What Are Different Cosmetic Dentistry Dental Procedures?
Having cracks, chips, discoloration, fractures, and missing teeth affect your smile and confidence. Fortunately, modern cosmetic dentistry can help. The various procedures included are designed to improve the appearance of your mouth, teeth, gums, and overall smile.
When you visit our cosmetic dentist near you, they will examine your teeth and gum and determine the type of procedure that is ideal for you.
What are the Different Cosmetic Dentistry Procedures?
We offer different cosmetic dental procedures that can improve your smile. Sometimes, our dentist may use one or a combination of treatments to solve the issue. These procedures include:
1. Teeth Bonding
Dental bonding repairs cracks, chips, discoloration, or lengthens the teeth using a resin material. Bonding is one of the most inexpensive, noninvasive, and fast dental procedures. Our dentist will begin the process with an assessment to check the condition of your gums and teeth.
Local anesthesia is not usually used unless you have decay or the crack is near a nerve. Our dentist will condition the teeth to make it easy for the resin material to bond to the teeth. The teeth are bonded, and a special light is used to harden the material.
The resin material is prone to cracks and chips, and you need to care for the teeth.
2. Teeth Whitening and whitening
The teeth can get discolored because of various factors, like age, medication, lifestyle, and diet. Our cosmetic dentist in Merrifield, VA, will recommend professional teeth whitening because it is more effective. The in-office teeth whitening involves the application of a whitening solution with high amounts of the whitening agent. Our dentist also uses a protective gel on the gums to protect them from bruising. The teeth whitening process takes a couple of minutes, and it is done in several sessions. Sometimes a fluoride treatment or a tooth-sensitive toothpaste is done to protect the teeth from sensitivity.
Our dentist can also give you take-home whitening kits to supplement the in-office treatment and maintain the whitening results.
3. Gum Contouring
Gum contouring is done by reshaping the receding gum line. The treatment involves cutting away or removing excess tissue around the teeth.
Although gum contouring is an elective procedure, there are times when it is necessary. When you have receding gums caused by gum disease, the dentist may perform contouring as part of your gum disease treatment.
Our cosmetic dentist or periodontist performs the in-office procedure in one visit. Our dentist will use a laser or a scalpel to remove excess gum tissue or reshape them.
Our dentist can also correct receding gum by taking gum tissue from the palate and attaching it to the affected area.
The length of the contouring varies depending on the severity of the condition and how much contouring is needed.
4. Dental Veneers
Dental veneers are wafer-thin, customized tooth-colored shells applied on the teeth to improve the color, shape, size, length, and appearance. The veneers come in either porcelain or composite materials, and they are used to fix discolored, worn-down, cracked, or chipped teeth.
The dental veneer procedure needs dental visits—one for the consultation and the second one for fixing the veneer.
Our dentist will begin the procedure with examination and treatment planning. The teeth are prepared by trimming the enamel to create room for the shells.
Our dentist creates an impression of the reshaped teeth using a mold or 3-D scanner and fixes temporary veneers to protect them.
After two to three weeks, our dentist will replace the temporary ones with permanent shells.
5. Dental Implants and Bridges
Dental implants and bridges are both used to replace missing teeth. The bridges are restorations that use dental crowns to support the false teeth. They are noninvasive, but the adjacent teeth are trimmed out to create a room, and this process is irreversible. Our dentist will use cement to hold the bridges in place and examine the fit.
Teeth implants are screws made from a biocompatible material and are surgically fixed on the jaw to replace the roots of the teeth.
Schedule an Appointment
Call or book an appointment with Drummond Dental Care for more information about cosmetic dentistry in Fairfax, VA and which procedure is ideal for you.