If you have stained, discolored, chipped, worn, broken, misshapen, gapped, and misaligned teeth, modern cosmetic dentistry can help significantly refine your smile and give your appearance a wonderful makeover.
Cosmetic dentistry is primarily geared toward improving the appearance of your teeth, while general dentistry is concerned with the prevention and treatment of dental disorders. Although cosmetic dentistry procedures are usually elective rather than essential, some treatment cases also provide restorative benefits, and you may find that your general dentist carries out a range of cosmetic procedures. Cosmetic dentists have the same dental training as general dentists and can perform all the necessary procedures that a general dentist can do, such as restorative and preventive procedures but receive advanced training in cosmetic dentistry that focuses more on the aesthetics of the patient’s smile.
Types of Cosmetic Procedures
Cosmetic dental care includes a number of common procedures to help improve the appearance of your smile and related dental problems. At Trail West Family Dentistry, we provide the following cosmetic treatments:
- Teeth Whitening: This is one of the most popular cosmetic dentistry procedures we provide at Trail West Family Dentistry. Over time, your teeth become stained by food, medication, drinks, and habits such as smoking. A tooth whitening procedure can help eliminate these stains, especially yellow stains. Professional bleaching uses a much stronger bleaching solution that delivers dramatic results–teeth generally get three to eight shades brighter after an in-office visit.
- Porcelain Veneers: These are wafer-thin shells of porcelain shells designed to cover the front surface of the tooth, changing their color, shape, size, or length. Porcelain veneers are typically used to fix discolored teeth caused by root canal treatment, stains from medication, excessive fluoride, and large resin fillings. It can also fix teeth worn down, chipped or broken, misaligned or uneven, or gapped teeth.
- Bonding: Dental bonding is one of the least expensive cosmetic dentistry procedures available to patients with tooth decay, chipped or cracked teeth, and worn-down edges. During a bonding procedure, a resin material that closely matches the color of your natural teeth is applied to the tooth’s surface.
- Dental Crowns: Dental crowns are prosthetic caps that are used to fix various aesthetic issues such as severe stains that can’t be professionally whitened, chipped and broken teeth, deformed teeth, gapped teeth, and small teeth.
- Clear Aligners: This cosmetic treatment is used to fix issues such as crowded teeth, gap teeth, open bite, crossbite, misaligned teeth, overbite, and underbite. Unlike traditional braces, Invisalign is virtually invisible and uses a set of plastic clear aligner trays to move your teeth to their desired position.
- Smile Makeover: A smile makeover is the process of improving, or perfecting, the look of your smile through the use of different cosmetic dental procedures such as bonding, teeth whitening, porcelain veneers, and dental crowns. It can resolve several cosmetic concerns, including missing teeth, decayed or discolored teeth, a gummy smile or small teeth, crooked teeth, and bite issues.
How Restorative Dentistry and Cosmetic Dentistry Overlap
There is often some overlap between the procedures that can be performed by a general dentist and those that a cosmetic dentist can provide. For example, dental veneers are cosmetic because they mask cracked or stained teeth but could be considered a restorative treatment as they protect the surface of a tooth from damage.
Tooth bonding is considered a cosmetic procedure, but it can be used to repair decayed, chipped, cracked, or misshapen teeth, while a crown which is used cosmetically to cover misshapen or severely discolored teeth, can also be used to protect a tooth that either had a large cavity or recently underwent root canal therapy.
Cosmetic Dentist in Greenville, SC
If you’re in Greenville, SC, and are unhappy with the appearance of your teeth and are looking to get a new smile, cosmetic services from Trail West Family Dentistry can help transform your smile’s appearance. Dr. Gould will examine you, discuss your smile goals, and develop a customized treatment plan to help you achieve the beautiful smile you rightly deserve! Contact us today to schedule an appointment!