Often when people think about dentistry, they consider it from the perspective of treating oral health problems. Fillings, braces, and root canals are often some of the first things that come to mind.
However, dentists can do a lot more than just treat diseases as they arise. For one, they can make healthy smiles even more beautiful! This is the realm of cosmetic dentistry. If you want to learn more about this field of dentistry, here’s what you should know.
What is Cosmetic Dentistry?
Broadly speaking, cosmetic dentistry refers to treatments that are primarily used to make your smile look better, as opposed to treating a disease or restoring decayed teeth. Cosmetic treatments can potentially improve your health, like how veneers can protect sensitive teeth, but that isn’t necessarily their main focus.
While restorative dentistry deals with filling teeth or removing the pain from toothaches, cosmetic dentistry is focused on making your teeth whiter, repairing chips, and bringing the teeth into alignment with each other.
Who’s Right for Cosmetic Dentistry?
In general, cosmetic dentistry is a great pick for anyone who has something they don’t love about the way their teeth look. That said, cosmetic treatments often depend on the integrity of the tooth for support, and some of them aren’t advisable if you’re suffering from oral health problems.
For that reason, the ideal cosmetic patient is someone who has a fairly healthy smile, or who has treated all of their oral health problems, but still wants to change the aesthetics of their smile.
Common Cosmetic Treatments
If this sounds appealing to you, here are some of the cosmetic treatments your dentist may talk with you about at a consultation:
- Teeth whitening: your dentist can layer a whitening solution onto your teeth, wait for a few minutes, then wash it off. This can give you a much whiter smile in as little as one appointment.
- Direct Bonding: your dentist can use a composite resin to patch up chips and cracks on the tooth. They can sculpt this resin into place, making your tooth look as good as new.
- Veneers: These are thin porcelain shells that are layered onto the tooth, covering up any aesthetic issues.
- Invisalign: Clear plastic aligners can be placed onto your teeth, pushing them into alignment without the need for wires and brackets.
About Our Practice
At Ponte Vedra Complete Dentistry, our goal is to be able to offer all of our patients truly exceptional service. From the moment you step into our office, we can guarantee that you’ll feel happy, comfortable, and attended to. We also know that you’re busy, which is why we’ll ensure that you don’t have to spend hours waiting in our office to get the care that you need.
If you have any questions about cosmetic dentistry, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (904) 285-7711.