Cosmetic Dentistry

This area of dentistry does not deal with broken or diseased teeth but rather attempts to make relatively healthy teeth look better. Very, very little dental treatment is truly cosmetic in nature as most adults over the age of 35 have problem teeth that require a repair. When a person thinks that generally healthy teeth can be made perfect or more beautiful then this is Cosmetic Dentistry. Examples of problems that a patient may not like but in which the teeth are healthy are:

1. Teeth that in the correct position or have been put in the correct position by orthodontic treatment (braces) may actually be too small for the size of the mouth and spaces are present between teeth. These unsightly spaces or gaps between teeth can be corrected by Cosmetic Dentistry using porcelain or resin (bonding)
2. Teeth that appear to be too yellow or gray but are otherwise healthy can have the color of the teeth changed or improved by Bleaching or bonded porcelain or resin (bonding)
3. Mouths that are (unfortunately) missing the correct number of teeth can have teeth replaced with Cosmetic Dentistry.

Cosmetic Dentistry is almost entirely metal free even in the back of the mouth and makes extensive use of bonded porcelains or bonded laboratory processed resin onlays. Fillings that are placed in front teeth use almost perfectly matched shades of resins (in many cases 4-9 diffenent shades) and they are almost completely invisible to the naked eye.

There are some dentists who do not believe that cosmetic dentistry has any place in the profession of dentistry as the teeth are healthy and no pathology exists. Most dentists disagree with that position and believe that it is the patients right to improve the appearance of their mouths.