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Cosmetic Dentistry
Cosmetic dentistry is a huge area of our industry helping millions who are not happy with their smile. Crowns, bridges, veneers and bonding are all aspects of this field of dentistry.
Crowns & Bridges
A crown fits over the existing natural tooth (which will have been pre-prepared) and replaces the natural crown (the portion of the tooth seen above the gums. Crowns become necessary for a number of reasons; General wearing down of the teeth; a trauma which has chipped or broken the enamel or in cases where decay has severely weakened a tooth to the point that there is a high risk that it may fall apart.
Bridges replace one or more missing teeth. They consist of an artificial tooth anchored to the natural teeth on each side of the gap. If a tooth is lost due to an accident, or is too badly decayed to save with a crown, a bridge may be the treatment of choice.
Both crown and bridges are normally made of porcelain or gold alloy. Porcelain is advantageous as it is both strong and can be matched as close as possible to the colour of the existing surrounding teeth. It is generally resistant to staining and can be cleaned if this does occur. Gold alloy is most commonly used in the back area of the mouth, used for its strength, hardness and durability.
Veneers
Veneers are usually used to change the appearance of the teeth which are shown when you smile. These are thin, tooth-coloured porcelain shells carefully crafted to bond to and cover the front of unsightly teeth. They are a more conservative treatment than a crown and can often be used as an alternative if the underlying tooth is strong and healthy. Veneers are excellent for treating chipped, discoloured, slightly misaligned or misshapen teeth or gaps between the teeth.
Inlays/Onlays
Inlays are fillings that were traditionally made of gold but are now often made of porcelain, ceramic or composite material. They are used to repair moderately damaged back molars.
Onlays are a more extensive repair to the tooth involving the outer cusps of the tooth but usually made of the same materials as inlays. An onlay is much stronger than any other type of filling and actually increases the strength of the tooth.
Bonding
Bonding is useful for improving the image of very small irregularities but as a long term solution may not be as successful as veneers. It involves the bonding of a tooth coloured putty-like resin to the surface of the tooth which is then set and hardened.
View our Cosmetic Dentistry image gallery.
Teeth Whitening
Tooth Whitening is the use of bleaching agents to lighten the colour of teeth that have not responded sufficiently to professional cleaning. Tooth discolouration occurs for a variety of reasons; surface stains due to lifestyle (smoking, coffee, tea and red wine), age, poor oral hygiene, certain medications. It is important to note that not everyone is suitable for tooth whitening. The most common factors contributing to this are tooth sensitivity, defective or absent tooth enamel, pregnancy or breast feeding.
At Booragoon Dental Clinic we offer our patients three types of tooth whitening:
Take Home Kit
This involves getting impressions taken in our clinic. These impressions are then used to fabricate a custom made mouth tray which will then be given to you to take home along with the whitening agent. It normally takes two to four weeks for an end result to be produced. You may wear the bleaching trays at night whilst sleeping of for about 45 minutes during the day.
In-Surgery Whitening
The advantage of choosing this whitening system is that you walk out of our surgery with a brighter smile than you walked in with.
The In-Surgery procedure takes little over an hour to complete. It begins with a short preparation to cover you lips and gums leaving only you teeth exposed. A special whitening gel is then applied to your teeth, which is then cured with a high intensity light.
Internal Bleaching
Internal bleaching is most commonly used for a tooth that has turned dark as a result of root canal treatment. As the name suggests, the bleaching agent is injected inside the tooth structure and left there for about a week. To achieve a whiter tooth, the procedure may have to be done more then once. When the treatment is complete, the dentist removes the bleaching agent from the tooth.
