The Cosmetic Dentist and Their Common Services

A patient will go to a cosmetic dentist for aesthetic purposes rather than basic oral health care needs. In this day and age, there are several different kinds of dental professionals that offer a variety of services and remedies for their patients' needs.

Advancements have made the field broader and expanded the options available for remedies. The cosmetic kind is focused more on enhancing the smile and the appearance of the oral cavity of a patient. Of course, there are also some services that are common to all practitioners of this field, but there are also a lot that are specific to the cosmetic dentist.

Treatments and Remedies

Teeth whitening is one of the most common procedures that this dental professional is tasked to do by his patient. Many people suffer from discoloration in this area because of various reasons and they wish to change this and make their smile more pleasing. Most of the treatments for whitening work but there are some that are impervious to the treatments and may need a different approach such as veneers or composite bonding.

Another common procedure is filling a cavity with composite or changing an amalgam filling for the composite one. Cavities can grow bigger and more painful if left unattended. The incorporation of filling in a cavity helps to reduce the risk of a toothache or a rotten tooth. Amalgam fillings, the silver ones that were used decades ago, often have health risks that a cosmetic dentist would like to avoid for his patient which is why he will suggest changing the older filling for the safer composite one. The amalgam filling contains 50% mercury which can be hazardous to the patient being located in the oral cavity. Composite can also be used to reshape gaps in the oral cavity as well as to remedy chipped or broken teeth.

Dental bridges and implants can help to resolve the issue of a missing tooth. The operation of implanting titanium studs in the jawbone through an incision in the gums can take some time to complete although more recent techniques allow the implanting and the incorporation of the false tooth to happen during the same session.

Veneers are a common remedy for chipped or broken teeth as well as discoloration. These are simpler than the implants because they are attached to the damaged or discolored teeth with dental glue often used for dentures. There are two kinds of veneer materials to choose from, one made from composite and the other from porcelain. A cosmetic dentist will assess the patient and recommend one suitable for him or her.

Braces are usually recommended for children and adults by an orthodontist but sometimes a dental professional who focuses on cosmetic dentistry may recommend this to his patient. When he sees something amiss with his patients pearly whites that warrant a visit with an orthodontist then he is likely to recommend it. On the other hand, a cosmetic dentist can also be an orthodontist.