Treatment
Cosmetic dentistry
Tooth whitening and contouring.
Cosmetic dentistry combines art and science to improve the appearance of your teeth and face, helping you both look and feel great. Nice teeth and a wide smile not only give a good impression, they also help you feel good about yourself. Using the latest technologies and materials we can do wonders for the colour and shape of your teeth.
To get the best results we do the following:
- professional cleaning,
- tooth whitening,
- orthodontic bite correction and realignment of teeth,
- tooth contouring using composite materials,
- full ceramic veneers,
- full ceramic crowns, with ceramic or composite veneers.
Tooth cleaning:
This is a pain-free treatment with an ultrasound scaler or, where there are high levels of tartar, done manually with local anaesthetic.
After cleaning, the teeth are sand-blasted and polished using a special paste. For people with healthy teeth, this procedure should be done every 6 months, while those with periodontitis should have it done every 2 - 3 months.
Whitening:
This is either done on individual teeth or on groups of teeth. Dead teeth (following root canal work and an X-ray check) can be whitened by inserting a bleaching agent into the tooth chamber for several days. The treatment can be repeated several times, without side effects, until the desired result is achieved.
To whiten groups of teeth, carbomide peroxide at 10 - 16% is used. You receive a special mouth guard to take home along with the bleaching agent, and then applies it yourself. Using this method will result in the obvious lightening of most mild and medium discolouration. Where discolouration is more severe (e.g. following a course of antibiotics), treatment may be lengthened or a different method may be preferable (the dentist will discuss with you all treatment options). After bleaching, the teeth permanently remain lighter, although the colour may be 'refreshed' on a subsequent visit to the dentist. Before starting treatment, the teeth should be thoroughly cleaned to remove all signs of plaque or tartar, any loose fillings in the side teeth should be replaced and any tooth decay should be dealt with. Any fillings in the front teeth should be changed after the bleaching, since the colour of composite material is not affected. Side effects may include temporary sensitivity in the teeth, especially to cold.
Recontouring:
Changing the shape of the teeth using composite materials is common in the front teeth, in particular to close gaps between them, and is the least time-consuming and the cheapest method available, although it can also be done orthodontically or by using crowns or veneers. Composite material may also be used to fill in worn-down teeth, which can reveal darker dentine at the front and which is highly prone to discolouration. Slight losses of enamel can also be replaced in a similar way.
Ceramic veneers:
Where there is deep discolouration following a course of antibiotics, tooth attrition and high enamel deficiency, the teeth may have to be corrected prosthetically. The first way is with ceramic veneers. This requires a small amount of the front surface of the tooth (the enamel) to be removed, which, while it sounds a little drastic, is much less invasive for the tooth tissue than preparation for a full crown. The veneers are bonded to your teeth using a special resin. If you take good care of your teeth, ceramic veneers will give you many years of an improved, whiter, smile.
Ceramic crowns:
If you've had a lot of fillings or an injury of some kind which makes veneers impossible, a range of ceramic crowns can be used, such as:
- metal-free,
- zirconium ceramic,
- ceramic fused to metal, or gold
Metal-free crowns:
These are made of low-melting porcelain and have the nicest appearance since they most closely resemble the natural tooth colour and, unlike crowns on metal, will not be visible near the gum line as the gum recedes with age. Their life-span is similar to that of natural teeth. They are best for people with sensitivity to metals since they are non-allergenic.
Zirconium ceramic crowns:
This is the latest computer-supported system in metal-free zirconium ceramic. Zirconium is extremely hard and durable, and incomparable with other materials. It is white and translucent, unlike classic porcelain, but its main advantages are its biocompatibility (it is non-toxic and your body will not reject the material), its low temperature conductivity, tightness and colour fastness. As a result, it is an excellent material for cosmetic dental procedures.
Crowns on metal:
The ceramic is fused onto a metal base and is a tried and tested material for this type of procedure, setting the standard for all subsequent developments in the field. Since the metal construction is opaque, it makes the translucency of the natural teeth difficult to replicate. There is also the risk of metal allergy (to nickel or chrome). This problem can be avoided by using gold as the base. The advantage of using gold is that it hampers the growth of bacteria, which limits plaque collecting around the crown.
