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A smile can be the most eye-catching feature of
your face. Even a subtle change can make a big difference
in the way you look and feel. New techniques like
bleaching, bonding,
enamel shaping, veneers,
and white fillings allow
us to create a beautiful smile with, at times, only
minimal changes to existing teeth. |
| Bleaching (Whitening)
is a very popular procedure in cosmetic dentistry.
It is a relatively easy and effective technique
for obtaining a dazzling, whiter smile, at home,
in a matter of days. |
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Bonding is a
procedure where tooth-colored composite resin material
is placed to "fill in the blanks." One
of the most frequent uses of the bonding technique
is to fill in a gap between front teeth. |
| Enamel Shaping (Contouring)
is the process of shaping natural teeth to improve
their appearance. Shaping can be used to correct
minor cases of crowded or overlapping teeth, smooth
rough edges, or make small adjustments to the shape
of a tooth. |
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Veneers are laboratory
fabricated, porcelain facings that are bonded to
the front surfaces of teeth to whiten teeth, close
spaces, straighten teeth, or repair chipped or worn
teeth. The veneers are only about 1 mm thick (the
thickness of a fingernail). That same thickness
is "shaved" off the natural tooth surface
so when the veneer is bonded to the tooth, the tooth
doesn't feel or look "thicker". |
| Caps (Crowns)
are rarely used for cosmetic correction any more,
since the advent of veneers, but in some cases a
crown may be necessary for a particular tooth. A
tooth with a bad fracture
or a large filling that
is breaking down, or has decay around it, may be
a candidate for a crown instead of a veneer. This
patient has veneers on top, but one of the front
teeth had a large filling and had to be crowned. |
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White
fillings replace silver or gold fillings
with a more natural looking tooth-colored material.
Since teeth are translucent, dark fillings cause
the whole tooth to appear darker when viewed from
the side. Replacing older dark fillings with white
fillings will keep your smile glowing!
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Dental WebSmith, Inc. and Smile Design Dental, LLC. All rights
reserved worldwide. Disclaimer: The
information provided within is intended to help you better understand dental
conditions and procedures. It is not meant to serve as delivery of medical or
dental care. If you have specific questions or concerns, contact your health
care provider.
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