Types of Cosmetic Dentistry

If your teeth are misaligned, broken, chipped, worn, discolored, misshapen, have gaps between them or stained, then cosmetic dentistry can help you to have a better smile. Cosmetic dentistry aims to improve the appearance of your smile through one or more dental procedures. A cosmetic dentist will work with you to develop a treatment plan. It also helps to know that there are different types of cosmetic dentistry.

Types of Cosmetic Dentistry

This post will help you learn more about the various types of cosmetic dental procedures. It outlines everything from dental veneers and teeth whitening to dental crowns and dentures.

Teeth Whitening

Teeth whitening is often considered to be one of the least expensive and simplest ways to improve your smile. Your dentist can bleach your teeth with in-office products for about $500, or you can do it at home with molds and gels purchased from your dentist. There are also over-the-counter whitening products such as whitestrips, rinses and toothpastes that you can purchase at retail stores for at-home whitening.

Dental Veneers

Dental veneers are custom-made, wafer-thin shells of tooth-colored resin or porcelain that cover your teeth’s front surface. Your dentist removes about a half-millimeter of enamel from the surface of the tooth before bonding (cementing) to the front of the teeth, changing their color, length, size and shape. Dental veneers can be costly, ranging from about $500 to $1,300 per tooth.

Dental Bonding

In dental bonding, a tooth-colored durable plastic material that looks like putty-like resin, is applied to the tooth then hardened with a laser or ultraviolet light to bond the material to the tooth. Your dentist will then trim, shape and polish the tooth. Bonding is considered to be a good replacement for, or alternative to silver or amalgam fillings and can repair misshapen, cracked, chipped or decayed teeth. The procedure takes about half an hour to an hour and costs between $100 and $400 per tooth.

Dental Crown

Dental crowns are designed to fit over and replace an entre damaged or decayed tooth above the gum line, restoring its appearance, strength, size and shape. They’re also called caps and they help to hold a cracked tooth together or keep a weak one from breaking; they can also be used to cover severely discolored or misshapen teeth. Crowns can be made from resin, metal, ceramic or porcelain-fused-to-metal. They typically cost about $500-$900 each.

Inlays and Onlays

Inlays and onlays are made from porcelain, gold or composite materials and fill damaged or decayed teeth. They’re also called indirect fillings and are an alternative to crowns, designed to preserve as much healthy tooth as possible. While dental fillings are molded into place during an office visit; inlays and onlays are created in a dental lab and bonded into place by your dentist.

Bottom Line

There are several other types of cosmetic dentistry procedures such as dental implants and more. For instance, dental implants are tooth root replacements made of titanium that are inserted into the bone socket of the missing tooth. Dentures are removable replacements for missing teeth while dental braces can straighten misaligned or crooked teeth.