|
Cosmetic Dentistry
 Your smile is your greeting card. It projects your personality to the world. A great smile lets people know that you are warm, inviting, and fun. It exudes confidence, youth, and vitality. On the other hand, someone who doesn’t smile due to the appearance of their teeth is perceived and cold and unfriendly. A survey by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry reveals that 92% of adult respondents say that an attractive smile is an important social asset, while 74% believe an unattractive smile can hurt a person’s chances for career success.
In the past, inadequate materials limited the treatment options available for improving the appearances of your teeth. Today, there is no reason not to smile. The advances in dental materials and techniques allow me to routinely provide treatments that were unheard of ten years ago.
 Brighten Your Smile With Bleaching
As we age, our teeth get darker from years of accumulated stain. Some medications (especially tetracycline), can darken our teeth while they are forming. Fortunately, both situations can be successfully and safely treated using peroxides. Using specially blended materials in custom fitted retainers for as little as one-half hour per day can brighten your teeth in two weeks! Severe tetracycline stains can take up to six months of treatment, but they will respond. Your teeth may become sensitive while bleaching, but that will subside when you stop.
Replace Metal Fillings with Tooth-Colored Materials
Composite resin and porcelain can be used to make your teeth natural looking again. Small to medium sized cavities can be filled with white resin, while larger cavities require the strength of lab-processed porcelain to prevent breakage. Each tooth must be examined thoroughly to determine the proper material for the best result.
 Create the Smile You Want with Porcelain Veneers
Porcelain veneers were invented to fill spaces, correct worn or tilted teeth, fix cracks and chips, and strengthen teeth weakened by trauma or fillings. They are a thin facing of porcelain bonded to your existing teeth, similar in concept to fake fingernails, only much more durable. Their advantages include color stability, less reduction of your natural teeth than regular crowns (caps), durability (lasting more than 10-12 years), and a beautiful, lifelike appearance. The disadvantages are they don’t last forever, and any habits that you had prior to placement (grinding, nail-biting, contact sports), will still be present and must be managed to ensure optimum performance from your veneers.
You truly can have the smile you’ve always wanted.
|
