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 Cosmetic Dentistry offers both aesthetic and medical benefits to patients will all types of dental conditions. The intention is to both restore the beauty and confidence of the human smile, and to restore the person’s ability to eat a normal diet and enjoy a normal lifestyle.
While many people may think these services are outrageously expensive, many treatments are equivalent in cost to some of the more advanced general dentistry and orthodontic dentistry procedures. Also, many dental professionals offer financial assistance and payment programs to make cosmetic dentistry affordable to the people who need it the most.
Whiter Teeth
One of the most obvious benefits people receive from cosmetic dentistry is whiter teeth. Teeth can lose their color for any number of reasons. Some become yellow from smoking tobacco or drinking coffee. Others turn brown as a result of side effects from prescription medications. Still others simply become stained from age.
Several procedures can alleviate discolored teeth. The simplest of these is cosmetic tooth whitening. This procedure combines in-office cleaning with at-home care over a period of about two weeks. Stains are removed and teeth look beautiful once again.
Tooth Repair
In the days before cosmetic dentistry, a cracked tooth that could not be repaired with filling had to either be extracted or replaced by an obtrusive gold crown. This is no longer the case. Minor cracks can be repaired with cosmetic porcelain veneers or cosmetic resin bonding agents. These substances create new tooth surfaces that match surrounding teeth and provide reliable and durable chewing surfaces.
Severe cases of cracked tooth syndrome may still require a crown. However, today’s crowns are light years ahead of the soft gold crowns of the past. Crowns are now made from porcelain and look identical to the color of tooth enamel. Even better, porcelain is very hard and can chew anything that natural teeth can bite down on. This makes I possible for even the most damaged of teeth to function like new again.
Teeth Straightening
Orthodontic services have been around for years. In recent times, however, cosmetic dentistry science has expanded into the domain of straightening teeth. You no longer have to wear unattractive wires and brackets anymore. Thanks to a number of cosmetic orthodontic treatments, you can have crooked teeth put back into alignment in less time—and often for less money—than you can with traditional orthodontics.
Some of these cosmetic dental braces are just like standard braces, only they are made from clear plastic brackets and tooth-colored wires. Other cosmetic orthodontic solutions do not look anything like braces at all. Instead, they are mouthpieces that are custom-made to fit your bite and gradually move crooked teeth back into alignment a little at a time.
Regardless of the equipment used, the goal of cosmetic orthodontics is always two-fold. First, it minimizes discomfort with more advanced forms of braces or retainers. Secondly, these braces or retainers are near-invisible in your mouth, so you can smile with confidence when you walk around in public.
Tooth Replacement
Tooth replacement is perhaps the oldest form of cosmetic dentistry known to man. The Ancient Egyptians made dental implants from seashells to replace missing teeth. Today’s implants are much more advanced, of course. They are made from Tivolloy (a bio-friendly Titanium alloy) and porcelain. The Tivolloy implant screws into the jawbone itself just like an artificial tooth root, and the porcelain crown fits right over its top.
Dental implants are expensive, but they are the best way to restore a mouth that has lost teeth to accidents or tooth decay. They are also the only cosmetic dental solution that can prevent bone loss that always occurs when there are no tooth roots to keep bone growth active.
Cosmetic Dentistry is a specialized field that requires extensive knowledge and experience to be done correctly. The Medical Center Dental Group in Houston, Texas brings all of that and more to the direct benefit of each and every patient we treat. Although we are located in the world famous Houston Medical Center at Scurlock Towers, we routinely see dental patients who travel from Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, Beaumont Midland and Houston, Texas to see Dr. Dale Brant, Dr. Charles Campbell or Dr. Elizabeth O’Sullivan-Winslow for their cosmetic denistry services.
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