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A smile can be the most eye-catching feature of your face. Even a subtle change
can make a big difference in the way you look and feel. New techniques like
bleaching, bonding,
enamel shaping, veneers,
and white fillings allow us to create a beautiful
smile with, at times, only minimal changes to existing teeth.
Bleaching
(Whitening) is a very popular procedure in cosmetic dentistry. It
is a relatively easy and effective technique for obtaining a dazzling, whiter
smile, at home, in a matter of days.
Bonding
is a procedure where tooth-colored composite resin material is placed to "fill
in the blanks." One of the most frequent uses of the bonding technique
is to fill in a gap between front teeth.
Enamel
Shaping (Contouring) is the process of shaping natural teeth to improve
their appearance. Shaping can be used to correct minor cases of crowded or
overlapping teeth, smooth rough edges, or make small adjustments to the shape
of a tooth.
Veneers
are laboratory fabricated, porcelain facings that are bonded to the front
surfaces of teeth to whiten teeth, close spaces, straighten teeth, or repair
chipped or worn teeth. The veneers are only about 1 mm thick (the thickness
of a fingernail). That same thickness is "shaved" off the natural
tooth surface so when the veneer is bonded to the tooth, the tooth doesn't
feel or look "thicker".
Caps
(Crowns) are rarely used for cosmetic correction any more, since the
advent of veneers, but in some cases a crown may be necessary for a particular
tooth. A tooth with a bad fracture or a large
filling that is breaking down, or has decay around
it, may be a candidate for a crown instead of a veneer. This patient has veneers
on top, but one of the front teeth had a large filling and had to be crowned.
White
fillings replace silver(mercury-containing) or gold fillings with
a more natural looking tooth-colored material. Since teeth are translucent,
mercury-based fillings cause the whole tooth to appear darker when viewed
from the side. Replacing older dark fillings with white fillings will not
only improve your smile, but may also improve your systemic health.
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© Copyright 2003- Dental WebSmith, Inc. and Riverside Dental Care. All rights reserved. Disclaimer: The information provided within is intended to help you better understand dental conditions and procedures. It is not meant to serve as delivery of medical or dental care. If you have specific questions or concerns, contact your health care provider.
