Modern cosmetic dentistry can transform your smile if your teeth are stained, discolored, worn, chipped, broken, misaligned, misshapen, or have gaps between them. In a "smile makeover," cosmetic dentists work with you to develop a treatment plan. A smile makeover improves the appearance of your smile by performing one or more cosmetic dentistry procedures. You can learn more about the different types of cosmetic dental procedures available below.
Your teeth will darken over time. Changes in the color of your teeth can be caused by such factors as the food and beverages consumed (like coffee, tea and soda). Other known factors for discoloration may include childhood medications or illnesses, tobacco use, or improper oral hygiene. Restoring your natural, white smile is a priority for our dental whitening team. We can provide a variety of options for whitening your smile.
Tooth whitening services are growing in popularity, and it’s one of the most requested services offered by our practice. Everyone sees the growing consumer market focused on whiter teeth. The reality is that over-the-counter, “too good to be true” solutions typically don’t work.
We are trained professionals using industry-approved methods. Our goal is to meet the needs of every patient, and each patient’s needs are different. One of the methods used by our practice is a gentle hydrogen-peroxide gel-activated solution. Our process will whiten your entire smile in one visit. Call us today for a whitening evaluation.
Nothing improves your appearance more than a bright, white smile!
Bonding is a common solution for:
- Fixing or repairing chipped or cracked teeth
- Reducing unsightly gaps or spaces between teeth
- Hiding discoloration or faded areas on the tooth’s surface
Often, composite boding is used to improve the appearance of your teeth and enhance your smile. As the name indicates, composite material, either a plastic or resin, is bonded to an existing tooth. Unlike veneers or crowns, composite bonding removes little, if any, of the original tooth.
Composite bonding has many advantages:
- It is a quick process, which typically lasts less than one hour.
- It does not reduce the tooth’s original structure and is relatively inexpensive.
- Composite resins come in many different shades and provide better matching of shades to the natural color of your teeth.
- Composite bonds, however, are not as durable and long-lasting as veneers and crowns and may need to be re-touched or replaced in the future.
Composite bonds stain more easily and therefore require proper care and regular cleaning. In order to ensure the longest possible duration of the bonding, composites should be brushed and flossed daily. Common staining elements include coffee, tea, tobacco, foods and candy.
Veneers are thin, semi-translucent “shells” typically attached to your front teeth. Veneers are customized from porcelain material and permanently bonded to your teeth. Veneers are a great alternative to otherwise painful dental procedures to improve the appearance of your smile.
Common problems that veneers are used for:
- Spaces between the teeth
- Broken or chipped teeth
- Unsightly, stained or discolored teeth
- Permanently stained or discolored teeth
- Crooked or misshapen teeth
Veneers are a great aesthetic solution to your smile that may even help you avoid orthodontic treatment. Subtle changes to your smile can be achieved with veneers, and in most cases, veneer application is completed in only two office visits.
Please contact our office if you have any further questions on veneers.
We now have LUMINEERS® by Cerinate® available in our office! LUMINEERS can make everyone’s smile more beautiful without the painful removal of tooth structure. LUMINEERS are a painless, custom-made cosmetic solution for stained, chipped, discolored or misaligned teeth. LUMINEERS are porcelain veneers that can be made as thin as a contact lens and are placed over existing teeth without drilling or requiring removal of painful tooth structure, in most cases (unlike traditional veneers). And in most cases, no anesthesia shots are needed!
Many patients with minor orthodontic problems happily correct their smile with LUMINEERS. These special porcelain veneers are also notorious for their longevity. They are clinically proven to last up to 20 years and even include a 5-year warranty! They are also quite different from traditional veneers as the procedure can be reversed since the tooth structure is still intact after placement.
LUMINEERS are almost as natural as your real teeth. You should continue visiting your dentist regularly for cleanings and check-ups and also continue a good oral hygiene regimen. You can continue eating and drinking everything you normally did before the procedure!
Each patient’s case is different. Therefore, fees often vary. Your dentist will determine the cost for your treatment plan after a thorough examination. Contact us for more information on LUMINEERS and how they can improve your smile!
Silver amalgam used to be the norm when it came to materials for restorations, such as fillings. However, silver fillings do not have much aesthetic appeal to the patient and can even cause damage to your tooth years down the road. The amalgam can break down the tooth, causing a fracture and the need for a crown to salvage the tooth.
After much research, some new tooth-colored materials have been developed that are stronger, longer-lasting and more aesthetically pleasing to our patients. Composed of porcelain and composite resin, these new tooth-colored restorations bond directly to the tooth, strengthening it by restoring most of its original shape. The restorations can even be custom-colored to match your teeth to help give you the most natural-looking smile possible.
These new restorations require less removal of your healthy tooth structure to place than those with amalgams and especially with new cavities. Dramatically smaller holes are needed with a tooth-colored restoration. They are also healthier because no traces of mercury are used, unlike silver amalgams.
Ask us about our new tooth-colored materials and how we can restore your smile!
Invisalign® treatment straightens your teeth without wires and brackets, using a series of clear, customized, removable appliances called aligners. It's virtually undetectable, which means hardly anyone will know that you're straightening your teeth.
Clearly Different
The Invisalign System combines advanced 3-D computer graphics technology with 100-year-old science of orthodontics. Invisalign clear aligners are designed to move your teeth in small steps to the desired final position prescribed by your orthodontist. Each aligner is precisely calibrated and manufactured to fit your mouth at each stage of the treatment plan. Your first step is to visit our office in the Emerald Lake Dental building to determine if Invisalign treatment is right for you. After sending precise treatment instructions, the Invisalign system uses advanced computer technology to translate these instructions in a sequence of finely calibrated aligners - as few as 12 or as many as 48. Each aligner is worn for about two weeks and only taken out to eat, brush and floss. As you replace each aligner with the next, your teeth will begin to move gradually - week-by-week until the final alignment prescribed is attained. Then you'll be smiling like you never have before!/p>
If you want to learn more about Invisalign and how it works, please visit the Invisalign clear aligners Homepage.
To ensure the best possible results, only an orthodontist who has been trained and certified by Align Technology can diagnose and treat using Invisalign. Invisalign treatment is not intended for children and is not appropriate for every adult. Only an orthodontist can determine if this treatment is an effective option for you. To see if Invisalign clear aligners can help you achieve the smile you've always wanted, contact us to make an appointment.