Cosmetic dentistry alters the appearance of the teeth and gums for a more attractive smile. It can include repairing chips or cracks in teeth with resin fillings to match your natural tooth color, repairing tooth damage from trauma or injury, properly aligning teeth and bites, or brightening your smile.
Here are a few signs and conditions where cosmetic dentistry might be appropriate:
- Stained teeth: Extrinsic stains can usually be removed by in-office teeth whitening or take home teeth whitening kits. Intrinsic stains usually can’t be treated by regular teeth whitening solutions and need to be covered up. This can be accomplished with dental veneers or dental crowns.
- Worn/Chipped Teeth: Repairing a worn or chipped tooth can be minimal or require extensive treatment depending on the type of damage and how much of the tooth is affected. Treatment could involve a filling, veneer or crown.
- Misaligned Teeth: Crooked teeth should be corrected for appearance and to maintain oral health. Misaligned teeth are harder to properly clean, which can result gum disease and cavities. Braces, crowns, veneers or dental bonding are popular procedures to fix misaligned teeth.
- Teeth Gaps: Unattractive gaps in otherwise healthy teeth can be corrected with dental bonding, veneers, braces or Invisalign.
- Replacing metal fillings: Replacing metal amalgam fillings with composite fillings can greatly improve your smile. Composite fillings are the same color as the tooth so they aren’t noticeable, even up close.
