8 Popular Cosmetic Dentistry Procedures to Smile Brighter

Smart Smile • July 13, 2020

Cosmetic dentistry procedures aren't just for vanity. These 8 popular treatments are necessary and life-changing. Take a look, the results speak for themselves.

There are more correlations between how you feel and your overall health than you might think. After all, many people worry about how their teeth look and how they function. Unlike many body parts (aside from skin) you can't really see your bits and guess how they're doing.

The purpose of cosmetic dentistry procedures isn't to make you look great (which they do) but also to improve function and your overall health. When your teeth are aligned, your mouth is filled with little chewers, and everything is polished up, it all works better.

That's why an office like Smart Smile works so hard to shore up damage and fix what's broken in addition to routine and preventative care. 

Improve your oral health and your overall health by learning more about cosmetic dentistry.

Who is Cosmetic Dentistry Ideal For?

Ideally, everyone should invest in a better smile. The health benefits are well worth the cost and time.

Those looking to make an impact in the growing world of influencers, people looking to advance in their careers, and those who have suffered extreme damage find cosmetic dentistry the most beneficial. 

These groups need to exude confidence and make an impression. Both of these things are easier when you don't have to worry about a gap, discolorations, or chipped teeth. These are the problems that Smart Smile cosmetic dentistry excels in treating. 

Cosmetic Dentistry Procedures

Not all procedures are the same. They work to confront the same overall issues, but they take meaningfully different paths to achieve those goals. The following are grouped in the most common procedures. At the bottom, you'll find a few unorthodox options used for niche applications. 

Common Procedures

These procedures work to brighten and to repair. After all, a broken tooth can quickly spread damage to other areas in the mouth and should be addressed sooner than later. 

1. Dental Crown

One of the oldest forms of dental treatments that some don't even consider it a cosmetic option. Modern crowns have gone beyond metal and amalgam. Today they use resins, ceramic, or porcelain-metal to protect a repaired tooth underneath.

These crowns look great and offer longtime wear that rivals that of your natural teeth. Crowns can also be applied to a discolored tooth or cracked teeth to hold them together without other repairs. 

2. Teeth Whitening

Probably the most prevalent of cosmetic dentistry offerings is teeth whitening. Many over the counter products now exist to remove discolorations and brighten teeth. Like any other offering, the in-office treatments are stronger.

3. Dental Veneers

Veneers are both very common and something you probably haven't noticed too often. These custom-crafted shells made of resin or porcelain are applied over the fronts of teeth. A dentist will bond them with a cementing agent but they are nonpermanent changes. 

They offer subtle cosmetic changes that take the place of alignments and whitening. They offer a makeover of your teeth in flash.

Veneers look great but they do little to protect and build the teeth behind. 

4. Inlays and Onlays

Slower processes that provide many of the same optics as veneers are Inlays and Onlays. Both represent a type of extra durable and pleasing filling. As opposed to a filling used to fill a cavity, these provide strength and support for a tooth.

Inlays are put inside the body of a tooth, at or near the center. Onlays are used to fill chips and dents on the outside of a tooth and along the biting surface. 

5. Dental Bonding

Like a crown, dental bonding forms a protective layer over a tooth to protect the vital biology beneath. Rather than craft and shape a covering which is then cemented into place, bonding applies a material around the tooth first.

This material is then hardened with lasers or ultraviolet light. The resulting shape is then polished and shaped to look like the original tooth or a look of your choosing.

6. Dental Implants

The workhorses of the cosmetic dentistry world are becoming more common in general among periodontists. Implants completely replace a damaged or missing tooth. They also shore up the jawline and prevent bone loss therein.

Implants are pricy options and take months to install. A dentist or oral surgeon analyzes the jawbone for density and, if needed, they build density up with lacing or fillers. They then implant a post which grows into the jaw.
On top of that post, a synthetic tooth is attached. These last decades and provide strength and support to surrounding teeth. 

Unorthodox Procedures

The first option is preventative and another place you might not spot cosmetic dentistry at work. The last option is used infrequently for massive damage that requires a lot of building up to save what natural teeth and mouth-shape remain. 

7. Invisalign

There are multiple movie tropes about growing up with braces. These borderline Medieval torture devices are being phased out. Nowadays, you can choose Invisalign instead. These nearly invisible braces are most often used by adults who want to realign teeth over time. These can be applied to the back of the teeth or made of clear materials applied to the front.

Adults and professionals prefer Invisalign vs braces for confidence and also to save recovery time from other procedures. 

8. Bridges and Partials

Bridges and partial dentures find use when multiple teeth have been lost or removed. Both need to be attached with anchors and fill in two to three-tooth gaps.

Bridges and partials shore up your bite and help slow damage to other tooth structures. They also find use when bone density makes implants difficult. In some cases, dentists use bridges as temporary stopgaps while other procedures are completed. 

Full dentures are becoming a rarity as the importance of original tooth matter is more understood. In discussing denture options many dentists will lean towards partials and explain their benefits. 

Have the Smile You Deserve

With so many cosmetic dentistry procedures to choose from, there' bound to be one that can help you. With teeth, preventative and early care makes a huge difference to the outcome. Don't delay until tomorrow something that can be improved. 

Smart Smile offers cosmetic dentistry services in Orange, CA contact us to brighten your life today. 
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