COSMETIC DENTISTRY

Gum Recontouring

Gum recontouring involves the use of a special laser that allows us to “sculpt” the gum tissue. It is particularly effective in the removal of excess gum tissue. Because of the nature of laser light, there is little or no bleeding at all.

Tooth Whitening

Tooth whitening or bleaching is a process whereby we lighten teeth by applying various types of bleaching materials. The results are safe, long-lasting and in many cases, quite dramatic. Bleaching is usually the starting point for most cosmetic work. We use take home bleaching!

Take home involves the use of clear “bleaching trays” that look like thin mouthguards. Bleaching gel is placed in them and they are worn 1-2 hours per day for 10-14 days.

Composite Bonding

Composite bonding involves the placement of white filling material on teeth to improve their shape colour or size. Although not as sturdy as porcelain veneer, bonding may be a good choice where the amount of colour or shape change required is small, and little or no drilling is desired. With new materials we can get esthetics very similar to porcelain.

Porcelain Veneers

Porcelain veneers are thin shells of porcelain that are bonded to the teeth to improve their shape, colour or size. The teeth must first be reshaped to allow the porcelain to fit over top, and then they are bonded in place. Veneers offer the ultimate in dental esthetics.

Tooth Recontouring

Tooth recontouring or reshaping involves removing very small amounts of enamel from the teeth to round off sharp points and edges, and to level uneven biting edges of teeth. No freezing is required, and the results can be quite dramatic, especially if combined with bleaching.

White Fillings

Our office uses white filling material about 90% of the time. Not only do white fillings look better than silver-mercury ones, but they will often restore some of the tooth’s lost strength.

There are two types: direct or in the mouth fillings, and indirect or inlays/onlays. Inlays or onlays are stronger than direct fillings, and so are preferred in all but the smallest of cavities.

Bridges

Bridges are used to replace lost teeth. This usually involves placing crowns on either side of the missing tooth or teeth. This is a good choice in situations where an implant cannot be done.

Porcelain Crowns

All-Porcelain crowns offer almost the same strength as metallic crowns, but also have the advantages of being tooth coloured and non-staining. With older porcelain-metal crowns, dark lines can form at the edges, making them look unsightly with time.

New metal-free crowns don’t form these dark lines, and so maintain their good looks much longer.