Cosmetic Dentistry Options
Click on the links: Laminate Porcelain Veneers / Implants Procedure / Bleaching / Crowns and Bridges / Laminate Veneers
Laminate Porcelain Veneers
For a smile makeover the porcelain veneer option is a very popular choice for both patients and dentists, with very impressive results. It is possible to transform chipped, crooked, discoloured and damaged teeth into a more even smile that can give you much more confidence when you smile. They are also perfect for closing spaces between gappy teeth.
What are Veneers?
Porcelain veneers are tiny slithers of porcelain that are a bit like a very thin fingernail or facing. This goes over your existing tooth on the front of it. It is held on by cement that sticks both to your tooth and the inside of the venner.
How long to Veneers last?
Porcelain veneers generally will last 10 years if looked after. Good oral hygiene is essential as well as regular check ups at the dentist.
Implants Procedure
What is a Dental implant?
A dental implant is an artificial replacement for the root portion of your natural tooth. It is anchored into a pre drilled socket in your jaw bone and a crown, bridge or denture is securely attached to it. It is usually made of titanium. This is because it easily integrates with bone tissue, such as in a hip replacement, which also uses titanium.
Treatment planning
If you are considering implants you must first visit your dentist and let him assess the health of your teeth, gums and bone quality. If there are signs of gum disease these must be treated first. The next step is that you will have x-rays to access your bone quality and the exact place that the hole for the implant should will be.
Procedure
The procedure is carried out at your dental surgery and is usually done under local anaesthesia. IV sedation is sometimes used for longer procedures and very nervous patients.
The gum where the implant is going to be placed is cut and a small flap of skin is lifted to one side and a small hole is drilled in the jaw bone where the implant is going to be placed. The titanium implant is then placed in the hole and the gum sewn back together and around the implant. It is then allowed to heal for approximately 6 months. The time the implant is left to heal depends on how your body recovers from this treatment and the type of implant your dentist uses, as there are many different types on the market.
The bone around the implant will grow new tissue and attach itself to the rough surface of the titanium implant.
In the interval you will be fitted with a temporary bridge or denture as a short term restoration. This will be clear of the repairing tissue and bone and this will allow it to heal effectively.
After the 6 month period you will have the tissue opened up over the healed implant and a small alloy post will be attached to the implant in your jaw. On top of this a temporary crown will be fitted. There will then be a period of about 6 weeks needed to allow your gum to heal and get used to the new implant shape with the post fitted as well as the crown.
At this point your new crown or bridge or denture can be successfully fitted and your implant procedure is finished.
Bleaching
Tooth Whitening/Bleaching
Tooth whitening is the most commonly requested cosmetic dental procedure. It will create a much brighter and whiter smile for you with minimal effort.
It will not straighten or alter your existing teeth so is only suitable if you are happy with your smile, and just want to lighten the colour of your teeth.
How is it done?
You can go to your dentist and have your teeth whitened while you wait in the dental chair, which usually takes about an hour. This is the more expensive option, but more convenient.
The other option is your dentist takes some impressions of your mouth and sends them to a dental laboratory. A dental technician with then make you a bleaching tray for your upper and lower jaw from the models he casts in plaster from the dental moulds of your teeth. They are then returned to the dentist who will give you them along with a home bleaching kit which you would use at night. Your teeth will lighten while you sleep if you wear the bleaching trays filled with a lightening gel.
How long does it last?
It is not a permanent change and depends on your diet. Smoking, red wine, curry and coffee all discolour teeth and will do the same to your bleached teeth. Usually 1 year appointments are necessary, but it depends on the system used on your teeth by your particular dentist.
Crowns and Bridges
Porcelain Crowns and Bridges
If your tooth has become decayed and a filling or an inlay is not sufficient, then a porcelain crown or ‘cap’ is often what you will be recommended by your dentist.
Root canal treatment can often lead to the need of a crown to protect the remaining root of the tooth.
Porcelain crowns are often used where a tooth has been badly knocked and chipped, or fractured.
What are they made from?
Porcelain crowns are made of a metal alloy shell that is very thin but adds strength to the crown, and then shaded porcelain is added to match your natural tooth colour. It is fired in a porcelain furnace by the dental technicians and finished to a highly glazed finish to prevent the porcelain from attracting plaque and staining.
More recently other materials are being used such as Zirconia, a very strong and tooth like shaded material, and all porcelain crowns. Neither of these options uses a metal core and is more cosmetically pleasing in many cases. It is a more expensive option but the results are often better.
Porcelain bridges are linked crowns that cover a larger area in the mouth, often used to ‘bridge’ a gap between 2 natural teeth. The natural teeth will have to become part of the bridge to close such a gap. This means they will be reduced in size by the dentist and then the bridge will go over these teeth and close the gap at the same time in between.
