get your teeth whitened, straightened, repaired, and replaced at your nearest cosmetic dentist's office.
Teeth whitening can be performed using chemicals and lasers, veneers, and overlays. The methods, when performed at the dentist's office, are not harmful like they can be using the whitening strips at home. Veneers and overlays enable permanent whitening for teeth, plus create a permanent barrier against further attack and decay of your existing teeth. They are quite a bit more expensive than the home whitening strips, however.
If you want your teeth straightened, you can travel the traditional route of metal braces, or for teeth that are not misaligned as badly, you have options at the cosmetic dentist such as veneers, overlays, and bonding. With veneers and overlays, thin sheets of ceramic shaped to exactly fit each tooth are fashioned and then glued onto the existing teeth. The veneers can be made of different thicknesses, so a tooth that is slightly set back from the others can be brought even with the rest by installing a thicker veneer. Bonding is a method that uses clay colored to match your existing teeth. The clay is placed over the surfaces of the teeth, and then shaped and contoured to make a nice, even row of teeth. The clay is then hardened, given a final touchup, and polished to match the other teeth. Bonding is also utilized to fill in gaps between teeth, especially in front.
Porcelain veneer is also utilized in the onlay process. In this case, the veneer is molded in sections to fit around the outside crown of the tooth to completely encapsulate it and protect the remaining tooth and protect it as well. The dentist can also install inlays, which are also ceramic porcelain, but in this case fit in the center of a tooth to fill in gaps and give the whole tooth strength. It works just as a filling, with the amalgam replaced by a ceramic "plug" that works as added surface area for the tooth when biting.
Lastly, cosmetic dentists can also install dental implants and bridges for missing teeth. Bridges are false teeth fashioned from wire hooks on each end to attach to adjacent permanent teeth. Implants integrate a metal post that is drilled into the jaw and allowed to set. After the post is set, a crown is glued over the top. In both cases, the installations are permanent, and necessitate no special maintenance beyond normal brushing.
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