Cosmetic dentistry is the art and science of restoring a smile and giving people the smile they’ve always dreamed of. So, why is this so important?
Your smile is one of the key ways you communicate with the world. People are automatically drawn to beautiful, smiley people. People who lack confidence and hide their smile, are often withdrawn in social and business situations. So, without confidence in your smile, you can’t make that critical great first impression, and you could even be held back in social and professional situations.
For many dentists, cosmetic procedures give them the greatest sense of satisfaction. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of absolute joy you see on a patient’s face when they’re looking at their brand new smile. You can see years of insecurities washed away in an instant, and it makes all the training worth it.
What Does a Cosmetic Dentistry Procedure Consist Of?
Your exact procedure will differ based on your needs, wants and desires. If you are concerned about the colour of your teeth, it is probably as simple as tooth whitening. If you are dealing with anything more serious, you may need veneers or crowns.
We always start with a chat about you, what you want, your dental wishes and desires. We put together a wish list and then develop a customised treatment plan that ticks all your boxes. If it involves reshaping teeth and rebuilding smiles, then we will do a “mock-up”. This way, you can see what your new smile is going to look like. We can adjust this mock-up until you are excited about your new smile and then we will re-create it in your material of choice.
Let’s take a look at some common cosmetic dental procedures.
Tooth Whitening
At-home and in-office whitening treatments are incredibly effective at whitening teeth. You should always visit a clinic that is licensed to use the highest amounts of bleach to ensure efficacy. The bleach is made of hydrogen peroxide, and it can undo years of stains. If you opt for the in-office treatment, you can see a 5-8 shade difference in just 60-90 minutes. The at-home version takes a little longer but is still as effective. You also get custom made mouth guards or whitening trays, so there’s no danger of the whitening gel touching your gums or other tissue. Also customised whitening trays use a lot less material and hold the whitening gel intimately next to your teeth and so are more effective than off the shelf one size fits all whitening kit guards.
Tips for Tooth Whitening
- Brush and floss an hour before any whitening treatment.
- If you have sensitive teeth, you should slowly build up to the three-hour or the one hour treatment time for an at-home treatment. if the sensitivity continues then place tooth moose in the guard instead of the whitening gel and that will calm the sensitive teeth.
- Whiten the top teeth first for 1 to two weeks until you noticed a colour change. Then you can start whitening the lower teeth Keep going until you get the colour your want
- If you run out of gel, give us a ring and you can purchase some more to finish things off.
Veneers, Crowns, Bridges and Implants
These four treatments can basically fix any cosmetic issue or missing tooth. Implants and bridges can replace missing teeth, crowns can restore and strengthen weak teeth and veneers can make your upper and lower front teeth look as straight and even and any colour you like.
Your cosmetic dentist knows exactly what ‘perfect’ teeth look like, and they have special knowledge in the advantages and disadvantages of the different dental materials that can be use for different situations to create your ideal smile. That means natural, well-proportioned teeth that you feel comfortable and confident flashing always.
Equally importantly to the looks is the feel and function. They need to be able to chew food wonderfully. There’s no point giving your new teeth if you can’t use them. That’s why our expert cosmetic dentist will recreate all the necessary anatomical elements that make teeth look natural and function excellently.
Tips for The Perfect Veneers, Crowns, Bridges and Implants
Make sure you go with a cosmetic dentistry that follows this exact process when creating any of the above cosmetic treatments for you:
- The first step should involve creating a ‘mock-up’ of your new smile design.
- Next, your dentist should use temporary materials to show you what the treatments will look like once completed. Your dentist should then take photos for your approval. This gives you a chance to make any suggestions and raise any concerns.
- He will take impressions of the temporary restorations that make up your ideal smile. The temporary models will be used to create the final restorations. You should always have final approval before the restorations are cemented into place.
Communication and Specialist Knowledge
As you can see, it’s essential that there is good and frequent communication between the patient and the dentist. The patient’s happiness should be the first priority. As the patient, you need to be given the opportunity to monitor the progress of your treatments, and make suggestions throughout. After all, they are your treatments—you need to sign off on the finished product before it is permanently cemented in place.
Perhaps most importantly, you want to go with a cosmetic dentist that uses high-quality materials, has specialist knowledge of the whole procedure and materials and uses a master ceramist so that together they create custom crowns, veneers and implants every time. You don’t want to go with a cheap option, you want something that will fit properly and leave you with a smile that will last for decades.
Cosmetic dentistry is about so much more than looks. Although, if you just want to love what you see in the mirror, go for it! By addressing your cosmetic issues, you also address your inner confidence, and that can only be a good thing. Your new smile will give you new confidence to go out and conquer the world!
As a holistic dentist, we understand the influence of psychological health on physical health. That’s why we spend so much time on learning our cosmetic dentistry and using it as an integral part of our oral health services. Don’t live with your insecurities anymore, address them with our help, and come and let us give you the perfect smile.
If you would like more information or to book an appointment, please contact us.