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What is Cosmetic Dentistry?
Minneapolis Dentist of Choice
Cosmetic dentistry is the improvement of a person’s smile and teeth.
Today, much of your basic dental care may also be considered cosmetic.
Cosmetic dentist perform procedures such as dental crowns, or caps. Historically, dental crowns have been made from gold or porcelain fused to metal crowns. Today, dental crowns or caps can be made entirely of ceramic materials that are strong and match the color and shape of your teeth.
Cosmetic Dentists also perform dental fillings. Historically, dental fillingswere amalgam, a silver colored material. Today, tooth colored fillings are available. They can closely match the color of your teeth. With tooth colored fillings, your teeth will look and feel natural.
Advancements in dental materials have created strong and natural looking materials that make cosmetic dentistrymore predictable and longer lasting then ever before.
COSMETIC DENTISTRY PROCEDURES
OFFERED BY SHAMBLOTT FAMILY DENTISTRY
SMILE MAKEOVERS
Cosmetic dentistry gives people who are unhappy with their smile many options to get the smile of their dreams. Your smile is the most eye catching feature of your face. Even subtle changes in a smile can have a great effect on appearance and self confidence.
According to an American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry survey:
- 96% of adults believe an attractive smile makes a person more appealing to members of the opposite sex.
- 74% of adults feel an unattractive smile can hurt a person’s chances for career success.
Smile makeovers start with a comprehensive examination and evaluation of your smile. Often multiple cosmetic dentistry procedures are recommended to achieve your desired result. Procedures may include porcelain veneers, reshaping teeth, dental bonding, tooth whitening, dental implants and more.
PORCELAIN VENEERS OR DENTAL VENEERS
Porcelain veneers are thin coatings or shells that cover the front side of teeth. Porcelain veneers are used to correct misshapen teeth, crooked, chipped or worn teeth, or stained teeth that are resistant to bleaching. Veneers are a conservative alternative to crowns. Porcelain veneers require a digital impression of the tooth be sent to the cosmetic laboratory where a veneer is custom made. The veneers are then cemented on to the tooth and the cement is set with a high intensity blue light. Porcelain veneers are stronger and last longer than bonding.
COSMETIC CROWNS
A commonly used type of crown in cosmetic dentistry is the all-ceramic crown or porcelain jacket crown. All-ceramic crowns are made entirely of ceramic.
1. Advantage of all-ceramic crowns: All-ceramic crowns look better than porcelain fused to metal crowns
- All-ceramic crowns are much more life-like than porcelain fused to metal crowns.
- Ceramic crowns have translucency similar to natural enamel.
- Ceramic crowns do not have a metal substructure that can provide a dark gray shadow at the gumline. This effect is more pronounced as the gum tissue shrinks away.
2. Disadvantage of ceramic crowns: All-ceramic crowns do not have the same strength that porcelain fused to metal crowns have
- Due to the strength difference, all-ceramic crowns are best used in the front and middle part of the mouth.
- Ceramic crowns on back teeth are more likely to crack or break. The best option for tooth-colored crowns on back teeth is porcelain fused to metal crowns.
RESHAPING OR CONTOURING TEETH
Tooth reshaping is used to correct chipped, irregularly shaped or crooked teeth. Tooth reshaping is used to correct small problems in a single visit. Reshaping is commonly done with bonding or veneers.
TEETH WHITENING, TEETH BLEACHING OR ZOOM
Teeth whitening is the most commonly performed cosmetic dentistry procedure. Teeth whitening or teeth bleaching can remove cigarette stains, coffee and tea stains, reverse the yellowing of teeth due to aging and lighten stains from tetracycline use. Professional teeth bleaching can be completed either at home or in our office.
1. Professional In-Office Whitening
ZOOM is the in-office teeth whitening procedure used at Shamblott Family Dentistry. ZOOM is a safe, effective, and quick way to whiten your teeth. ZOOM is ideal for anyone looking for immediate results. The ZOOM procedure is simple. A protective coating is placed on the lips and gums so that only your teeth are exposed. Then, the ZOOM whitening gel is placed on your teeth and the ZOOM light is activated and shines on the gel. The combination of ZOOM light and gel break up stains and lighten the teeth an average of eight shades. During the procedure, most patients listen to music or use our DVD glasses to watch their favorite movie.
Teeth whitening or ZOOM is the safest and most conservative cosmetic dental procedure.
2. Professional At-Home Whitening
Shamblott Family Dentistry also provides a take-home bleaching product that allows patients to whiten their teeth at home. This is a longer process and requires less time in the dentist office.
In the office, we make a custom bleaching tray for each patient. It is custom-fabricated to fit the patient’s teeth. Then, every day for 10-14 days, the patient places some of the dentist supplied bleaching gel into the trays and wears the trays for an hour. The darker the stains or discoloration, the longer this bleaching regimen takes.
3. Over The Counter Bleaching Kits
There are numerous over the counter bleaching kits available, too. Dentist supervised tooth whitening provides the safest and most predictable way to whiten teeth.
Over the counter bleaching kits do not provide custom fit bleaching trays. Poor fitting trays allow the bleaching gel to leak onto the gums, resulting in burns to the gum tissue. Poor fitting trays also run the risk of not bringing the gel evenly into contact with all of the teeth, resulting in an uneven or splotchy result.
Over the counter bleaching kits contain bleaching gels that are much lower in strength, making them less effective at whitening teeth than professional bleaching options.
DENTAL BONDING OR COMPOSITE BONDING
Dental composite material can be used to repair or rebuild broken, chipped, decayed or discolored teeth. Bonding can also be used to close spaces/gaps or to cover the entire front of a tooth to change its shape or color.
Dental composite or bonding material comes in many shades or colors. A combination of colors is selected to achieve the desired color, matching your other teeth as closely as possible. The material is placed on the tooth and sculpted to get the correct shape. Then a special blue, high intensity light sets or cures the material. The composite material is then polished smooth, making it blend beautifully with the adjacent teeth. Bonding is usually completed in one visit.
Advantages
- Bonding is completed in the dental office in one single visit (crowns and porcelain veneers are prepared in the dental office, then custom manufactured in a dental laboratory, shipped back to the office, and finally placed in the mouth at a later visit).
- Bonding is more conservative than crowns and veneers in that less natural tooth structure needs to be removed.
Disadvantages
- The dental composite material used for bonding stains more easily than crowns and veneers.
- Bonding is not as strong as crowns and veneers. Bonding can chip or even break off of the tooth when strong biting forces are applied. This is especially a concern if the patient bites on non-food items such as pens, pins or fingernails.
DENTAL IMPLANTS
Dental implants are the cosmetic dentistry procedure that is an artificial replacement for one or more teeth. Dental implants are surgically placed in the jaw bone and allowed to heal for at least three months. After the healing is complete, a crown or bridge is placed on the implants to fill in the missing teeth. Filling in the missing teeth will fill out your face, giving you a more youthful appearance.
Call Shamblott Family Dentistry today at 952-935-5599
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This was the best dental work I've ever had. The hygienist checked her work on my tooth cleaning and went back and did spots that didn't come clean the first time. The dentist listened to me about my tooth that hurt and performed diagnostics to discover a cracked tooth. Advanced technological diagnostic techniques were evident the entire time. Music? The other hygienist went and got me the magazine I had been reading in the waiting room? The dentist explained what was going on with a model? Everyone told me what they were about to do and why before they did it? Wow. I have been exposed to a level of dental care I did not know existed.
PA
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