The advancement of cosmetic dentistry, techniques, and products available has enabled our dentistry team to enhance the beauty and functionality of our patient's smiles. Cosmetic dentistry focuses on the aesthetic concerns including misaligned, discolored, crooked, broken and even missing teeth.
Veneers Whitening Bonding Fillings Inlays & Onlays
Veneers are an excellent way to redesign and reshape your entire mouth without using braces. Veneers are a very thin ceramic shell that covers your existing tooth structure. Placing veneers on your teeth fixes the look of problem areas such as staining, cracks, spaces, misaligned, and chipped teeth.
The process of placing veneers takes approximately two to three office visits:
- In the first visit, we will discuss the new shape and look of the veneers. Once that is complete, we will carefully prepare your teeth for veneer placement.
- The next step is to take an impression of the new shape and design of your teeth. This impression will be sent to our laboratory so the final piece can be created. We utilize the highest quality laboratory for all of our work. This step takes between 10-14 days.
- While the new veneers are being constructed, we will provide you with a beautiful temporary solution to wear during this time.
We will make every effort to make sure that your new veneers will feel just like your natural teeth. We will bond them into place ensuring that you can enjoy your new smile permanently.
Coffee, wine, smoking, and other factors can stain teeth. Once teeth are stained, it can be a challenge getting them back to their natural color. Teeth whitening is an excellent option if you are looking to restore the natural color of your teeth or to make them even whiter than before. Please contact us to discuss which whitening option will work best for you!
Zoom! Whitening unleashes a bright white smile in just one office appointment. The whitening procedures uses a safe whitening gel applied to your teeth, a LED whitening light is applied and your teeth will be remarkably whiter in just one appointment.
Should you like to ease into teeth whitening, we offer a tray whitening system that is completed in two steps:
- An impression of your teeth will be taken. Using the impression, we'll create custom whitening trays that can be used repeatedly.
- You will receive whitening gel that will be placed in the trays. After wearing the trays for a few days, the results of your smile will be 4 - 8 shades whiter!
Bonding is a popular method to correct cracks or gaps in teeth, as a filling after a cavity has been removed, or to cover up stains or discolored teeth:
- A composite resin is used on the affected tooth. It is molded and sculpted over an adhesive gel.
- An LED light is used to harden the resin. It will be polished to give you a fresh, new smile.
Bonding is an improvement over silver fillings. With the advancements in dental technology, bonding usually lasts for over 10 years. It is a safe, affordable, and attractive solution for many dental problems.
A filling is a way to restore a tooth damaged by decay back to its normal function and shape. When a dentist gives you a filling, he or she first removes the decayed tooth material, cleans the affected area, and then fills the cleaned out cavity with a filling material. If your dentist decides to fill a cavity, he or she will first remove the decay and clean the affected area. The cleaned-out cavity will then be filled with any of the variety of materials described below:
- Amalgam (silver) fillings are resistant to wear and relatively inexpensive.
- Composite (plastic) resins are matched to be the same color as your teeth and therefore used where a natural appearance is desired. Composites may not be the ideal material for large fillings as they may chip or wear over time. They can also become stained from coffee, soda, or tobacco, and do not last as long as other types of fillings, generally from three to 10 years.
- Porcelain fillings are called inlays or on-lays and are produced to order and then bonded to the tooth. They can be matched to the color of the tooth and resist staining. A porcelain restoration generally covers most of the tooth.
Inlays and onlays are similar kinds of restoration but cover different portions of the tooth. The dental inlay fills the space between the cusps at the center of the tooth’s surface, while the dental onlay covers one or more cusps. Dental onlays provide extensive coverage and are oftentimes referred to as “partial crowns.” This process is done to strengthen the tooth, restore its shape, and prevent further damage.
The process for inlays and onlays is completed within a few weeks:
- During the procedure, the decayed area of the tooth is removed.
- A mold of the tooth is taken and sent to a dental lab. A restoration will be made from porcelain, gold, or a composite resin.
- The restoration takes about 2-3 weeks to make, so a temporary inlay or onlay will be placed on the tooth during that time.
- During your next visit, the inlay or onlay will be placed on your tooth and set with cement.
Your tooth will look like it has always been a part of your natural smile!