COSMETIC DENTISTRY

Veneers

Tooth veneers are thin layers of either composite resin or porcelain that are laminated onto the natural teeth rejuvenating the smile and creating a smile of strong, white natural looking teeth. Veneers have perfected the smiles of many actors, T.V. personalities and models.

Over the last 20 years porcelain veneers have been the most popular. Whilst they are an extremely valuable treatment tool for improving smiles it should be noted that usually some permanent alteration of the natural teeth needs to be made for their construction. This is irreversible. Porcelain veneers are made by specialist porcelain technicians and therefore the cost can be considerable.

Usually these require little or no preparation of the natural tooth and can often be completed in less than half a day.

Implants

Dental implants have become available as one way to replace missing teeth or dentures. A titanium screw is placed in the jawbone. These screws can then be used to hold a variety of solutions which can be permanently attached to the bone looking and feeling like your own teeth. The result can rejuvenate the appearance of the mouth while restoring its natural function and comfort. The complete treatment can take some time but is generally finished between 2 and 4 months. For those who wish, implant placement can be done as a day patient in hospital under general anesthesia, but in many cases it is done in the dental chair with about the same level of discomfort as a routine filling.

Crowns & Bridges

Sometimes the crown of the tooth is so heavily filled or damaged that it needs to be replaced by an artificial crown. This restores the tooth to near natural strength and provides a more reliable tooth. Great care is taken to identify the most appropriate colour and shape of the crown to achieve the best aesthetic and functional result.

Crowns are also sometimes placed on anterior teeth to restore function, improve the appearance and perhaps remove gaps.

A dental bridge is an artificial device that replaces missing teeth permanently whilst restoring the function of the whole mouth. In the same way as a bridge has two supports and a span over the gap in between, a dental bridge will attach to the teeth on either side of the gap in the mouth. Often this is accomplished by crowning the tooth on either side of the gap supporting an artificial tooth between. Particular care is taken to achieve a quality, natural outcome.

Depending on the mouth, the health of the gums and the bite, a bonded bridge is sometimes possible. These are called Maryland bridges after the University that they were developed in. Little or no preparation is needed for these particular bridges and there is a large cost saving when they are able to be done.

Teeth Whitening

Some people are lucky enough to be naturally blessed with sparkling white teeth. Others have much darker teeth or teeth that have yellowed with age.

These days many people find this unacceptable and prefer to greet the world with a youthful and pleasing smile. Bleaching the teeth is a safe treatment that has been used and licensed since 1952 in America.

Varying types of peroxides are used in different concentrations to suit the particular patient’s mouth. In office bleaching this technique, which uses very strong bleaches placed by a trained operator directly on the teeth and activated by a special light, peaked in popularity a few years ago.

Many operators found that the immediate benefit soon faded. At the No Brace Centre we currently recommend home bleaching as this is much longer lasting and, as all bleaching techniques need regular maintenance for life, the cost is effectively less because the patient already has the bleaching equipment.

In this technique, impressions are taken of your teeth and custom built bleaching trays (very thin) are made specifically for your mouth. After the operator has ensured that your trays are a good fit you will be sent home with the bleaching materials to use in the comfort of your own home or workplace and at the convenience of your own timing.

Bleaching will take between two and three weeks and it is necessary to top up approximately 4 times a year from then on. It is not unusual for teeth to experience some sensitivity during the bleaching process which will resolve after the treatment has finished.