Ready for a new smile?

Like it or not, we live in a beauty conscious world and not everyone is born beautiful. Some of the people have to opt for plastic surgery as well as cosmetic dentistry to make them look good. Taking steps to improve your appearance today is considered an investment in one’s health and well-being. It is as socially acceptable as it personally gratifying. Shaping your teeth is one of the best option for having a complete new look. The options are:

Closing gaps

Gaps between the front teeth can be very unpleasant and are responsible for irregularities in your smile. Therefore, for a perfect smile, one needs to close these gaps.

Causes of gaps

1. Abnormally shaped tooth/teeth
2. Heredity
3. Habits like tongue thrusting
4. Gum diseases
5. Missing tooth/teeth
6. Treatment

Depending upon the condition of the gums and supporting bone, a treatment restoring their general condition is required first.

Bonding

Composite resin, close gaps plastic material is applied to close the gaps. Most spaces can be filled in to look very natural. Here, a treatment may involve extra teeth to obtain proportionate space closing.
Treatment time:1 to 2 hours per tooth.

Advantages

1. Little or no reduction of tooth structure
2. No anesthesia required
3. Reversible procedure
4. Discolouration of teeth can be corrected
5. Shape of the teeth can be changed

Laminates or veneers

Veneers are thin facings of dental restorative materials bonded on to the surface of a tooth to give a polished, natural appearing result that effectively closes spaces. They can be either of composite resins or porcelain.

Treatment time: Two sittings. Teeth will be prepared and impressions made during the first visit which can take around one to four hours. Laminates would be fitted during the second visit.

Advantages

1. Easier to obtain proportionate closure of spaces
2. Etched porcelain provides an extremely good bond to enamel
3. Less chance of colour or lustre loss
4. Conservative-less tooth reduction
5. Gum tissue tolerates porcelain well
6. No anaesthesia usually required
7. Discolouration of teeth can be corrected
8. Shade of the teeth can be changed

Crowning or capping

The whole tooth can be crowned to achieve the ultimate in shaping teeth to fill spaces. Local anaesthesia is required.

Treatment time: Usually two appointments. First for reshaping the tooth and taking the impressions. Second for fitting of the finished crown.

Advantages

1. Shade of the tooth can be altered
2. Some realignment or straightening of teeth is possible
3. Long lasting

Orthodontics to reposition teeth

Braces are not only for children any more. It can be done for adults also to straighten teeth, close gaps or just improve their smile. Teeth may return to original position if retainers are not worn.

Treatment time: 6 to 24 months for most of the patients.

Advantages

1. Permanent closure of space between teeth for most individuals
2. No tooth reduction required

In the case of spaces existing because of a missing tooth or teeth, the treatment options are:

1. Fixed bridges
2. Removable dentures
3. Implants

Fractured teeth

A fractured front tooth can be source of embarrassment for the appearance conscious adolescent or adults.

Treatment
For very minor damage, cosmetic contouring is ideal. Teeth can be straightened immediately after treatment.

Treatment time: 15 to 60 minutes

Advantages

1. No anaesthesia
2. Permanent solution
3. No maintenance
4. Conservative
5. Quick

The above mentioned lines of treatment are general guidelines. There is no universal application for any particular option. Your dentist would be the best judge for selecting the line of treatment.