Cosmetic Dentistry Procedures
The industry definition of cosmetics can be a treatment or product to improve or restore your appearance or attractiveness. Which is what the specialty branch of cosmetic dentistry focuses on. There are ten specific divisions in the dental industry, and cosmetic dentistry specializes in improving your mouth, teeth, and smile. A smile has been documented through research as a mood booster and has been proven to even add up to seven years to your life expectancy because it influences and improves your immune system. A smile has been proven through research to make 88% more people feel good about themselves, and yet another 92% claim that a healthy smile brightens their day.
A healthy smile plays an essential part in your quality of life. It is the foundation for your personality and influences both your self-confidence and self-esteem. If you are unhappy with your smile, these fundamental functions can easily suffer. Cosmetic dentistry treats aesthetic imperfections like discolored teeth, stained teeth, broken, chipped, or cracked teeth, worn-down teeth, misshapen teeth, and gum issues. Cosmetic dentistry often offers a smile makeover. The most popular procedures are:
- Teeth Whitening- A simple and basic procedure that everyone benefits from. With either a retail kit to conduct the tasks at home or having it performed professionally in a dental office, teeth whitening works terrifically in removing coffee stains, red wine stains, and tobacco discoloration. The at-home process can take months, but the procedure in the dental office can be done successfully in just one visit.
- Dental Bonding- A fast and effortless way to repair a damaged tooth, dental bonding is a matching-colored, putty-like resin that is applied to the tooth. The durable plastic-like material is shaped, sculpted, and smoothed, and then hardened to give your tooth a healthy look.
- Dental Veneers- Instead of a resin applied to a tooth or several teeth, your dentist uses a wafer-thin piece of custom-created porcelain to adhere to the front surface of a tooth, giving it a brand-new surface. Starting with an impression of the teeth, the veneers are fabricated in a dental lab to look exactly like the natural tooth being covered. A thin layer of enamel is removed from the front surface to accommodate the new covering.
- Inlays and Onlays- Like a dental filling, this cosmetic dentistry procedure is often used in the center of a tooth to cover the removed decay. It preserves the functional health of the tooth and the natural appearance.
- Dental Crowns- Different than veneers or dental bonding, a crown is like a protective cap covering the entire tooth. This procedure, even though it is most often performed for the functional health of the tooth, is still considered a cosmetic procedure.
- Dental Implants- The gold standard for a tooth replacement, the dentist surgically positions a tiny titanium post in your jawbone. Functioning just like an artificial root, the post fuses and bonds to the bone. An extension or abutment is next placed on the post to reach the gumline, then an artificial crown is affixed to the abutment, and it will both look and function naturally.
Each of these cosmetic procedures is about the quality of your smile and the quality of life it influences.
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