Enhancement of your appearance
Cosmetic dentistry is a way of improving your appearance and the solution for those who are not satisfied with the shape, colour or position of their teeth. Many people still refrain from seeking cosmetic dental treatment, because they are afraid to see a dentist, think the treatment is very expensive, or just because they do not know what solutions are available.
Available to everyone
Aesthetic dentistry that can give you ‘pearly white teeth’ and a ‘radiant smile’ is no longer just for the rich and famous. On the contrary. There have been revolutionary developments in this branch of dentistry over the past few years, resulting in all kinds of techniques that make this type of dentistry available and affordable to everyone. Furthermore, you no longer need to undergo painful treatments to restore your self-confidence and be able to smile again.
Radiant smile
The most common techniques and solutions in aesthetic dentistry not only include placing (metal-free) ceramic crowns and facings, but also gum correction, replacing grey (amalgam) fillings by white fillings and tooth bleaching. These solutions are now part of our day-to-day work. Of course we also pay attention to the functional aspects of your teeth in aesthetic dentistry. You are thus always assured of the best result.
We will be more than happy to discuss all options with you.
Dental Crown
So what is a dental crown? A crown is tooth-shaped cap that fits over the existing tooth thus making it stronger. Besides strengthening a damaged tooth, a crown can be used to improve its appearance, shape, color or alignment.
There are a few reasons your dentist might suggest you a crown …
- cavities that are too large for fillings,
- teeth that are cracked or worn down,
- Protect a weak tooth from fracturing, for example after root canal treatment
- to cover a badly shaped or discolored tooth to improve your smile.
Dental bridges
And what is a dental bridge?
These days there is no need to suffer from embarrassing gaps of missing teeth in your mouth, or to put up with the inconvenience of dentures.
A dental bridge may well be the answer to your problems, providing a realistic-looking replacement that is permanently fixed in your mouth.
A dental bridge is made with two or more dental crowns on either side of a gap made by a missing tooth, with a false tooth (or teeth) placed in between. These type of fake teeth are called pontics or dummys and replace the missing tooth or teeth.
Dental bridges are an excellent way to restore the appearance and function of your smile and prevent problems such as shifting teeth from occurring.
Crowns and bridges can be made of various materials. It can be made completely of gold or a combination of gold (or another material) and a layer of tooth-coloured porcelain over it. These materials have been used for quite some time now. However, there have been new developments in dental techniques, so that it is also possible today to create full porcelain and (metal-free) zirconium crowns. A zirconium-based porcelain crown is the latest development.
Thanks to their zirconium core, these crowns are very strong and hardwearing. As porcelain and zirconium are both translucent materials, these crowns look very natural and can hardly be distinguished from natural teeth. That is why they are particularly used in the aesthetic (visible) area.
We will be happy to tell you more about these options and the best solutions in your situation.
A facing is a tooth-coloured composite filling material or small porcelain shield. Facings are glued to the front of the teeth to change their colour, form and position, and improve your appearance. The procedure is entirely painless. Facings can also be used to fill gaps between teeth, repair broken-off corners, make yellow or brown teeth white again and mask crooked teeth.
Price
The price of facings depends on the material used. The price of composite facings is considerably lower than that of porcelain facings. However, porcelain facings remain beautiful for a much longer period and are less sensitive to tartar than composite facings.
For composite facings, we usually need to grind off less of your teeth. They also produce direct result, because composite facings are applied in one go while you sit in the chair. We can then adjust colours and shapes on the spot.
Porcelain facings, on the other hand, are made (indirectly) in a dental lab. They also require that you visit our practice twice. This partly explains why porcelain facings are more expensive.
The colour of porcelain facings is determined using colour samples. After the tooth has been ground down, we make an impression of the tooth that is sent to the lab, where the facings are baked in the desired shape. The facings are then placed during a second treatment at our practice. If it turns out that the shape or colour of the facing is not right, an entirely new facing will need to be made in the lab.
We will of course discuss with you which type of facing is most suitable in your situation.
Comment
In some cases it is not possible to place facings, for example if teeth require substantial restoration. A ceramic crown will then be a better solution. This type of crown looks just like a natural tooth. Again, we will be able to adjust the shape, colour and position in accordance with your wishes.
We use various types of fillings at our practice, not only composite fillings (white fillings), but also glass-ionomer fillings (as temporary restoration material, for example during root canal treatment).
Composite fillings consist of synthetic resin, a binding agent and a non-organic filler such as glass. These fillings do not contain any metal, and are strong and long lasting. They have become popular over the past few years because of their fine aesthetic characteristics. White fillings are, for example, hardly visible.
We use composite materials of the best quality, including nanocomposites, the newest development in this field. We often also use a combination of different types of composites to achieve a perfect transition between filling and tooth structure. As a result, you will experience hardly any after pain. As we exclusively use top quality, you are assured of a beautiful and long lasting result.
The colour of your teeth is a hereditary characteristic, but can change due to various influences (e.g. coffee, nicotine) and causes (including ageing). They usually get darker. Bleaching makes your teeth a few shades lighter.
External bleaching of living teeth
There are various external bleaching methods. You can have it done at our practice, but you can also do it yourself at home. We actually prefer the home bleaching method. In most cases, this is a more controlled and less aggressive method. No matter which of the two options you choose, the final result is the same. If the white colour is fading slightly after some time, you can simply use home bleaching to brighten it up again.
Internal bleaching of dead teeth
After root canal treatment, the canal filling may be visible through the tooth above and, consequently, the tooth may look darker. In that case we can enclose bleaching gel for a certain period (e.g. a week). This will make the tooth look brighter again. Sometimes it will be necessary to apply another amount of bleaching gel and repeat the process until the desired result is achieved. After removal of the bleaching gel, the new permanent filling will then be inserted.