A cosmetic dentist has an array of options for his patient regarding the improvement of his or her oral cavity and its current state. This particular dental professional concentrates more on the aesthetic aspect of dentistry but also utilizes procedures, which can restore function as well as improve the appearance or form.
Whitening:
Whitening is a basic procedure that a cosmetic dentist can offer his patient. This is usually recommended if there are some stains or discoloration on the patient's teeth. It is generally accepted that professionally supervised treatments for tooth discolorations and stains are better than over the counter treatments. While over the counter treatments that the patient can do by himself are usually very convenient, the degree and extent of the treatments need to be supervised in order for them to be effective.
Veneers:
Veneers are small, thin caps that are installed on teeth that have some form of damage in them. These caps act as a very sturdy cover for chipped or broken teeth and any other damage that may have occurred on a tooth. The veneers can cover up even discoloration, which cannot be resolved by whitening. These caps come in two materials, porcelain and composite. A cosmetic dentist usually recommends the porcelain ones for his patients. The reason behind this is that the material is a better match for the actual enamel that we have in our pearly whites. Of course, the porcelain is more prone to damage then the composite which means that patients need to be careful what they eat and what they do with their oral cavity when they are wearing veneers. In some cases, some reduction of the tooth or reshaping may be done in order to make the pearly white be a better fit.
Reshaping and Bonding:
Many people also have some issues with the natural shape of their teeth. Some may be bigger than normal while others may actually be misshapen. In reshaping, portions of the enamel are removed in order to achieve a more complementary shape with the other teeth. On the other side of the spectrum, composite bonding is often done in order to fill in gaps or other missing pieces of a tooth. The cosmetic dentist basically mixes together material to make the composite bonding. A light or heater is sometimes used to promote faster hardening of the material. The end result will need to go through a polishing procedure in order to mimic the actual enamel that we have in our oral cavity. The composite is a very versatile material that can be used to repair or fix a lot of things in our pearly whites.
Dentures:
Dentures are also a big part of the services of a cosmetic dentist. Many people find implants to be quite expensive and painstaking which is why they might opt to go for dentures rather than the implant option. Dentures are artificially structured teeth that are placed on bridges in the oral cavity in order for them to fit in the space of the missing tooth.
