Premium Cosmetic Dentistry at Alliance Dental Group

The aesthetics of a person’s smile is just as important as oral health. We, as dentists, give equal prominence to both these aspects, which is why an entire branch of dentistry is dedicated to improving the appearance of the smile. Cosmetic dentistry involves several restorative and non-evasive procedures that aim at improving the aesthetics of the smile.

What is the significance of cosmetic dentistry?

• Cosmetic dentistry makes your smile look more appealing to the people you interact with. This subconsciously increases your self-confidence and you’d feel more comfortable while interacting with people.
• Certain cosmetic dental procedures not only beautify the smile but also improve the functionality of the teeth.
• Procedures such as dental implants and bridges prevent a change in the facial shape as they replace the missing teeth.

Bridges and crowns

Dental crowns and bridges are one of the most common cosmetic appliances. Bridges are replacement prosthetic teeth that are used to restore extracted teeth. They not only restore the appearance of a smile but also prevent the drifting of the remaining teeth from their positions. Crowns are cap-like ceramic appliances that entirely cover the surface of a worn-out, chipped, misshapen, cracked or weak tooth.

Veneers

Veneers are thin ceramic shells that only cover the frontal surface of the teeth. They are used to treat teeth that are badly discolored, cracked, spaced too far from each other, or misshapen. Since they are wafer-thin, they do not add a lot of volume to the existing tooth and also save the natural tooth tissues.

Composite bonding

Bonding involves the application of composite resin on the surface of a damaged/misshapen tooth. Issues such as excessive spacing, chipping, misshapen teeth, etc. can be treated using this procedure.

Gum contouring

Sometimes, the gums can go out of shape due to receding, overgrowth, undergrowth. In such cases, the gum tissues may have to be removed, disinfected or grafted from a different region of the mouth. This improves both the oral health and appearance of the smile.

Malocclusion is one of the most common oral issues that people from all around the world face. It leave a non-ideal appearance of the smile of a person and also makes brushing and flossing the teeth really difficult.

Invisalign is one of the most advanced orthodontic aligners. It is made from transparent dental-grade plastic material, which makes it stay in disguise when worn by the patient. It is known to solve most types of teeth misalignment issues.

Why should I choose Invisalign?

• Invisalign is, by far, one of the most technologically advanced and accurate methods of correcting misaligned teeth. The aligners are backed by a technology that helps the dentists to precisely map out the treatment procedure and predict the positioning of the teeth during various stages of the treatment.
• Since the aligners are made from a dental grade plastic material, they apply pressure on the teeth in a controlled manner. This prevents discomfort due to pressure, such as in the case of dental braces.
• The aligners are absolutely metal-free, which prevents the chances of oral trauma when the patient gets hit in the mouth or face. Also, they have no sharp corners or brackets that could injure the soft tissues of the mouth.
• The patient would not have to visit the dentist’s office frequently. A follow-up visit once every two weeks would suffice (the dentist would give you a new set of aligners).
• The best part about Invisalign is that it is removable. The aligners can be taken off whenever you need to eat food or brush the teeth.

Treatment

The treatment procedure for getting Invisalign would start off with a thorough screening of the teeth to check for the extent of malocclusion.

The data will be sent to a laboratory, where dental-grade clear plastic will be used to fabricate the aligners. The dentist would place them in your mouth to check if they are fitting comfortably. They will have to be worn for at least 22 hours each day, every day throughout the treatment period. Once every two weeks, the dentist would change your aligners and give you a new set which would have a slight change in contour.

Care of the aligners

Every time you use a new aligner, it may feel a little weird and uncomfortable against your teeth. But it would wear off in a day or two. Every time you have a meal or beverage, make sure you rinse your mouth thoroughly. Any food residue left on the teeth can affect the treatment adversely and may also lead to discoloration and cavities. After the treatment period is complete, using a retainer would keep the teeth in their new positions and not allow them to move back to their previous positions.

Dental crowns are prosthetic appliances that are used to cover an entire tooth. They are made from tooth-colored ceramic and are used to restore teeth that are worn-out, cracked, fractured, chipped, misshapen, etc.

What are the applications of dental crowns?

Dental crowns can be used to restore teeth that are affected due to various internal and external causes. Some of them are as follows:

• Worn out teeth:Teeth can experience severe wear due to teeth grinding, excessive chewing of hard foods, etc. This can cause the enamel to erode, leading to shortening of the teeth, which can be restored using crowns.
• Cracked teeth:External injury to the mouth could damage the teeth and crack them. If left untreated, they can lead to further infections and the tooth may completely fail. A crown would cover the tooth in its entirety and ensure that it doesn’t fracture completely.
• Chipped/misshapen teeth:Misshapen teeth are the ones that are naturally out of shape. Such teeth or the ones that have chipped due to an external force could ruin the appearance of the smile. When covered using a dental crown, such teeth can be restored to their desired contour.
• Excessively spaced teeth:One of the types of malocclusion is spacing, which is characterized by teeth that are spaced too far away from each other. Crowns can be used to reduce the teeth and make them appear more aesthetically pleasing.

Why should you choose crowns?

• Crowns perfectly mimic the appearance or a real tooth since they are made from a tooth-colored ceramic material.
• Crowns offer excellent durability and longevity. They do not wear easily even after continuous usage and last for several years with proper care.
• The biting surface of a tooth will be restored back to normal. This allows you to bite and chew food effectively.
• They help to hold weak teeth intact and prevent their failure.

Tooth decay is one of the most common oral issues caused by caused by bacteria in the mouth. These bacteria release acids that have the potential to erode the enamel, leading to cavities. Cavities are one of the leading causes of tooth extraction around the world.

A severely infected tooth is most often treated using filling material. Usually, tooth-colored ceramic/composite fillings are used to fill cavities and they are pretty efficient at solving the issue. When the condition gets even worse, the cavity could progress on to the root canal cavity, where the dental pulp will be infected, causing severe pain and bleeding. A root canal therapy is the last resort method of saving a badly infected tooth, which if unsuccessful, would lead to a tooth extraction

Restore a decayed tooth using a dental implant

A decayed tooth can prove highly disadvantageous, especially in terms of facial aesthetics and functionality. Also, the pain and hypersensitivity that it can induce are immense. When no means of treatment can to save the tooth, it will have to be extracted to prevent the infection from spreading to the nearby teeth and tissues.

A dental implant is usually the best solution to replace an extracted tooth. It would replace both the tooth root and the crown, which is why it is known to prevent the drifting of the remaining teeth. Since it is made from ceramic and titanium, there is absolutely no chance of your prosthetic tooth getting infected by tooth decay. Also, its aesthetics is so flawless that anyone who would look at you smile wouldn’t have the faintest idea that you have an implant on.

When it comes to the functionality of the implants, they offer amazing strength and stability. The ceramic material that is used to fabricate the crown is highly stain-resistant and durable. This makes them long-lasting and reliable.

Veneers are one of the most sought-after dental appliances that are used for several restorative purposes. They are thin wafer-like ceramic structures that cover the frontal surface of the teeth. They are widely used to treat teeth discoloration, cracks, chipping, excessively spaced teeth, misaligned teeth, etc.

Why should you choose veneers?

• Veneers exhibit high levels of durability. They do not wear much even upon biting and chewing hard foods.
• Since they are made from tooth-colored ceramic material, they perfectly mimic the appearance of the natural teeth. Anyone who looks at your smile wouldn’t be able to make out that you have got a veneer on.
• They improve the color of excessively stained teeth that can’t be whitened using teeth whitening procedures.
• They are extremely thin and wouldn’t add a lot of volume to your tooth. Also, the amount of enamel to be removed is minimal, meaning, they help to preserve the majority of your natural tooth structure.
• They are stain-resistant.

What are the uses of veneers?

• Chipped teeth
• Discolored teeth
• Misaligned teeth
• Worn out teeth
• Excessive spacing

Missing teeth can be very disadvantageous, both from the aesthetic and functional point of view. A missing front tooth can rob you of your self-confidence and leave you feeling too conscious while talking to people. There are the functional drawbacks as well. The way you bite and chew food, pronounce words, etc. can be affected. This is why dentists recommend their patients to get their missing teeth restored at the earliest.

What is a dental bridge?

A dental bridge is one of the simplest prosthetics that is used to replace a missing tooth. It is composed of a ceramic prosthetic tooth and two dental crowns (caps) on either side to hold it in position. The restoration will effectively replace the missing tooth.

Why should I choose a bridge?

• A dental bridge restores the functionality of the smile. Since it is made from a ceramic prosthetic that is tooth-colored, it would look exactly like a real tooth and no one would ever know it unless you tell them.
• When a tooth goes missing, the adjoining teeth tend to drift from their positions. This can lead to malocclusion and change in the shape of the jawbone as well. However, when a bridge is placed, the teeth would not drift and the facial shape would be retained.
• The biting and chewing ability of a person would be restored to normal. Also, the patient would be able to pronounce words like before.

How is the procedure performed?

The procedure to get a dental bridge involves initial screening of the tooth-loss site to check for any infections, drifting of teeth, malocclusion, jawbone deterioration, etc. A mold of the teeth will be taken along with scans and x-rays to determine the exact positioning of the missing tooth and the spacing available for the bridge. The data obtained will be sent to a dental laboratory to serve as a reference for fabricating the bridge. Until the bridge is finished, which usually take up to 2 weeks, a temporary crown may be recommended by the dentist.

The bridge and crowns will be fabricated in the laboratory using dental-grade ceramic as it is highly durable, stain resistant and can be made to match the exact shade of the enamel. The bridge will be placed in position and secured firmly with the help of dental adhesives. A bite test may be done to ensure the bridge fits perfectly and the patient has no discomfort with the bite.

• Composite fillings: Composite fillings are resinous in nature and can be made to closely match the color of the enamel. They are applied to the cavity, shaped according to the contour of the tooth and are hardened using a curing light.
• Tooth-colored ceramic fillings: Ceramic fillings are probably the best type of fillings as they are more resistant to staining and wear. They do not discolor too easily and usually last for upwards of 10 years with the proper care.

Teeth whitening is one of the best procedures to get whiter teeth in a short time. There are mainly three types of teeth whitening, namely conventional teeth whitening, custom tray teeth whitening and laser-assisted teeth whitening. Whitening gel, which is essentially an oral bleach is applied to the teeth and allowed to stay on the surface for a certain time period. The gel contains carbamide peroxide, which helps to remove the stains from the teeth.