While traditional dentistry focuses on oral hygiene and preventing oral 
disease, cosmetic dentistry concentrates on improving the appearance of a person’s smile. We can provide you with cosmetic choices that can help you smile with confidence.
Whitening
Your smile is the way you greet the world. When it comes to whitening, your dentist is your best resource. Only dental professionals have access to professional-strength whitening. Whitening is safe and can add luster, strengthen enamel and brighten teeth to several shades whiter. Why not put your best self forward with the confidence of a more beautiful smile?
Crowns and Bridges
A crown is used to entirely cover or “cap” a damaged tooth. Besides strengthening a damaged tooth, a crown can be used to improve its appearance, shape or alignment. A crown can also be placed on top of an implant to provide a tooth-like shape and structure for function. Porcelain or ceramic crowns can be matched to the color of your natural teeth. Other materials include gold and metal alloys, acrylic and ceramic. Your dentist may recommend a crown to:
- Replace a large filling when there isn’t enough tooth remaining
- Protect a weak tooth from fracturing
- Restore a fractured tooth
- Attach a bridge
- Cover a dental implant
- Cover a discolored or poorly shaped tooth
- Cover a tooth that has had root canal treatment
A bridge may be recommended if you’re missing one or more teeth. Gaps left by missing teeth eventually cause the remaining teeth to rotate or shift into the empty spaces, resulting in a bad bite. The imbalance caused by missing teeth can also lead to gum disease and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders.
Bridges are commonly used to replace one or more missing teeth. They span the space where the teeth are missing. Bridges are cemented to the natural teeth or implants surrounding the empty space. As with crowns, you have a choice of materials for bridges. We can help you decide which to use, based on the location of the missing tooth (or teeth), its function, aesthetic considerations and cost. Porcelain or ceramic bridges can be matched to the color of your natural teeth.
Straightening (Orthodontics)
A pleasing appearance has always been a vital component of self-confidence. Crooked and overlapping teeth – even if they are free from cavities – are immediately noticeable as soon as you open your mouth or smile at people. Straight teeth help you to have a correct bite. Not only do they contribute to healthy teeth and gums, but properly aligned teeth and jaws may improve your general attitude to life. Properly aligned teeth collect less plaque, are easier to clean ( with no overlapping, difficult-to-reach spots in your mouth), contribute to smaller risk for fracture, prevent abnormal wear of teeth surfaces, help you chew better and get rid of misalignment in the jaw joints, that sometimes leads to chronic headaches or pain.
Implants
Implants are a relatively newer technique. There are 3 major indications for their usage.
- Single tooth. No longer are we forced to reduce the healthy enamel on teeth next to a missing tooth. An implant can be imbedded in the bone allowing the dentist to fabricate a tooth as strong as the one it replaces!
- Multiple tooth replacement. For many years the only options available to replace multiple teeth were to wear a removable partial or have bridgework that attaches to your healthy remaining teeth. Implant supported bridges are a conservative approach in that you are not reducing your natural remaining dentition.
- Dentures. Most people that wear dentures have come to realize the many drawbacks that wearing dentures have compared to natural teeth. Implant supported dentures allow the patient a much better ability to chew and have secure feeling. Instead of floating around a patient’s mouth, the dentures are very stable allowing you to chew normally and….no sore spots!
Veneers
Veneers are thin “shells,” made of tooth-colored material, crafted in a dental laboratory to fit snugly over the front side of your teeth. This relatively new technique is a cosmetic method used to restore the shape, color and alignment of a person’s smile. A patient now has an option to close gaps between their teeth and completely whiten their smile within the same procedure, making dramatic improvements in their appearance. In many cases you can avoid the expense and time of having to go through orthodontics.
Dentures
Dentures are the replacement of missing teeth with a removable appliance. The techniques have improved to the extent that many patients in our practice say that no one knows they have a denture. Like any product, the quality of materials used is crucial in achieving a cosmetically appealing result.