For the smile you’ve always wanted, cosmetic dentistry can improve the way you view your smile forever. From crooked, stained teeth to pearly whites, cosmetic dentistry can change your teeth’ structure and appearance through various procedures. These procedures can vary from complex surgeries to simple treatments, but all of which serve to restore the aesthetic appearance of your smile. In many cases, cosmetic dentistry can also help patients with dental problems gain back their oral health. If you have ever visited a cosmetic dentist, you’ll probably see that they offer some of the most popular treatments.
When it comes to cosmetic treatments, their popularity shows how well they work on a massive scale. Because of their success, we present some of the top 5 most popular cosmetic dentistry treatments, including:
1. Tooth Whitening
Also called tooth bleaching, tooth whitening gives people a simple, quick way to change their smile, even if it’s only temporary. Tooth whitening treatments often use peroxide-based bleaching agents, and many of the at-home versions use 3% to 20% peroxide. However, for those with more moderate staining, the amount of peroxide found in these treatments don’t work. Professional whitening treatments can change that, because they offer between 15% and 45% peroxide, making their mixtures a more robust solution for whitening teeth. Teeth whitening is also the most affordable option, making it extremely desirable.
2. Tooth Enamel Bonding
Dental bonding is a less standard procedure, but it’s a trendy choice for those who find it due to the ability to replace chips and cracks within the teeth. Enamel bonding consists of an extremely mold-able material made out of composite resin, which hardens and fuses the enamel to create a natural-looking tooth. It’s ideal for shaping teeth back to pristine health, but most often needs to be replaced.
3. Dental Veneers
Veneers have become the golden standard for their inexpensiveness and ability to cover chips, cracks, and internal stains. They’re thin, porcelain shells that cover only the front enamel of the tooth, and are permanently fixed to the tooth to give a natural, pearly white appearance. When wearing veneers, they’ll provide natural teeth the cosmetic appearance without sacrificing function and can be easily cleaned.
4. Enamel Abrasion
Less often heard about, enamel abrasion also offers a way to remove staining using pumice in a microabrasion machine. The pumice, due to its porous, but hard nature can remove external stains that occur from products such as sodas, teas, coffees, and tobacco products.
5. Invisalign
Now quoted everywhere by dentists alike, Invisalign or other brands of clear aligners offer a convenient way for people to straighten their teeth without the traditionally bulky appearance of braces. While clear aligners are more or less used for mild to moderate misalignment in the teeth, Invisalign gives people the option to straighten their teeth and not give off the impression that you’re wearing them.
If you desire to learn about our variety of cosmetic treatments, contact Dr. Alireza Movassaghi at the Alvarado Family Dental Center in Alameda, CA today for a dental consultation.