What are cosmetic dental procedures?

Cosmetic dental procedures usually refer to any kind of work carried out on your teeth that improves the appearance of your teeth and gums, and as a result of this work your smile becomes brighter and more beautiful. If you find that your teeth are what you like them to be, you can consult a cosmetic dental worker and find a solution to your problem. By consulting cosmetic dentist, you can improve the look of your teeth. If your teeth are stained, or crooked or chipped, the cosmetic dentist can make them look attractive, with natural colouring and perfectly aligned resulting in an appealing smile.  More and more people from the field of public speaking, and high profile jobs opt for a better smile through cosmetic dentistry.

There are many types of problems with the look of the teeth and gums apart from the tooth ache and pain and diseases of gums and bone in the mouth. Cosmetic dentistry basically deals with enhancing the look of teeth and smile, after solving the teeth and gum problems.

Here are a few cosmetic dental procedures for the stained or crooked teeth, chipped or misaligned teeth and broken or misshaped teeth.

Teeth whitening

There are umpteen products and procedures to whiten you teeth. Some products are available over the counter, like, teeth whitening strips, gels, rinses, tooth pastes, and trays. Some products have to be bought from the dentist’s office. This procedure cannot be offered to everyone though. People who have healthy teeth and gums are best candidates for this.

Dental veneers

If you have a certain look of your teeth in mind, then dental veneers would be a good choice. Dental veneers are  thin shells of  composite resin  material or medical grade ceramic or porcelain which are adhered to your original teeth which have been shaved slightly for veneers to fit onto. A chemical is used to bond the veneer to your teeth. Once bonded, the veneers will stay in place for almost decades. Dental veneers are best for crooked or chipped teeth to give them a proper carved shape. It is one of the more popular cosmetic procedure opted for by many, due to its durability, and the near original  natural appearance. This procedure is done after your teeth are treated for any kind of tooth or gum infection. Decayed teeth cannot accept veneers therefore teeth and gums need to be healthy and the person needs to follow excellent oral health.

Dental crowns

The part of the tooth that is visible to us, above the jawbone and gums is called the crown of the tooth. The cosmetic crown is required when a tooth gets stained, or chips. Crowns are used to cover broken or damaged molars and front teeth after work has been carried out on them to clean the infection on and under the teeth.  After root canal, the filling has to be put into the tooth to cover the hollow that is created by removing decayed and infected material from the tooth. The dentist caps the remaining tooth with a matching ceramic material which is also referred to as a crown.

Dental Implants

Millions of people opt for dental implants today with the numbers increasing every day. Dental implants are used extensively in cosmetic dentistry today. Basically dental implants are artificial roots, made of metal screw. These screws are implanted in the jawbone and left there for sometime so that bone tissue grows around the screw, bonding it with the surrounding jaw bone, completely covering it with new bone grown on and around it. This dental implant now becomes strong enough to support one or more artificial teeth called crowns on top of it. To fix the tooth to the screw or the implant, a device called an abutment is connected with the screw which supports the crown. The artificial teeth that sit on top of the implants are made to order according to the need of the patient. The shape and colour of the crown are customised to suit the need of the patient. This dental implant is a long lasting device which gives a beautiful smile to the person concerned. Dental implants are one of the major successful cosmetic dental procedures used all over the world now.

Braces and Invisalign

Braces are a part of cosmetic dentistry for a long time now. They are used basically to correct overcrowded and misaligned teeth. This cosmetic dental procedure is used for malocclusion, overbite and under bite because of misalignment of teeth. It will correct all kinds of faulty bites and crooked teeth with application of constant pressure on the teeth which will make them move to desired position. Braces will be made after taking impressions of your bite and will be checked on regular intervals. Bands, wires and other accessorises may be required to fix your problem.

Invisaligns are braces or devices that are made of clear transparent plastic used, which are not visible, to correct misaligned teeth, when crowding is not very severe.

Dentures

Dentures are artificial teeth and gum. They are custom made using resin composite. These dentures are durable but need to change with a new set of dentures every now and then. The material that hold the dentures in place in the mouth resemble natural gum and is softer so that it can fit snugly in the mouth.

Dentures keep the skin of the face from sagging because of the missing teeth thereby making the face more good looking. Dentures also allow you to eat naturally thus making life easier.

There are partial dentures that fit onto the gum and get fixed on nearby natural teeth. These are not permanently fixed and can be removed for cleaning purposes. Dentures should be cleaned regularly like natural teeth and if left unwashed, they can build up plaque and bacterial and may harm whatever teeth and gum are left.