The Most Popular Cosmetic Dental Procedures

The Most Popular Cosmetic Dental Procedures

Cosmetic dentistry includes procedures that help you achieve your perfect smile. As the name suggests, these are not treatments that are necessary for your oral health, but ones that are purely cosmetic and done to improve the look of your teeth and smile, which in turn can improve your confidence.

Perhaps you have some teeth that are crooked, or some that are missing, some cracks or chips in the teeth, or some staining. Or perhaps you are simply unhappy with the colour of your teeth. This is when cosmetic dental treatments can be considered to give you a confidence boost about your smile. Just make sure to pick a dentist who has plenty of experience creating smile makeovers, like Dr. Sabourin a cosmetic dentist in La Jolla.

Let’s have a look at some of the most popular cosmetic dental procedures that are available:

• Teeth Whitening

Teeth whitening is a very popular cosmetic dental procedure and it’s a non-invasive one too. The colour of your teeth can be affected by many things such as diet, genetics, age, and oral health routine. There are lots of at-home teeth whitening kits available but, for the best results, it’s best to get professional teeth whitening at your dentist’s. Your dentist can customise the whitening solutions to each patient’s needs and the results will be superior to anything you can buy over-the-counter or online. 

• Porcelain Veneers

Veneers are a popular procedure to help you achieve a perfect smile, but they do come with a high price tag. The treatment involves fitting a porcelain shell over a tooth (or all teeth) to fix imperfections like worn enamel, cracks, chips, alignment or spacing issues, or to simply achieve a whiter smile. The original tooth needs to have some enamel removed to fit the veneers which means that you can’t go back to your original teeth after having veneers fitted – you can just replace the veneers when needed. It’s important to know this before choosing veneers as it’s a permanent commitment. 

• Dental Bonding

An alternative that is not as invasive as veneers is dental bonding. It’s also more affordable. For tooth bonding, a UV light or laser is used to bond a tooth-coloured composite plastic resin to a tooth. Just like veneers, this is used to cover the same cosmetic imperfections. Dental bonding is a much faster procedure though – it usually only requires one visit to the dentist and you’ll have instant results, though they do need replacing more often. Tooth bonding can also help repair a decayed tooth or a cavity.

• Invisalign

If you want straighter teeth without wearing traditional metal braces, then Invisalign is an excellent option. It’s a non-invasive cosmetic dental treatment and a great way to straighten your teeth. Invisalign braces are created using 3D imaging software and several customised clear aligners are created for the patient to wear for 1-2 weeks at a time before moving on to the next set. The treatment continues until the desired look has been achieved. Invisalign braces should be worn most of the day, at least 22 hours. You remove them to eat, drink, and brush your teeth, but they should stay in for the rest of the day and night. Do your research, and consider the orthodontic treatment costs to see if Invisalign is a viable option for you.

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