You might need cosmetic dental services if you have one or more damaged teeth. Your teeth are the strongest parts of your body, but they regularly have to deal with the intense forces that chewing puts upon them and constant attacks from acids made by oral bacteria. Teeth also have to deal with the forces generated whenever you take a blow to the face.
Cosmetic dental services can be used to fix damaged teeth. Many of these treatments can restore a tooth’s appearance, along with its function.
Many people are tired of damaged teeth affecting the way that their smile looks. Here are a few of the treatments that a dentist might recommend.
This is a non-invasive treatment that is used to repair mild to moderate damage to a tooth. Issues that composite bonding can be used to address include tooth decay, chips, and breaks. The composite used is matched with the patient’s natural teeth, so any repairs made can blend in.
The procedure involves applying a composite made from mixtures of plastic and glass directly on a tooth and shaping the composite as needed. Blue light is used to harden the composite to complete the process.
Dental crowns can be used to fix chipped, broken, fractured, worn-down, or decayed teeth. A crown is a long-term solution that can last up to 25 years when properly maintained. It is shaped like a real tooth and completely covers up the damaged tooth, restoring its appearance and function.
Crowns are designed to withstand forces created by chewing, and they protect the damaged teeth from irritants like bacteria and the acids that they make. Crowns are typically recommended for moderately to severely damaged teeth.
Placing a crown on a tooth requires the dentist to alter its structures permanently. The dentist shaves off enamel from all four sides to create a better fit for the crown. There is no way to reverse this in the future; the tooth will always need a restoration to serve as its artificial enamel.
Getting a crown placed on a tooth typically requires two trips to the dentist. The first is used to prepare the patient’s tooth, take an impression, and cover it with a temporary crown. The impression goes to a lab to be made. It takes two weeks for the custom crown to get back to the dentist. The temporary crown is removed during the second visit, and the custom restoration is cemented into place.
These thin shells are used to cover the front parts of damaged teeth, hiding any flaws on them. Issues that can be fixed with veneers include chipped or deformed teeth. The dentist removes enamel from the front part of the damaged tooth and cements a veneer into place.
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Are you tired of your damaged tooth affecting your smile? Give us a call or stop by our Santa Barbara clinic to set up an appointment with our dentist.
Request an appointment or call Julie A. Hemingway, D.D.S. at 805-409-2358 for an appointment in our Santa Barbara office.
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